(C) South Dakota Searchlight
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SD lawmakers consider higher license fees for drivers and tradespeople • South Dakota Searchlight [1]

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Date: 2025-02

Fees for drivers, plumbers, cosmetologists, electricians and accountants would increase if lawmakers adopt a package of bills pending in the South Dakota Legislature.

A state Senate budget committee advanced several of the bills Monday at the Capitol in Pierre and delayed action on one.

The trade-specific bills are recommended by state boards and commissions consisting of industry representatives. Those bodies oversee licensing and inspections that are funded by fees, with caps set in state law. The bills would increase those caps, many of which have not increased in several years during a time of high inflation.

Republican Sen. Paul Miskimins, a retired dentist from Mitchell, said the boards and commissions are a vital part of state government.

“No matter whether you’re a cosmetologist, a dentist, a veterinarian — the standards of practice need to be upheld and to be checked to make sure that the public safety is being supported,” Miskimins said.

Examples of the proposals include increasing the caps on single-family dwelling plumbing inspection permits from $75 to $125, on initial cosmetology licenses from $100 to $125, on electrical inspections for new residential installations from $300 to $390, and on accountant examinations from $350 to $450.

The Senate Appropriations Committee voted to send those industry-specific bills to the Senate floor.

The committee delayed action on driver’s license fees, which have not increased since 2016. The bill includes a bump from $28 to $38 for a standard driver’s license, along with other increases for commercial licenses and for various other fees, such as those applied to license reinstatements after a revocation. A representative of the state Department of Public Safety said the increases are necessary to cover the program’s costs and keep it self-sustaining.

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[1] Url: https://southdakotasearchlight.com/briefs/sd-lawmakers-consider-higher-license-fees-for-drivers-and-tradespeople/

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