Mandy Nielsen, program director for the South Dakota Plumbing Commission, told the Senate Appropriations Committee that Senate Bill 24 would increase statutory maximum fees for the commission, create new fees for application processing, late filing and license verification, and allow the commission to adopt administrative rules to raise fees as needed. Nielsen said the commission is self‑supporting and that existing fee levels are insufficient to sustain long‑term operations in the face of higher personnel, technology and travel costs.

Nielsen told the committee the commission intends to raise single‑family inspection fees from $70 to $110 and larger commercial inspection fees from $200 to $275; the proposal also would allow the commission to add a new database for online permitting and payments and hire one additional inspector to reduce inspection wait times. Christie Brunick, representing the South Dakota Association of Plumbing, Heating and Cooling Contractors, testified in support, saying delayed inspections can be costlier to projects than modest fee increases.

During committee questions, members asked for percentage calculations, the commission’s cash balance trend and how long the increases would sustain operations. Nielsen said the cash balance has decreased nearly 30% between FY23 and FY24 and that the commission hopes the cap increases will avoid a return to the Legislature for at least three to five years. The committee voted on a due‑pass motion for SB24; the roll call recorded five ayes and four nays.