About
Steve Haugaard was raised on a family farm near Madison, South Dakota. He attended South Dakota State University earning his Bachelor of Science degree in multiple fields of study, including Engineering, Sociology, Psychology, Criminal Justice, and Political Science.
He has been married to the love of his life, Mary, for 44 years and they have 8 children and 20 grandchildren.
He attended law school at the University of Puget Sound in Tacoma, Washington where he earned his Juris Doctor degree.
Steve has practiced law in Sioux Falls since 1983. He has maintained a general practice with a mix of in-office client services as well as litigation spanning everything from civil to criminal to administrative practice.
Steve Haugaard was elected to the South Dakota House of Representatives in 2014 and reelected in 2016, 2018, and 2020. He was elected by the members of the House to serve as Speaker Pro Tem in 2018, and then elected again to serve as Speaker of the House in 2019 and 2020. He has held over 25 positions in the House, including serving as chairman of many committees within the South Dakota Legislature.
Steve is a member of the United States Supreme Court Bar, Federal District Court Bar, and the State Bar of South Dakota. He has practiced before the United States District Court for South Dakota, the United States Eighth Circuit Court of Appeals, the United States Bankruptcy Court, and the Supreme Court of South Dakota as well as Administrative Courts for both South Dakota and the United States including the South Dakota Board of Pardons and Paroles, South Dakota Real Estate Commission, various state administrative agencies, the Social Security Administration in regard to Disabilities and Appeals, and the United States Immigration Court.
Steve has also served as a hearing officer for both Minnehaha County and the city of Sioux Falls. He has conducted thousands of hearings for Minnehaha County over the past 25 years. Steve has also served as an adjunct faculty professor for the University of Sioux Falls.
He has also held leadership positions in various community organizations and in his church.
