'Refugee report' could return to South Dakota

Resettlement information not published since 2020

Photo by Julie Ricard on Unsplash

PIERRE — A report about the settlement of out-of-country immigrants to South Dakota could become public information again.

Rep. Julie Auch and Sen. Taffy Howard’s House Bill 1106 would bring back a state law that was phased out in 2020 requiring any “resettlement agencies” doing business in the state to draft a report for the governor and the Legislature detailing programs, services and other resources they have implemented in support of refugee resettlement. It must also include the number of refugees that the entity anticipates will arrive and receive resettlement services by or through the agency during a given fiscal year.

It’s modeled after similar legislation from 2017, brought by former Sen. and now School and Public Lands Commissioner Brock Greenfield that had the same goal. However, Greenfield’s bill was passed with a “sunset clause” attached to it, meaning it went away after three years.

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