Representative Al Novstrup (R-3/Aberdeen) just handed anyone who wants to run against him an easy campaign issue: Al is “working” in Pierre to raise his own pay!
Creaking through his 12th term in the Legislature, Rep. Novstrup is proposing House Bill 1177, which would increase the pay legislators get relative to the rest of South Dakotans.
In 2018, legislators passed a reasonable plan (2018 HB 1311) to raise their pay from the fixed $6,000 set back in 1998 to one fifth of the median household income in South Dakota. That plan resulted in a 90% raise in 2019 to $11,378.80. Since then legislator pay has fluctuated with the income gains and losses of the state. Legislators took a hit this year, right along, apparently with many other South Dakotans, as the state’s median income in 2024 (the most recent figure available and thus the one used for 2026 Session pay) dropped 4.8% to $79,850, thus dropping legislator pay this year to $15,790, or about $416 a day for their 38-day Session.
On top of that salary, legislators get $123 per day for expenses and an additional travel reimbursement.
Representative Novstrup, apparently unsatisfied with what I would argue is the best part-time pay one can get in South Dakota, wants to raise legislator pay from 20% of the median household income to 22%. But he also changes the source of the median household income figure from the United States Census Current Population Survey to the Census Bureau’s American Community Survey. The ACS figure for South Dakota’s 2024 median household income is $76,881, lower than the CPS figure by 3.7%. But 22% of the ACS MHI is $16,914, 5.9% higher than 20% of CPS MHI.
HB 1177 would not change legislator pay this year; the new factor would not apply until the 2027 Session, before which voters would have a chance to elect all new legislators, if they see fit.
Note that the Legislative Session itself does not constitute 22% or 20% of a standard workyear. Minus weekends and state holidays, state workers have 250 workdays in 2026. The 2026 Legislature convenes for 38 days. 38/250 = 15.2%. 20% of the workyear would be 50 workdays. 22% would be 55 workdays.
And if you’d like to play with the formula, remember that we are pegging legislator pay to median household income, the income that, in most cases in South Dakota, includes more than one worker. When HB 1177 goes to House State Affairs, one might ask Rep. Novstrup why we peg legislators’ pay to the earning power of two or more people rather than to median individual income, which would be more like $52,000, 22% of which would be $11,440.
But if you’re campaigning against Al, don’t go into all that detail. Just churn out those pink postcards shouting that Al Novstrup wants more of your money. Voters will eat that up!
It’s a seasonal errand boy position. The pay needs to be rolled back to $6,000 per session.