5 Things to Know
We are now in week two of the 2026 legislative session, and as expected, activity is picking up—particularly on health care–related issues. To date, legislators have filed 219 bills, with SDAHO actively tracking 34 of those that may impact the health care community. Here are the 5 things to know from this past week in the 2026 legislative session.
1. HB 1044 is moving forward—but opposition is emerging.
The Rural Health Transformation Program bill advanced out of Joint Appropriations and is headed to the House floor. An approved amendment authorizes up to $402 million over two years, adds quarterly legislative oversight, and extends the program through October 30, 2027.
2. Key health care bills advanced this week.
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- HB 1023 and HB 1024, addressing ambulance staffing and operator requirements, passed unanimously out of House Health and were placed on the consent calendar.
- SB 49, protecting the privacy and security of genetic data, also passed unanimously.
3. SDAHO continues to watch medical cannabis legislation, stepping up as needed.
SDAHO successfully opposed HB 1053, which would have required terminal care facilities to allow medical cannabis use. The bill did not advance out of committee.
4. The Department of Social Services testified before the Joint Appropriations committee for their scheduled budget hearing. SDAHO’s Director of Advocacy and Reimbursement, Jacob Parsons shared testimony during that hearing focusing on the new critical access hospital methodology.
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- To hear Parson’s testimony only (provided by SDPB’s SDnetwork), visit SDAHO’s YouTube Channel by clicking here.
- To listen to the full hearing, click here.
5. Looking ahead to week 3. We anticipate additional health care–related bills to be introduced in the coming week. We encourage you to visit the SDAHO Bill Tracker to review legislation we are supporting, opposing, or monitoring.
Each week SDAHO’s Advocacy Team will create a video podcast available to members, highlighting 5 things to know from the legislative session that week. To view the video podcast, visit SDAHO’s Legislative Update section on the member portal or click here.
For the latest updates on health care legislation, visit the SDAHO State Advocacy webpage: sdaho.org/state-advocacy.
