Gov. Rhoden Announces Prison Special Session on September 23

PIERRE, S.D. –  On July 18, 2025, Governor Larry Rhoden announced the date of the special session to consider and pass legislation for a new prison. The special session will be on Tuesday, September 23, 2025, at 9:00 am CT. Governor Rhoden signed an Executive Proclamation formally announcing the special session. You can read his letter to the legislature, which includes the Executive Proclamation, here. 

“When we started this process, we knew that we needed to build consensus on a plan that a supermajority of the legislature can agree on, and I believe that we are in good shape to achieve that,” wrote Governor Larry Rhoden. “The purpose of this session shall be to consider and pass legislation to authorize the Department of Corrections to do everything necessary to move forward with this project.” 

Lt. Governor Tony Venhuizen, who chaired the prison task force, also wrote a letter to Governor Rhoden on the task force’s findings. You can find that letter here. 

“We understood that compromise was necessary to reach a recommendation that can win [the Governor’s] support and the support of the legislature,” wrote Lt. Governor Tony Venhuizen. “The task force’s unanimous vote for its recommendation demonstrates that we have found a good site f0r a new penitentiary and a strong path forward.” 

The prison task force was announced by Governor Larry Rhoden in February. They were tasked with answering three questions: 

• Do we need a new prison?
• How big should it be?
• Where should it go? 

The prison task force came to unanimous agreement on all three of these questions. 

The special session is called pursuant to Article IV, Section 3 of the South Dakota Constitution.