South Dakota SenateSB 164
require that any holder of a commercial driver license in this state must be proficient in the English language, and to provide a penalty therefor.
Passed 29–5Party-line
What it does: On the version voted Mar 2, 2026: Adds English language proficiency to the requirements for a South Dakota commercial driver license and updates the referenced federal testing and entry-level driver training standards to their January 1, 2026 versions. (AI-written summary of the bill; the official record shows the exact version voted)
Question before the chamber: Do Pass
The tally
Yes 29 · No 5 · Not voting 1
Bar: green = yes, brown = no, striped = not voting.
| Party | Yes | No | Not voting |
|---|---|---|---|
| Democrats | 0 | 2 | 0 |
| Republicans | 22 | 1 | 0 |
| Other or unknown party | 7 | 2 | 1 |
Most Democrats voted no; most Republicans voted yes. 1 member voted against their party’s majority.
Voted against their party’s majority
- Stephanie SauderR4No
The full roll (35)
Yes 29
- Amber HulseR30
- Brandon WipfR22
- Carl PerryR3
- Casey CrabtreeR8
- Chris KarrR11
- Curt VoightR33
- Ernie Otten6
- Greg BlancR35
- Helene DuhamelR32
- Jim MehlhaffR24
- John Carley29
- Joy HohnR9
- Kevin JensenR16
- Kyle SchoenfishR19
- Larry Zikmund14
- Lauren NelsonR18
- Mark Lapka23
- Michael RohlR1
- MyKala Voita21
- Paul Miskimins20
- Randy DeibertR31
- Sam MartyR28
- Steve KolbeckR2
- Sue PetersonR13
- Sydney DavisR17
- Taffy Howard34
- Tamara GroveR26
- Tim ReedR7
- Tom PischkeR25
Not voting 1
“Not voting” is a recorded non-vote, not a reason for the absence. Parties come from public rosters; how we count.