South Dakota responses to the federal grant review process survey, 2021
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States employ a variety of processes to apply for and administer federal grants. Ballotpedia's 2021 state survey of the federal grant review process examined the general processes applied by the 50 states in order to seek and distribute federal funds.
Research from the Pew Charitable Trusts found that federal funds made up 32% (roughly $639 billion) of all state revenue in 2017, making them the second-largest source of state revenue behind state tax collections.[1] States direct federal funds to government programs related to education, healthcare, transportation, infrastructure, and other policies.[1]
This page features South Dakota's responses to Ballotpedia's 2021 survey.
Background
From August 5, 2021, to September 27, 2021, Ballotpedia staff contacted the executive and legislative budget offices of all 50 states via email and/or telephone to update a publicly available 2016 survey on state approaches to the federal grant review process.
Our staff contacted state officials with the following survey questions:
- Approval processes for federal grants
- What is your state’s process for federal grant applications and the approval process?
- What is your state’s approval process when the legislature is not in session?
- How does the legislature monitor the intent of federal grants? What legislative rules allow the state greater oversight of federal funds in the budgets?
- Contingency plans for the loss or decline of federal funds
- What is your state’s contingency plan in the case of a decline or loss of federal funds?
- Quality control processes for federal grants
- What is your state’s quality control process for tracking the effectiveness of federal funds?
- Does your state attempt to estimate the cost of federal fund requirements? If so, how?
- How does your state prioritize federal funds to best meet the needs of constituents?
- If your state doesn’t appropriate key federal funds like food stamps and unemployment benefits, are your state’s federal funds off-budget? How do you track this information?
Our staff also contacted state officials with the following two new survey questions regarding federal funds made available in response to the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic:
- Coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic funds
- Who has decision rights over American Rescue Plan Act (ARPA) State Fiscal Recovery Fund allocations in your state?
- Who has decision rights over Elementary and Secondary School Emergency Relief (ESSER) Fund allocations in your state?
South Dakota 2021 survey responses
What is your state’s process for federal grant applications and the approval process?
“The individual state agency’s grant and/or fiscal offices are responsible for all grant applications, grant compliance, and appropriate budgeting.”
What is the approval process when the legislature is not in session?
“The Legislature is not involved in the approval process of federal grants. However the Legislature does approve the state budget which includes ‘federal fund spending authority.’”
How does the legislature monitor the intent of federal grants?
“The individual state agencies are responsible for federal grant compliance.
"The Department of Legislative Audit (under the Legislative branch) is responsible for performing the State’s Single Audit. The Executive Board of the Legislative Research Council provides oversight for the Department of Legislative Audit when the Legislature is not in session. It is a fifteen member board consisting of nine legislators from the majority party, four legislators from the minority party, the President Pro Tempore of the Senate, and the Speaker of the House. The thirteen legislators are chosen by their respective parties and can serve only three consecutive terms.
"The Government Operations and Audit Committee reviews audit comments and recommendations for state agencies during the interim, when the Legislature is not in session. The committee is a standing committee of the Legislature. The committee is composed of five members of the Senate, and five members from the House of Representatives. The majority party has four members from the House of Representatives and four members from the Senate. The minority party has one member from the House of Representatives and one member from the Senate. The Department of Legislative Audit staffs the committee.”
What is your state’s contingency plan for state financing in the case of losses or decline in federal funds?
“State law (Title 4 Chapter 7) requires annual preparation and Legislative approval of the State's budget as well as a long term financial plan, a capital expenditure plan, and a debt limitation and management policy. Article XII § 7 of The Constitution of the State of South Dakota requires the Legislature to pass a balanced annual budget in which expenditures and appropriations may not exceed anticipated revenue. The State budget must remain in balance through the end of the fiscal year. Accordingly, state departments cannot expend or encumber more funds than they have been authorized.
"The State has two statutorily created reserve accounts – the General Fund Budget Reserve (SDCL 4-7-31) and the General Revenue Replacement Fund (SDCL 4-7-45). The combined balances of these two reserve accounts at the close of fiscal year 2021 was $301.8 million. In the case of a decline or loss of federal funds, the State of South Dakota will cut spending and/or cut federal programs to maintain a balanced budget and will use reserves as necessary.”
What is your state’s quality control process for tracking the effectiveness of federal funds?
“Federal fund expenditure authority is budgeted/appropriated on an annual basis. The individual state agencies are responsible for monitoring spending within budgeted amounts. The Budget Office within the Bureau of Finance and Management serves as an internal control function and also monitors agency spending and budgets. Several state agencies have internal audit functions that look for and help identify fraud, waste, and abuse. State agencies have individual grant performance measurements.”
Does your state attempt to estimate the cost of federal fund requirements? If so, how?
“No, as of now this is not a priority preformed in any state agency.”
How does your state prioritize federal funds to best meet the needs of constituents?
“In general, the State prioritizes its resources for taking care of those who cannot take care of themselves, providing our children with quality education, protecting our society from those who do us harm, and increasing job growth, economic development and visitor spending. Those same general principals are used for prioritizing federal funds. Additional factors such as long term availability of federal funding, state constituents need, match requirements, etc. are considered. The individual state agencies prioritize and submit federal fund spending authority requests through the budget process.”
If your state does not appropriate key federal funds like food stamps and unemployment benefits, are your state’s federal funds off budget? How do you track this information?
“South Dakota appropriates all federal funds. Federal revenues and expenditures are accounted for on the State’s central accounting system which is linked to the central budget system for tracking actual expenditures to approved budgeted/appropriated amounts.”
Who has decision rights over American Rescue Plan Act (ARPA) State Fiscal Recovery Fund allocations in your state?
“The decision rights over the American Rescue Plan Act (ARPA) State Fiscal Recovery Fund allocations belongs to the Governor in coordination with the state legislature as federal fund expenditure authority is budgeted/appropriated on an annual basis through the legislative process.”
Who has decision rights over Elementary and Secondary School Emergency Relief (ESSER) Fund allocations in your state?
“The decision rights over the Elementary and Secondary School Emergency Relief (ESSER) Fund allocations belongs to the South Dakota Department of Education in coordination with the state legislature as federal fund expenditure authority is budgeted/appropriated on an annual basis through the legislative process.”
Other state survey responses
Click on a state below to view its responses to the 2021 survey on the federal grant review process:
- Alabama
- Alaska
- Arizona
- Arkansas
- California
- Colorado
- Connecticut
- Delaware
- Florida
- Georgien
- Hawaii
- Idaho
- Illinois
- Indiana
- Iowa
- Kansas
- Kentucky
- Louisiana
- Maine
- Maryland
- Massachusetts
- Michigan
- Minnesota
- Mississippi
- Missouri
- Montana
- Nebraska
- Nevada
- New Hampshire
- New Jersey
- New Mexico
- New York
- North Carolina
- North Dakota
- Ohio
- Oklahoma
- Oregon
- Pennsylvania
- Rhode Island
- South Carolina
- South Dakota
- Tennessee
- Texas
- Utah
- Vermont
- Virginia
- Washington
- West Virginia
- Wisconsin
- Wyoming
See also
- State survey of the federal grant review process, 2021
- State responses to the federal grant review process survey, 2021
- State responses by question to the federal grant review process survey, 2021
- Federalism
External links
Footnotes
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