SD Senator Michael Rohl

Today the Governor signed my bill SB 111, The South Dakota Digital Choice Act. This is a ground breaking bill in the social media space. It requires social media companies to be transparent on how they use customer data and requires interoperability for that data to be given to the user at their request. Competition is good and this promotes an environment that encourages that. South Dakotans should own their own digital data stored with social media sites and now they do. This is a real model for other states to follow and I expect they will.

Committee splits on two data protection bills Senate bills 110 and 111, sponsored by Aberdeen Senator Michael Rohl, both focused on three themes: user-friendly transparency, privacy and ownership of personal data.

This is a big win for rural South Dakota! This may be the most significant investment in rural healthcare in South Dakota’s history, and it will strengthen our state for our kids and grandkids. By recruiting healthcare professionals, modernizing rural facilities, and expanding access to care, we will ensure South Dakotans in every corner of the state can stay healthy and strong.

https://news.sd.gov/news?id=news_kb_article_view&sys_id=46173fa81b3e3a90df4edb1de54bcb0b

Voters may weigh in on term limits as resolution advances from Senate committee SIOUX FALLS, S.D. (KELO) – The Senate State Affairs Committee has recommended passage of a measure that would ask voters to further limit the number of terms a lawmaker can serve in the South Dakot…

Should gold-tax revenue flow to water projects? PIERRE, S.D. (KELO) — A state lawmaker continues to pursue a higher tax on gold that is mined in South Dakota, but he’s now seeking a smaller increase and wants to use the revenue for a…

Senator pre-files seven measures pre-session PIERRE, S.D. (KELO) — Republican Senator Mike Rohl isn’t letting any snow gather around his feet this winter. The three-term lawmaker from Aberdeen has already pre-filed five pieces of …

South Dakotan’s have consistently expressed we believe folks requiring taxpayer assistance should be working if they are physically able to. However, nearly every small businesses owner I speak to has open positions available for hire. These same taxpayers looking to hire folks are the ones paying for others to be collecting unemployment checks. South Dakota currently allows unemployed individuals 6 months of pay to look for a new job. My bill (SB 6) will propose changing that 6 months to 12 weeks. As a constituent stated to me, “If you can’t get a job in 12 weeks, you aren’t trying.”

Government holds an important role in our daily lives, but there should be better limits to how much of our lives they can control. Owning your own home is a cornerstone of the American Dream, maintaining your investment should be your right- and you should never need to ask permission or pay a fee to a government to maintain your own home with nonstructural maintenance. SB 3 seeks to return the right to maintain your own home by forbidding counties, towns, and townships from requiring permits or charging a fee for nonstructural maintenance on owner occupied homes.

My next bill (SB 5) provides better clarification to voters when they cast their ballots. I strongly support the rights of citizens to vote, and I believe they should have as much information in front of them as possible. Currently our ballot measures don’t tell the public how the issue got on the ballot. SB 5 will require the AG to specify in his disclosure statement on the ballot whether the measure was place on the ballot by collecting citizen signatures or whether it was vetted and placed on the ballot by the legislature.

Currently, Congress has the power to determine how many Justices sit on the Supreme Court. Congress has changed the composition of the Court seven times throughout our history; most of which were politically motivated - each having the ability to lead to serious political instability. Our court has been at nine justices since 1869 - despite attempts since then to expand the court. The composition of our third branch of government shouldn’t fluctuate at the whims of a two year Congress. Dusty Johnson introduced a bill for Congress to give up their power and create a constitutional amendment setting the court at 1 Chief justice and 8 associate justices - but Congress refused to give the matter a vote.

SJR 502 is a first in the nation call for 33 other state legislatures to join South Dakota in demanding a vote on the ratification of 1 Chief justice and 8 Associate Justices as the constitutional composition of the Supreme Court. Packing the Court is dangerous and Justices from RBG to Scalia have agreed nine is the right number. I believe South Dakota’s legislature should support our lone Congressman’s effort.

I have prefiled several bills for the 2026 Legislative Session with several more to come in the weeks ahead. While some of the bills are lengthy and rather complex; others are rather short and straightforward. Over the next couple weeks I’d like to share them with you.

The first bill is attached below (Senate Bill 7) and it is a tax increase on corporations that mine Gold in the state of South Dakota. The state’s current tax structure was last adjusted in the 1990’s. It charges an income tax on the Net Profit these corporations show on paper (after expenses, salaries, bonus, dividends, etc) and it charges a severance tax based on weight of what they take out of the ground. The severance tax was set at $4 per ounce (gold was roughly $400 at the time) and it stated if gold ever reached $800 an ounce the state can charge $8 per ounce. Today gold is over $4,400 an ounce! My bill would change the static “$4/$8” tax to a 1% the value of Gold tax.

Gold is a limited commodity that isn’t found everywhere. Our state hasn’t updated our taxes on gold to accurately reflect its increase in value over the decades and I believe my bill will generate millions of dollars in ongoing revenue for the state moving forward. These South Dakota goldmines are owned by publicly traded companies that are taking advantage of South Dakota’s resources without fair compensation to the taxpayers of the state. My bill puts the taxes back on par to what the 90s legislature that created them envisioned by removing the static number and making it a percentage of value that is equivalent to the original ratio.