The bill amends several provisions related to child support in South Dakota, primarily focusing on the calculation of child support obligations and the modification of existing support orders. It establishes a presumption that a parent is capable of being employed for at least 1,820 hours per year at the current state minimum wage, which will be used to determine child support obligations. Additionally, it allows for the modification of child support orders without requiring a change in circumstances, particularly for parents who have been incarcerated for over 180 days. The bill also clarifies that if a parent has primary physical custody of a child for more than four consecutive months, they may receive credits for any child support arrears that accumulated during that time.

Further amendments include provisions for imputing income to parents who do not provide sufficient proof of income or whose employment status is unknown, with specific guidelines on how to determine the imputed income. The bill also introduces new sections that allow for electronic communication regarding notices and reports related to child support cases and mandates that referees file all relevant documents with the court when objections to their reports are made. Overall, the bill aims to streamline the child support process and ensure that obligations are fairly assessed and modified as necessary.

Statutes affected:
Introduced, 01/08/2026: 25-7-6.4, 25-7-6.13, 25-7-6.19, 25-7-6.26, 25-7A-6, 25-7A-21.1, 25-8-5