Proposals to expand Medicaid and raise South Dakota teacher pay are expected to dominate the 2016 legislative session.
Lawmakers return to Pierre tomorrow, where they must set the state budget and tackle multiple issues during the session.
Governor Dennis Daugaard is set to kick off the session Tuesday afternoon with his “State of the State” speech. He says his most prominent topic that will be discussed is the recommendations from the Blue Ribbon Task Force…

It’s unclear how lawmakers will raise pay for South Dakota teachers, whose salaries are lowest in the nation. The state task force on school funding has said it would take at least $75 million to make teacher salaries competitive.
Daugaard says he will also offer further details about his Medicaid expansion proposal…

Beyond those two main topics, Daugaard will talk about several other issues facing South Dakota…

Many will also be eager to see if Daugaard will propose solutions to get more money to struggling counties across the state. Several measures are in play to get more money to struggling counties, including a plan to let them impose an optional sales tax.