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State employees in South Dakota will soon have a secure web portal to submit allegations of misbehavior by their coworkers.

Gov. Larry Rhoden signed an executive order telling the state Bureau of Human Resources and Administration and the Bureau of Information and Telecommunications to create a “secure standard reporting mechanism” for employees. The portal will deliver reports of malfeasance to the state’s auditor and attorney general.

The order also requires supervisors and encourages employees to submit such reports, and directs the human resources department to conduct training in ethics and use of the portal.

The order is an outgrowth of Senate bills 62 and 63, which tightened the state’s internal controls after a series of 2024 scandals involving former state employees. 

One such employee, Lonna Carroll, used her position at the Department of Social Services to illegally collect nearly $1.8 million over the course of 13 years. A jury found Carroll guilty of grand theft earlier this month.

Other former employees stood accused of forging vehicle registrations, falsifying food service inspections and using foster family food service vouchers for themselves.

Representatives for Rhoden and Attorney General Marty Jackley sparredduring the 2025 legislative session over whether supervisors should face felony charges for failure to report state employee misdeeds. 

Rhoden’s office argued supervisors should face misdemeanor rather than felony charges, particularly if the unreported employee misbehavior isn’t felonious in nature. The kerfuffle over that provision in SB 62 forced multiple rounds of debate, one of which appeared to doom the bill before a revival effort the following day. In the end, lawmakers narrowly sided with Rhoden.

In a press release announcing the creation of the online reporting system, Rhoden wrote that the executive branch took “decisive action” to address the rash of corruption cases.

“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,” he wrote.