South Dakota / State / 2026 Session
Ch. 142, L. 2026 (Senate Bill 35) Rewrote who may obtain a recorded discharge certificate from a register of deeds
Replaced the text of 33A-2-8, which had reached the question through a cross-reference to 43-28-2(7), with a direct list: a veteran may record a certificate of discharge from armed forces or National Guard service free, and the register of deeds must provide a free certified copy to the veteran, a department representative, an individual the veteran designated, the veteran’s legal representative, a county or tribal veterans service officer, an accredited veterans service organisation representative, or the next of kin of a deceased veteran, each on a form disclosing their eligibility. The section expressly does not apply to a version of the certificate that does not display the veteran’s type of discharge, which leaves the member copy outside the restrictions and makes it the version to record where the character of service is the concern. Tracked because published guidance still describes the pre-2026 mechanism.
Progress
Path to law: Bill in a two-chamber legislature
- Introduced Done,
- In committee Done, Senate Military and Veterans Affairs
- Passed one chamber Done, Senate, 34-0
- Passed both chambers Done, House, 65-0
- Signed by the governor Done,
- In effect Done,
Sponsors
- The Chair of the Committee on Military and Veterans Affairs at the request of the Department of Veterans Affairs
What it touches
- SDCL § 33A-2-8
Catalog entry
Official record
Read Ch. 142, L. 2026 (Senate Bill 35) on the jurisdiction's own record