Rhoden signs executive order establishing state employee reporting system

PIERRE, S.D. (Dakota News Now) - As several criminal cases involving state employees move through the courts, South Dakota Governor Larry Rhoden has sped up the process on creating employee reporting systems.

On Monday, Rhoden signed Executive Order 2025-04, which establishes and enforces a secure standard reporting system for state employees and supervisors. The system will be created in cooperation between the Bureau of Human Resources and Administration and the Bureau of Information and Telecommunications.

The executive order encourages employees and requires supervisors to submit reports of improper conduct and instructs the BHRA to provide training.

The executive order comes after the 2025 state legislature passed SB 62 and SB 63, which establish mandatory government reporting requirements and provide protection for employees who file reports, respectively.

The bills were proposed by South Dakota Attorney General Marty Jackley, who led the prosecution in the case of Lonna Carroll. Caroll, who is a former Department of Social Services employee, was found guilty of stealing an estimated $1.8 million in state and federal funds from the department’s Child Protection Services.

Earlier this month, former Department of Public Safety employee Renee Strong of Springfield, who is accused of forging falsified food service inspection reports, changed her plea to guilty for four forgery-related charges.

Two Pierre women were charged in connection to an investigation into fraud at the South Dakota Department of Revenue. 64-year-old Lynne Hunsley pled guilty to forgery and grand theft charges and 51-year-old Danielle Degenstein pled not guilty to a single charge of misprision of a felony.

“Under my leadership, South Dakota will have a government that is accountable and responsible with taxpayer dollars, and this Executive Order is an important step forward,” wrote Rhoden in a news release. “During the Noem-Rhoden Administration, we took decisive action to ensure government integrity, and I am proud to carry that mission forward.”