Governor Larry Rhoden’s creation of the Correctional Rehabilitation Task Force came quickly, but he hasn’t been historically quick on the draw with his executive pen. The rehab task force order is one of just seven executive orders that he has issued in his eight months at South Dakota’s helm.
Rhoden is behind the pace set by the woman who put him in this spot, Kristi Noem. In her rookie year on the Second Floor, Noem issued 29 executive orders. In covid year 2020, Noem issued 34 executive orders. She slowed down in subsequent years—16 in 2021, 14 in 2022, 12 in 2023, and just 7 in 2024, getting her down to an average of 17 per year, which the Legislative Research Council identified in a 2021 Issue Memorandum as the annual average from 1973 to 2020.
At his current pace, Rhoden may reach 10 executive orders in his first year.