Week 1 - Legislative Update

Representative John Shubeck | District 16

South Dakota Legislature

House of Representatives

Originally Posted on Facebook: January 17, 2026

We kicked off the legislative session for 2026 on Tuesday January 13th. The biggest topics for discussion going forward are going to be tax incentives for data centers and property tax relief. There are over 20 property tax relief proposals, all have pluses and minuses, and so I have not committed to any one plan yet. I will balance the needs of our property owners with paying for necessary government services including our schools. If you are a District 16 constituent, please reach out to me or pull me aside and give me your perspective. I really appreciate in person discussion and so if you see me at a basketball game, cracker barrel, or other community event, let me know what your thoughts are.

Along with the big issues of property taxes and data centers, we also discussed the $189 million Rural Health Transformation Project that was passed in the Trump administration’s Big Beautiful Bill. I have been reaching out to Emergency Medical Services providers along with Pioneer Memorial Hospital so that I can make sure that our area communities benefit as much as possible from this money. The state will put out a RFA (Request for Application) and RFP (Request for Proposals). I will be working with community leaders to stay on top of this process.

Finally, on top of the big ticket issues for the state, I have signed on to co-sponsor or prime sponsor several bills. The bill that I’m most excited about is aimed at regulating advertising on streaming services. I have 4 kids and like every family we are protective of what our kids watch on tv. Not too long ago, my youngest son was watching Paw Patrol or Wild Krats on one of the streaming services. I was very disturbed by the advertising that I saw on our t.v. screen. I should not see ads that are graphic or sexual in nature on the children’s programming for a 5-year-old. When I dug into this problem, I found that the FCC does not regulate advertising content on streaming services and so I see a need. My bill will have a civil penalty for streaming services that don’t adhere to age-appropriate advertising. I think this legislation is a no brainer and I expect that it will enjoy broad support in both the house and the senate. Finally, I am going to get a resolution drafted which would encourage the congress and senate at the federal level to take action on this. I look forward to passing this legislation and working on other issues that preserve family values for District 16.

Representative John Shubeck

South Dakota District 16