State of South Dakota  
EIGHTY-SEVENTH SESSION
LEGISLATIVE ASSEMBLY, 2012  

618T0417   HOUSE STATE AFFAIRS ENGROSSED    NO.  SB 161 -  2/24/2012  

Introduced by:    Senators Novstrup (Al), Brown, Frerichs, Fryslie, and Heineman and Representatives Hoffman, Feickert, and Tulson
 

        FOR AN ACT ENTITLED, An Act to revise certain provisions concerning public meetings held by teleconference or videoconference.
BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF SOUTH DAKOTA:
    Section 1. That § 1-25-1 be amended to read as follows:
    1-25-1. The official meetings of the state, its political subdivisions, and any public body of the state or its political subdivisions are open to the public unless a specific law is cited by the state, the political subdivision, or the public body to close the official meeting to the public. For the purposes of this section, a political subdivision or a public body of a political subdivision means any association, authority, board, commission, committee, council, task force, school district, county, city, town, township, or other agency of the state, which is created or appointed by statute, ordinance, or resolution and is vested with the authority to exercise any sovereign power derived from state law.
    It is not an official meeting of one political subdivision or public body if its members provide information or attend the official meeting of another political subdivision or public body

for which the notice requirements of § 1-25-1.1 have been met.

    Any official meeting may be conducted by teleconference as defined in § 1-25-1.2. A teleconference may be used to conduct a hearing or take final disposition regarding an administrative rule pursuant to § 1-26-4. A member is deemed present if the member answers present to the roll call conducted by teleconference for the purpose of determining a quorum. Each vote at an official meeting held by teleconference shall be taken by roll call.
    If the state, a political subdivision, or a public body conducts an official meeting by teleconference, the state, the political subdivision, or public body shall provide one or more places at which the public may listen to and participate in the teleconference meeting. For any official meeting held by teleconference, which has less than a quorum of the members of the public body participating in the meeting who are present at the location open to the public, arrangements shall be provided for the public to listen to the meeting via telephone or internet. The requirement to provide one or more places for the public to listen to the teleconference does not apply to an executive or closed meeting.
    A violation of this section is a Class 2 misdemeanor.