PIERRE — A handful of South Dakota state lawmakers racked up thousands of dollars in expenses traveling out-of-state in 2024.
But at least five of those former policymakers racked up the expenses after deciding they would not run for re-election last year, or after losing a primary contest in June 2024.
That’s according to a review of state records obtained by South Dakota Broadcasters Association, which shows that all together, 24 lawmakers spent a total of $52,977.39 on travel reimbursements in 2024.
The over $50,000 figure is a substantial decrease from the prior year — travel reimbursements for lawmakers in 2023 exceeded $90,000. Last year, 33 trips ranging in location from New Orleans to Quebec were approved for reimbursements. For the second year in a row, Sen. Larry Zikmund spent the most taxpayer money for three trips. He tallied up $8,175.50.
Several lawmakers were repaid for multiple trips — including Zikmund, then-Rep. Kameron Nelson, Rep. Trish Ladner, Sen. Liz Larson, and former Sen. Jack Kolbeck.
While travel costs dropped in 2024, several lawmakers who had either lost their primaries or were termed out still racked up over $10,000 in expenses.
Former Sens. Kolbeck and Reynold Nesiba each traveled despite being ineligible to return to the Senate and not pursuing a “chamber-switch” to the House – the former did so twice. Meanwhile, former Reps. Becky Drury, Bryon Callies, and Gary Cammack took trips after the June 4 primary. All three lost their races in an effort to return to the House.
Drury and Kolbeck attended an October conference in North Carolina, while Cammack went to Columbus, Ohio for the Midwest Council of State Governments. Nesiba went to Louisville in August, and Callies attended the International Legislators Forum in Duluth just a couple weeks after his primary loss.
Previous defenses of lame duck travel have focused on the fact the conferences — which are often intended to serve as an educational opportunity for those attending — have to be booked months in advance, often before candidates can be sure that they will be returning to Pierre for the following session. Others have contended that legislators who attend conferences as lame ducks can, and often do, still come back in future years — that has been the case at least three times in the past.
That was true of Kolbeck. On Wednesday Gov. Larry Rhoden appointed him to fill a vacancy created in the District 13 House. That vacancy was created with Lt. Gov. Tony Venhuizen leaving the House to serve as Rhoden’s second-in-command.
Lame duck travel has loomed heavily over Pierre for the last several years. Legislation introduced in 2023 by the former legislative leadership team sought to prevent the pattern. However, that measure failed in the House, largely over concerns the matter should not be codified into law. Rather, it should be taken up by the Legislature’s Executive Board as a policy instead.
New legislative leaders say it’s a topic that could come up in their future meetings.
“I think we’d definitely consider it,” said Speaker of the House Jon Hansen, who in his capacity as speaker, also serves as the chair of the Executive Board. “It is something we should look into.”
