revise provisions pertaining to open records.
SB 94 amends South Dakota's open records law to clarify which records are exempt from public disclosure. It specifically protects student records (excluding basic directory info), medical records (except births/deaths), trade secrets, legal work product, law enforcement investigation details (with exceptions for 911 calls and alcohol/drug tests), property appraisal data, personnel files (excluding salaries), and security plans for buildings, facilities, and gaming commissions. These exemptions ensure sensitive information like cyber security details, vulnerability assessments, and confidential informant data cannot be disclosed under open records requests. The bill directly affects public entities (schools, police, government offices) by defining clearer boundaries for what they may withhold from public access.
Bill status
passed
3 of 5 stages cleared
Introduction
Jan 2026
Committee Review
Senate Passage
Feb 2026
House Passage
Governor
Introduced Jan 16, 2026
Last action Feb 9, 2026
Floor votes
How they voted
This bill passed the Senate by voice vote (no roll call recorded).
Full legislative history
Actions timeline
Total actions
4
Key actions
1
Committee
0
Feb 9, 2026
Upper · Passed
State Affairs Deferred to the 41st legislative day , Passed, YEAS 8, NAYS 1 S.J. 21
upper
Jan 16, 2026
Introduced
First read in Senate and referred to Senate State Affairs S.J. 60
upper
6 primary · 0 co-sponsors
Sponsors
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