Senate Passes Bill Creating Oversight Committee for Developmental Disability Services

The South Dakota Senate passed Senate Bill 15 on final reading Feb. 4, 2026, creating a committee to examine the delivery of intellectual and developmental disability services provided through Medicaid waivers. Sponsor Senator Chris Carr said the measure grows out of an interim committee review and aims to improve transparency, align roles and look for efficiencies in waiver implementation.

Carr briefed fellow senators with program figures: the Choices waiver serves roughly 2,700 adults with an average residential cost of about $89,000 per resident; family support 360 serves roughly 1,400 children and adults with an average cost near $7,500 per participant and an active waiting list of about 200 individuals with wait times around eight months. Carr framed the committee as a multi‑year effort to involve stakeholders and protect service continuity while seeking sustainable funding approaches.

Senator Nelson, who served on the interim committee, said the committee’s on‑the‑ground site visits underscored that residential and nonresidential programs are people’s homes and stressed the need to safeguard services for individuals with high support needs. After brief floor debate, the Senate approved SB15 on final passage (33 yeas, 1 nay, 1 excused).