Technology

SB 114 requires South Dakota election officials to make ballot images (digital copies of paper ballots) and cast vote records (electronic records showing how votes were counted) publicly available as public records. However, it prohibits releasing these records if they include voter-identifying details like names, timing of votes, or incomplete precinct data. Specifically, records from precincts with fewer than 100 ballots must be redacted to remove ballot style identifiers and combined with records from other precincts before public release. This law applies directly to local election officials responsible for managing and releasing election data.

SB 75 expands eligibility for South Dakota's cybersecurity services initiative to include nonprofit utility companies and utilities operated by local governments (like cities or counties). It appropriates $7 million from the general fund to the Attorney General's Office to fund cybersecurity infrastructure and administrative costs for eligible entities. The bill modifies existing law to allow these newly included organizations to access the initiative's resources, which previously covered only counties and municipalities. Funds must be used to protect IT assets and address specific cybersecurity needs of participating local governments and utilities. The initiative aims to improve cybersecurity across state government and service provider networks.

This bill amends existing state consumer protection laws to add requirements for age verification and parental consent for application stores, which are digital platforms where users download software applications. The legislation would require these stores to verify the age of users and obtain parental consent from minors before allowing them to access or download applications. It also establishes penalties for businesses that fail to comply with these new verification and consent requirements. The bill does not create new consumer protection categories but rather modifies existing deceptive trade practices provisions to include digital application store compliance.

SB 205 revises drone registration fees in South Dakota, charging 1.5% of purchase price for agricultural drones and 2% for all other drones. The collected fees fund a new "drone aviation fund" administered by the Board of Technical Education to support drone training grants at state technical colleges. This bill directly affects drone owners (especially agricultural users) by changing their registration tax rates and creating a dedicated funding source for drone industry workforce development. The fund will receive all drone registration fees and interest, with expenditures requiring annual budget approval. The bill does not apply to small unmanned aircraft systems covered under federal regulations.

HB 1246 prohibits state agencies and local governments from signing agreements with private entities that require secrecy about data center projects. It mandates that any agreement for building, developing, or locating a data center must be treated as a public record, making its terms accessible to the public. The bill defines a data center as a facility storing, processing, or managing electronic data. This ensures transparency by preventing confidential clauses in such agreements, allowing public access to project details without secrecy restrictions.