South Dakota Governor Larry Rhoden released draft legislation for a new prison on Thursday.
According to the governor's website, the legislation was drafted with legislative leadership, members of the task force, and the Legislative Research Council.
The draft proposes transferring $78 million from the General Revenue Replacement Fund to the Incarceration Construction Fund.
Additionally, it allocates $650 million from the Incarceration Fund to the Department of Corrections for the purchase of land and for the construction of the prison.
The department of corrections will exchange 320 acres of land previously purchased by the state for the prison.
The prison will have 1,500 beds and will be built on approximately 177 acres of land on Benson Road in Sioux Falls.
The facility will not house temporary, non-adjudicated non-citizens who are actively being deported by the Department of Homeland Security.
The bill will be effective upon signing to allow construction to begin immediately.
The new prison will replace the current 140-year-old prison.
South Dakota legislators will discuss the bill during their special session on September 23rd.
