March 3, 2025:
The South Dakota Senate passed one bill and killed (March 3, 2025) another dealing with the expansion happening at Ellsworth Air Force Base near Rapid City.
Senate Bill 6 will transfer $15 million to create the Ellsworth Support and Development Fund.
A related measure, Senate Bill 16, failed to achieve the votes it needed to annually collect up to $1 million in contractor’s excise tax from Ellsworth projects to support the base through 2030.
Ellsworth Air Force Base is expanding to accommodate the United States Air Force’s B-21 bomber program. The expansion will cost an estimated $2 billion.
This story is courtesy of the South Dakota Broadcasters Association.
February 25, 2025:
The South Dakota Legislature’s Joint Appropriations Committee kept two bills alive that are designated to provide funding for Ellsworth Air Force Base.
Appropriators amended Senate Bill 6 and Senate Bill 16 on Tuesday (Feb. 25, 2025) and reduced their funding to $100 each, which allows time for continued budget negotiations.
Both bills involve Ellsworth expansion projects because the United States Air Force will be basing the new B-21 bombers there.
SB 16 seeks to redirect contractors excise tax from base construction to support future development, while SB 6 is looking for dollars to pay for infrastructure projects related to Ellsworth’s expansion.
The bills now go to the Senate floor.
This story is courtesy of the South Dakota Broadcasters Association.
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