Taffy Howard

Introduced Senate Bill 128, proposing to make data centers use closed-loop cooling, cap their water use during shortages, and report water use every three months. A Senate committee deferred it to the 41st legislative day, which ends a bill in South Dakota.

January 26, 2026Supports Environment and Public Health

Source: sdlegislature.gov · researched August 7, 2026

Sponsored SB 127 to limit nuisances caused by data centers.

January 26, 2026Supports Environment and Public Health

Source: sdlegislature.gov · researched August 7, 2026

Voted for Senate Bill 54, which cut the share of cigarette tax money going to tobacco prevention. The South Dakota Senate vote was 21-14. The Governor signed it on March 31, 2025.

February 20, 2025Opposes Environment and Public Health

Source: legiscan.com · researched September 10, 2026

Voted for Senate Bill 157, a bill to require contractors on public projects to prove they carry workers' compensation insurance. The South Dakota Senate passed it, 19-16. A South Dakota House committee killed it, so the full House never voted on it and the bill did not become law.

February 24, 2025Supports Labor Rights

Source: legiscan.com · researched September 10, 2026

Voted for Senate Bill 245, which set up a state fund to cut property taxes on owner-occupied homes. The South Dakota Senate vote was 20-13. The Governor signed it on March 30, 2026.

March 11, 2026Supports Cost of Living Reduction

Source: legiscan.com · researched September 10, 2026

Voted for Senate Bill 118, a bill to put at least $100 million a year into a fund to cut homeowners' property taxes. The South Dakota Senate rejected it, 16-17. The bill did not become law.

February 24, 2026Supports Cost of Living Reduction

Source: legiscan.com · researched September 10, 2026

Voted for Senate Bill 195, a bill to make the 2023 sales tax cut permanent. The South Dakota Senate rejected it, 17-17. The bill did not become law.

February 17, 2026Supports Cost of Living Reduction

Source: legiscan.com · researched September 10, 2026

Voted for House Bill 1235, a bill to cut the yearly cap on property tax collection growth to two and a half percent. The South Dakota Senate rejected it, 13-21. The bill did not become law.

March 10, 2025Supports Cost of Living Reduction

Source: legiscan.com · researched September 10, 2026

Voted for Senate Bill 42, which raised the penalties for smuggling drugs and phones into prisons. The South Dakota Senate vote was 26-7. The Governor signed it on March 30, 2026.

January 29, 2026Supports Public Safety and Crime Control

Source: legiscan.com · researched September 10, 2026

Voted for Senate Bill 198, a bill to ban student cell phone use during the school day. The South Dakota Senate passed it, 19-15. The South Dakota House rejected it, 28-39, so the bill did not become law.

February 17, 2026Supports Public Education Quality

Source: legiscan.com · researched September 10, 2026

Voted for Senate Bill 85, a bill to require a public vote on every school property tax increase above the usual limit. The South Dakota Senate passed it, 20-14. The South Dakota House rejected it, 29-39, so the bill did not become law.

January 26, 2026Opposes Public Education Quality

Source: legiscan.com · researched September 10, 2026

Voted for House Bill 1040, which raised high school students' share of reduced-rate college course costs from a third to half. The South Dakota Senate vote was 23-11. The Governor signed it on March 31, 2025.

March 6, 2025Opposes Public Education Quality

Source: legiscan.com · researched September 10, 2026

Voted for Senate Bill 70, which raised the cap on extra state aid for thinly populated school districts to $137,000. The South Dakota Senate vote was 27-8. The Governor signed it on March 31, 2025.

February 24, 2025Supports Public Education Quality

Source: legiscan.com · researched September 10, 2026

Voted for House Bill 1208, which limited people who register to vote from a mailbox address to federal races only. The South Dakota Senate vote was 25-9. The Governor signed it on March 31, 2025.

March 10, 2025Supports Election Integrity

Source: legiscan.com · researched September 10, 2026

Voted for House Bill 1066, which tightened what counts as living in South Dakota for voter registration. The South Dakota Senate vote was 23-11. The Governor signed it on March 31, 2025.

March 10, 2025Supports Election Integrity

Source: legiscan.com · researched September 10, 2026

Voted for House Bill 1062, which opened the county voter registration file to the public and added absentee ballot records to it. The South Dakota Senate vote was 20-12. The Governor signed it on March 31, 2025.

March 10, 2025Supports Election Integrity

Source: legiscan.com · researched September 10, 2026

Voted for Senate Bill 188, a bill to end no-excuse absentee voting. The South Dakota Senate rejected it, 14-21. The bill did not become law.

February 25, 2025Opposes Election Integrity

Source: legiscan.com · researched September 10, 2026

Voted for Senate Bill 50, a bill to bar county assessors from using drones to value property. The South Dakota Senate voted 17-16 for it, but it failed because a bill needs 18 votes, a majority of all 35 members. The bill did not become law.

February 5, 2025Supports Data Privacy

Source: legiscan.com · researched September 10, 2026

Voted for House Joint Resolution 5001, a resolution to ask voters to narrow when private land may be taken for public use. The South Dakota Senate rejected it, 14-19. The bill did not become law.

March 2, 2026Supports Civil Rights

Source: legiscan.com · researched September 10, 2026

Voted for House Bill 1249, a bill to let landowners sue over pressure tactics used to get carbon pipeline easements. The South Dakota Senate voted 17-16 for it, but it failed because a bill needs 18 votes, a majority of all 35 members. The bill did not become law.

March 10, 2025Supports Civil Rights

Source: legiscan.com · researched September 10, 2026

Voted for House Bill 1130, which moved city and school elections onto the June and November election dates. The South Dakota Senate vote was 23-11. The Governor signed it on March 31, 2025.

March 10, 2025Supports Civil Rights

Source: legiscan.com · researched September 10, 2026

Voted for Senate Bill 51, a bill to require the Ten Commandments to be displayed in every public school. The South Dakota Senate passed it, 18-17. The South Dakota House rejected it, 31-37, so the bill did not become law.

January 28, 2025Opposes Civil Rights

Source: legiscan.com · researched September 10, 2026

Introduced Senate Bill 128, proposing to make data centers use closed-loop cooling, cap their water use during shortages, and report water use every three months. A Senate committee deferred it to the 41st legislative day, which ends a bill in South Dakota.

January 26, 2026Supports Corporate Accountability

Source: sdlegislature.gov · researched August 7, 2026

Voted for House Bill 1238, which set rules for people who charge veterans to help with benefit claims. The South Dakota Senate vote was 25-8. The Governor signed it on March 31, 2025.

March 5, 2025Supports Corporate Accountability

Source: legiscan.com · researched September 10, 2026

Voted for House Bill 1052, which banned using eminent domain for carbon dioxide pipelines. The South Dakota Senate vote was 23-12. The Governor signed it on March 06, 2025.

March 4, 2025Supports Corporate Accountability

Source: legiscan.com · researched September 10, 2026

Voted for Senate Bill 157, a bill to require contractors on public projects to prove they carry workers' compensation insurance. The South Dakota Senate passed it, 19-16. A South Dakota House committee killed it, so the full House never voted on it and the bill did not become law.

February 24, 2025Supports Corporate Accountability

Source: legiscan.com · researched September 10, 2026

Voted against Senate Bill 106, which raised the money held back for costly special education cases. The South Dakota Senate vote was 20-11. The Governor signed it on March 30, 2026.

March 10, 2026

Source: legiscan.com · researched September 10, 2026

Voted against House Bill 1082, which made school meals free for students who qualified for reduced-price meals. The South Dakota Senate vote was 20-14. The Governor signed it on March 30, 2026.

March 9, 2026

Source: legiscan.com · researched September 10, 2026

Voted against House Bill 1138, a bill to require licensing of agencies that send aides into people's homes. The South Dakota Senate passed it, 20-14. The Governor vetoed the bill and the veto was not overridden, so it did not become law.

March 5, 2026

Source: legiscan.com · researched September 10, 2026

Voted against House Bill 1220, which set up state licensing for sellers of vapes and other nicotine products. The South Dakota Senate vote was 27-7. The Governor signed it on March 30, 2026.

March 5, 2026

Source: legiscan.com · researched September 10, 2026

Voted against House Bill 1099, which took an approved psilocybin medicine out of the state's most restricted drug list. The South Dakota Senate vote was 21-12. The Governor signed it on March 10, 2026.

March 2, 2026

Source: legiscan.com · researched September 10, 2026

Voted against House Bill 1130, which let a school district pay its property insurance premiums from its capital outlay fund. The South Dakota Senate vote was 24-9. The Governor signed it on March 04, 2026.

February 25, 2026

Source: legiscan.com · researched September 10, 2026

Voted against Senate Bill 211, a bill to end surprise bills from ambulances outside a patient's insurance network. The South Dakota Senate voted 17-16 for it, but it failed because a bill needs 18 votes, a majority of all 35 members. The bill did not become law.

February 24, 2026

Source: legiscan.com · researched September 10, 2026

Voted against Senate Bill 196, a bill to widen the property tax assessment freeze for lower-income homeowners. The South Dakota Senate rejected it, 15-18. The bill did not become law.

February 24, 2026

Source: legiscan.com · researched September 10, 2026

Voted against Senate Bill 76, which let the housing infrastructure fund lend money for airports. The South Dakota Senate vote was 22-11. The Governor signed it on March 30, 2026.

February 23, 2026

Source: legiscan.com · researched September 10, 2026

Voted against Senate Bill 126, a bill to raise the property tax exemption for totally disabled veterans. The South Dakota Senate rejected it, 14-20. The bill did not become law.

February 20, 2026

Source: legiscan.com · researched September 10, 2026

Voted against Senate Bill 150, a bill to let a debtor shield personal property worth up to $12,000 from creditors. The South Dakota Senate rejected it, 15-19. The bill did not become law.

February 19, 2026

Source: legiscan.com · researched September 10, 2026

Voted against House Bill 1227, which doubled the yearly fee on electric cars from $50 to $100. The South Dakota Senate vote was 24-10. The Governor signed it on February 26, 2026.

February 19, 2026

Source: legiscan.com · researched September 10, 2026

Sponsored a bill to create a task force studying how artificial intelligence systems affect South Dakota. The House rejected it 26-43 in February 2026 (House Bill 1125).

January 26, 2026

Source: sdlegislature.gov · researched August 7, 2026

Voted against Senate Bill 2, which paid $650 million for a new men's prison in Minnehaha County. The South Dakota Senate vote was 24-11 at the September 2025 special session. The Governor signed it on September 23, 2025.

September 23, 2025

Source: legiscan.com · researched September 10, 2026

Voted against Senate Bill 62, which made state employees report suspected fraud, theft and conflicts of interest. The South Dakota Senate vote was 20-14, agreeing to the House version that became law. The Governor signed it on March 13, 2025.

March 5, 2025

Source: legiscan.com · researched September 10, 2026

Voted against House Bill 1132, a bill to let child care workers qualify for child care assistance regardless of income. The South Dakota Senate passed it, 20-14. The Governor vetoed the bill and the veto was not overridden, so it did not become law.

March 4, 2025

Source: legiscan.com · researched September 10, 2026

Voted against House Bill 1094, which raised the penalty for illegally passing a school bus to a Class 1 misdemeanor. The South Dakota Senate vote was 27-8. The Governor signed it on March 13, 2025.

March 3, 2025

Source: legiscan.com · researched September 10, 2026

Voted against House Bill 1092, which paid $500,000 for stipends for student teachers. The South Dakota Senate vote was 25-10. The Governor signed it on March 13, 2025.

February 27, 2025

Source: legiscan.com · researched September 10, 2026

Voted against Senate Bill 198, a bill to make a company try mediation before condemning private land. The South Dakota Senate passed it, 18-17. A South Dakota House committee killed it, so the full House never voted on it and the bill did not become law.

February 24, 2025

Source: legiscan.com · researched September 10, 2026

Voted against Senate Bill 202, a bill to create a standing fund for rural water projects. The South Dakota Senate passed it, 21-12. A South Dakota House committee killed it, so the full House never voted on it and the bill did not become law.

February 21, 2025

Source: legiscan.com · researched September 10, 2026

Voted against Senate Bill 196, a bill to require tribal history and culture in the state's school standards. The South Dakota Senate rejected it, 7-28. The bill did not become law.

February 18, 2025

Source: legiscan.com · researched September 10, 2026

Voted against Senate Bill 156, a bill to set eighteen as the minimum age to marry. The South Dakota Senate rejected it, 16-19. The bill did not become law.

February 18, 2025

Source: legiscan.com · researched September 10, 2026

Voted against Senate Bill 177, a bill to refund sales tax to data center operators. The South Dakota Senate rejected it, 17-18. The bill did not become law.

February 13, 2025

Source: legiscan.com · researched September 10, 2026

Voted against Senate Bill 83, which made a first drug ingestion offense a misdemeanor instead of a felony. The South Dakota Senate vote was 18-17. The Governor signed it on March 13, 2025.

February 6, 2025

Source: legiscan.com · researched September 10, 2026

Voted against Senate Bill 67, a bill to create a state office of apprenticeship. The South Dakota Senate rejected it, 14-21. The bill did not become law.

February 3, 2025

Source: legiscan.com · researched September 10, 2026

Voted against Senate Bill 12, which capped loans to a candidate at the same limit as donations. The South Dakota Senate vote was 21-13. The Governor signed it on February 19, 2025.

January 23, 2025

Source: legiscan.com · researched September 10, 2026