SIOUX FALLS, S.D. (KELO) — South Dakota lawmakers are expected to decide whether to build a new men’s prison in Sioux Falls during a special session starting at 9 a.m. Tuesday in Pierre.
Lawmakers will convene in the House and the Senate before they gather in the House chamber at 9:30 a.m. for a speech from Gov. Larry Rhoden. A joint committee of House and Senate members will first hear the legislation. Then, the Senate is scheduled to vote first on the project.
KELOLAND News will have team coverage of the special session, including a livestream of the special session. You can watch in the video player above or on KELOLAND+.
Specifically, lawmakers are considering a two-age bill brought at the request of Rhoden’s office. The bill, which could be amended on Tuesday by state lawmakers, calls for swapping the 320 acres in Lincoln County and purchasing 179 acres in Minnehaha County, transferring $78.7 million from the general revenue replacement fund to the incarceration construction fund, and appropriating $650 million from the incarceration construction fund (ICF) to purchase the land and construct the 1,488-bed men’s prison in northeastern Sioux Falls.
A two-third majority — 24 in the 35-seat Senate and 47 in the 70-seat House — is needed for the legislation to pass.
You can find updates on the special session below.
How we got here
KELOLAND’s Bob Mercer looked at four bills state lawmakers have voted on since 2022 that setup Tuesday’s special session. It will be the 31st special legislative session in South Dakota’s 136 years as a state.
How will it be paid for?
Rhoden released details about the funding last week. Essentially, all the $650 million for the new prison comes from two large state funds — the ICF and the state budget reserves.
There is currently $505 million in cash in the ICF. When interest earned in fiscal year of 2026 and the projected future interest earned, the recommended transfer of funds totals to be around $78.7 million from the General Revenue Replacement Fund.
State government loss nearly $21 million when state lawmakers in the House refused to provide the funding for the proposed $825 million men’s prison in Lincoln County. The vote was 34 yes and 35 no.
Deducting the roughly $32 million of one-time expenses leaves a $20.8 million loss for state government on the Lincoln County site.
Why 1,500 beds and for 100 years?
The state Legislature will consider the $650 million proposal for 1,188 cell beds and 300 dorm beds.
The proposed men’s prison for a site along Benson Road in Sioux Falls would have 40 square feet per inmate in dayroom space, according to the plan on Rhoden’s FAQ page.
The plan said the 40 square feet per inmate is five square feet above the Amercian Correctional Association (ACA). The ACA requires 35 square feet per inmate for dayroom space. The amount is ” (exclusive of lavatories, showers, and toilets) for the maximum number of inmates who use the dayroom at one time,” according to the ACA.
What lawmakers are saying
Three state lawmakers said last week they will support the plan, while one member said he wanted to see the recidivism rate drop.
“I think a lot of us are kind of at the, sitting at the edge of our seat waiting to see what happens. It’s definitely going to be tight,” Democratic Sen. Liz Larson said. “It’s definitely going to be close. I don’t know if it’s going to pass with the two-thirds or not.”
“Two-thirds is a high threshold, and it should be,” Republican Sen. John Carley said. “It should be a high threshold, especially for an expenditure of this size and for as significant a decision this is. So, will it hit it, I’m not sure. I think it may be close.”
Republican Rep. Greg Jamison of Sioux Falls, who as majority whip in the House assesses how much support a bill has, told KELOLAND News he believes the proposal will clear the two-thirds threshold in each chamber.
