SB 8 South Dakota Senate · 2025 Regular Session

establish certain criminal offenses for boat operators and to provide penalties therefor.

This bill establishes criminal offenses for boat operators in South Dakota and sets corresponding penalties for violations. It directly affects individuals who operate boats within the state's waters by defining specific prohibited behaviors and outlining consequences for non-compliance. The legislation creates a legal framework to enforce safety standards and address misconduct among boat operators through defined criminal charges and punishment measures.

Issues: ✓ Criminal Justice

Bill status signed all 5 stages cleared

Introduction

Jan 2025

Committee Review

Feb 2025

Senate Passage

Mar 2025

House Passage

Feb 2025

Signed into Law

Mar 2025

Introduced Jan 14, 2025 Signed Mar 13, 2025

Maddy AI version diff · 2 comparisons

What changed between versions

Senate Judiciary Engrossed → Enrolled · 4 edits · Mar 3, 2025

MODERATE

This bill establishes new criminal offenses for boat operators who operate under the influence of alcohol or drugs and cause death or serious bodily injury. It creates watercraft homicide (Class 3 felony) for causing death and watercraft battery (Class 4 felony) for causing serious bodily injury, both including unborn children. The bill also upgrades the penalty for hit-and-run incidents involving boat accidents from a Class 6 felony to a Class 6 felony (unchanged in classification but newly codified).

Scope change

The bill expands criminal liability to include boat operators under the influence causing death or serious bodily injury, explicitly including unborn children in the protected persons, and formalizes hit-and-run penalties for boat accidents.

SCOPE

New watercraft homicide offense created for boat operators under the influence causing death, classified as a Class 3 felony

New watercraft battery offense created for boat operators under the influence causing serious bodily injury, classified as a Class 4 felony

Explicit inclusion of unborn children in protected persons for both watercraft homicide and battery offenses

ENFORCEMENT

New Section 3 codifies boat hit-and-run penalties as a Class 6 felony when operators fail to stop at accident scenes

Floor votes · Senate Feb 6, 2025 · House Feb 27, 2025

How they voted

35–0

Passed

Total votes 35

Feb 6, 2025

D Democratic3

3 Yea

100% Yea

R Republican32

32 Yea

100% Yea

Vote distribution

All Yea All Nay Mixed No data

Full legislative history

Actions timeline

Total actions

Key actions

Committee

Amendments

Mar 13, 2025

Signed into law

Signed by the Governor on 2025-03-13 S.J. 528

executive

Mar 4, 2025

Upper · Passed

Signed by the Speaker H.J. 455

upper

Mar 3, 2025

Upper · Passed

Signed by the President S.J. 425

upper

Feb 27, 2025

Upper · Passed

House of Representatives Do Pass Amended , Passed, YEAS 52, NAYS 18 H.J. 427

upper

Feb 27, 2025

House · Passed

House Vote: pass (52-17)

house

Feb 26, 2025

Upper · Passed

Judiciary Do Pass , Passed, YEAS 13, NAYS 0

upper

Feb 10, 2025

Committee

Referred to H.J. 240

upper

Feb 6, 2025

Upper · Passed

Senate Do Pass Amended , Passed, YEAS 35, NAYS 0 S.J. 197

upper

Feb 6, 2025

Senate · Passed

Senate Vote: pass (35-0)

senate

Feb 4, 2025

Upper · Passed

Judiciary Do Pass Amended , Passed, YEAS 6, NAYS 0 S.J. 1

upper

Feb 4, 2025

Introduced

Judiciary Motion to amend , Passed, S.J. 1 Amendment 8A

upper

Jan 14, 2025

Introduced

First read in Senate and referred to S.J. 11

upper

17 primary · 0 co-sponsors