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Read. Follow. Verify.South Dakota Bill Sets Rules, Qualifications, and Felony Penalties for Article V Convention Delegates
Last action · February 18, 2026: TabledSponsors: Les Heinemann and 5 others
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What This Bill Proposed
South Dakota HB 1196 establishes qualifications, appointment procedures, oath requirements, and conduct rules for delegates representing the state at a federal Article V constitutional convention, while making the intimidation or bribery of a delegate a .
The measure determines who can represent the state at a constitutional convention, sets strict rules and restrictions on delegate voting authority regarding individual liberties and convention rules, and establishes criminal penalties for interfering with delegates.
- An Article V convention is an alternative method for proposing amendments to the United States Constitution, triggered when two-thirds of state legislatures apply to Congress. context
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.
Article V convention delegates
Delegates are subject to strict eligibility requirements, mandatory oaths, voting restrictions, gift limits, and potential recall or criminal penalties.
State Legislature
The Legislature gains the authority to appoint and recall delegates, issue binding instructions, and set their compensation.
Secretary of State
The Secretary of State is required to receive executed oaths, issue commissioning resolutions, certify selections, and recall delegates when instructed.
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
Who is eligible to serve as a delegate to an Article V convention?
What voting restrictions are placed on delegates?
What are the penalties for interfering with a delegate?
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 - Tabled in the House.
Procedural history
5 actions- Feb 18, 2026HouseTabled
- Feb 18, 2026HouseScheduled for hearing
- Feb 18, 2026HouseCommitteeDo Pass
- Feb 18, 2026HouseScheduled for hearing
- Jan 29, 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 →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.
Codification of Delegate Restrictions
The measure systematically moves and updates previous statutory sections concerning Article V conventions into a consolidated chapter with strict eligibility rules and felony penalties for interference.
Connected Entities
Sources
sdlegislature.gov
Analysis Score
0–100- Significance20Lowered because this bill did not pass (its text scored 65)
- Controversy75Intensity of disagreement among stakeholders
- Entertainment10Compellingness for a non-policy-wonk reader
- Buzz35Current news / social attention level
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