FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE:   Tuesday, March 14, 2017   
CONTACT:  Sara Rabern (605) 773-3215   

PIERRE, S.D. – Attorney General Marty Jackley announced today that Governor Dennis Daugaard has signed Attorney General sponsored legislation into law. All are listed below.
“The 2017 South Dakota Legislature should be commended for enhancing public safety by expanding our 24/7 Sobriety Program with remote devices and improving the state’s victim notification system. The release of criminal booking photographs for felony cases will now result in greater transparency in the criminal process. Significantly, after EB5 and GEAR UP, it was important to strengthen our laws to better prevent, discover at an earlier stage, and hold those that violate the public’s trust responsible for their actions. The legislature’s enactment of SB27 criminally addresses the knowing misuse of taxpayer’s monies, provides whistleblower protections for those that report, and removes required probation sentences when public officials steal taxpayers’ monies,” said Jackley.

SB 25 - Release of Booking Photograph of Felony Crimes to the Public
It is no longer a crime for law enforcement to release routine booking photos. The law is intended to provide greater transparency in the criminal process and to further assist the media and the public with proper identification of individuals arrested for  felonies in the criminal process;

SB 26 - Improving the State Automated Victim Notification System (SAVIN)

The SAVIN system has been made more efficient and easier for victims to use by allowing them to register directly with the SAVIN system removing unnecessary government redundancy;

SB 27 – Prohibiting and criminalizing direct conflicts of interests and self-dealings that result in personal benefit from taxpayers’ monies

Public officials that illegally take taxpayers’ money that has been entrusted to them, violate the public trust and should be held responsible and treated as any other criminal thief.  This legislation further removes the presumption for probation that limits the sentencing discretion for both the prosecutors and the courts in EB5 and GEAR UP type financial cases.  It also provides whistleblower protections for employees that report any inappropriate self-dealings and conflicts of interest. We want to encourage a state employee or others that see something going wrong like EB5 or GEAR UP matters to feel confident to report without repercussion;
 
SB 28 – Addressing Presumptive Probation Concerns

The Legislature removed certain violent and serious crimes from required probationary sentences.  Removing such serious crimes as promoting prostitution of a minor and drug offenses involving firearms from probationary sentences will better protect the public; and

SB 29 – Expanding the 24/7 Sobriety Program to include mobile alcohol testing devices

South Dakota’s 24/7 Sobriety Program is a voluntary-pay program that allows individuals to address their alcohol and drug addiction while protecting the public with constant monitoring.  With this legislation, mobile breath alcohol testing devices have been added to our current technology to further assist law enforcement and participatants to more easily and successfully complete the program.

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