Finance, Department of

The South Dakota Department of Finance was established in 1925 by the State Legislature in order to consolidate responsibility for fiscal matters and make reporting procedures more uniform. The department assumed the powers and duties of the following entities: the Executive Accountant, State Budget Board, Board of Accountancy, Commissioner of Public Printing, Superintendent of State Capitol, Tax Commission, State Board of Equalization, Capitol Commission, and the Committee on Uniform Accounting.

The Department of Finance was originally organized into four divisions: Audits and Accounting, Purchasing and Printing, Taxation, and Employment. Its duties included the creation of the state budget; supervising and auditing the accounts of all state government officers and agencies; compiling financial information for the use of the Governor and others; supervising the purchase of supplies, bidding for contracts, and printing of legislative materials and reports; payroll and personnel management; management of the Capitol building and grounds; and assessing and collecting state taxes.

Beginning in the 1940s, the size of the Department of Finance steadily decreased as new departments were created that each absorbed some of its responsibilities. In 1943, the Division of Audits and Accounting was separated and became the Department of Audits and Accounts. The Department of Revenue was created in 1955 and took over the Division of Taxation.

In 1970, the Legislature transferred the department's remaining responsibilities to the newly created Department of Administration.