As the 2022 South Dakota Legislative Session starts this week, all eyes and ears will once again be on Pierre.

The ACLU of South Dakota will be monitoring a wide variety of bills and working to defend and protect the civil liberties of all South Dakotans and will focus on three main issue areas: abortion access and reproductive freedom, defending free speech and opposing classroom censorship, and LGBTQ+ and Two Spirit equality.

“Decisions made during the annual sessions of the South Dakota Legislature have a deep and lasting impact on our state’s people and communities,” said Jett Jonelis, ACLU of South Dakota advocacy manager. “As new laws are created and others repealed or written, it’s important to ensure that these changes preserve and strengthen our constitutional rights. The stakes are high for legislative action in 2022, and we must defend and protect the civil liberties of all South Dakota, especially for some of our most vulnerable populations.”

For more information about the ACLU of South Dakota’s legislative priorities, tune in to “Session 22: A First Look.” The program premieres today at noon CT on YouTube and is available to watch on demand any time after that. More details are also available on the ACLU of South Dakota website.