The civic record
Read. Follow. Verify.South Dakota bans state and local agencies from signing confidentiality agreements for data center projects
Last action · February 20, 2026: Do PassSponsors: John Hughes and 8 others
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What This Bill Proposed
State agencies and s in South Dakota are prohibited from entering into confidentiality or agreements with private entities concerning data center construction, development, or location.
Ensures that all contracts and discussions regarding data center projects involving public entities remain open to public inspection as official s.
Who It Would Have Affected
Groups the bill's text would have affected, as described in the record. Being affected is not a position for or against it.
State agencies and political subdivisions
They are prohibited from signing confidentiality clauses in agreements related to data centers.
Non-governmental and private entities
Key Facts
You don't have to trust us. Each fact below is taken straight from the official document - click any one to see the exact passage, highlighted in the original.
Frequently Asked Questions
Can a local government sign a secret agreement with a company building a data center?
What else do you want to know?
News Coverage
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Votes, people, money & the original sourceWhere This Stands
This bill did not become law - Died at adjournment · passed the House.
Procedural history
5 actions- Feb 20, 2026HouseFloorDo Pass
- Feb 18, 2026HouseCommitteeDo Pass
- Feb 18, 2026HouseScheduled for hearing
- Feb 18, 2026HouseScheduled for hearing
- Feb 2, 2026HouseIntroducedFirst read in House and referred to
Version history
Only one version on file - nothing to compare yet. As later stages (committee substitute, engrossed, enrolled) are captured, the redline appears here.
View official text →Voting Record
Do Pass
Total
70
- Yes
- 30
- No
- 37
- Present
- 0
- Not voting
- 0
- Abstain
- 0
- Other positions
- 3
How they voted (1)
Lobbying Activity
No state lobbying filings in our records match this bill. Federal lobbying reports (LDA) cover Congress, so they are not listed on state bills.
Full breakdown
Who this bill affects and the strongest case for and against it, written only from the bill’s own text.
Sponsors
Discoveries
Patterns POLISCOPE noticed across the record. These are observations to investigate, not conclusions.
Elimination of Confidentiality in Public Data Center Deals
The bill shifts policy to ensure that all public-private contracts regarding data center construction or location are automatically classified as public records.
Connected Entities
Sources
sdlegislature.gov
Analysis Score
0–100- Significance20Lowered because this bill did not pass (its text scored 60)
- Controversy45Intensity of disagreement among stakeholders
- Entertainment10Compellingness for a non-policy-wonk reader
- Buzz35Current news / social attention level
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