Elevate Rapid City released its 2026 Pro-Business Legislative Scorecard this week, grading all fifteen of the region’s state legislators on 12 bills from the recently concluded South Dakota Legislative Session. The results reveal a wide range of voting records — and offer a detailed look at which policy priorities the business advocacy group considers essential to the region’s economic future.

Elevate tracked bills across three categories: infrastructure, economic development, and military investment. Eight legislators earned the group’s “Pro-Business Champion” designation, with scores ranging from 91% to 100%. Rep. Mike Derby, Rep. Steve Duffy, Sen. Helene Duhamel, and Rep. Trish Ladner each achieved perfect marks. 

Senate Bill 231, the Water Infrastructure bill, was another significant win. It established a new development fund to provide grants and loans for rural water projects — a priority in a region where aging systems and drought pressures increasingly strain communities and agricultural operations alike. The bill was sponsored by Senator Helene Duhamel and passed with broad support.

House Bill 1048 appropriated funding for broadband infrastructure expansion in the Black Hills. Reliable high-speed internet remains a persistent gap in rural South Dakota, affecting everything from remote work opportunities to precision agriculture and telemedicine. The bill passed despite six Rapid City area legislators voting against it.

On the economic development side, HB 1245 — the CAPS Local 3rd Penny bill — authorizes municipalities to create local funding mechanisms for capital improvement projects. For Rapid City, which has long debated how to finance roads, parks, and public facilities without relying solely on state or federal dollars, the bill provides a meaningful new tool for local investment. Any projects funded by the increased sales tax will need to be approved by a vote of the local residents.

SB 130, appropriating funds for road infrastructure near Ellsworth Air Force Base, drew near-universal support. Ellsworth is the region’s largest employer and an anchor of the western South Dakota economy; the construction activity surrounding base expansion has strained surrounding roadways, making the infrastructure investment widely viewed as overdue.

Scores among the fifteen tracked legislators varied considerably. While eight earned champion status, several fell below 60%, reflecting genuine disagreement on the role of state government in economic development and infrastructure spending.

Elevate noted that the scorecard is intended to inform the business community ahead of future elections, not to serve as a comprehensive policy evaluation. “A simple scorecard lacks the nuance necessary to explain the potential implications of any given change,” the organization acknowledged in its accompanying materials — a caveat that applies, by their own admission, to several bills they chose not to include.