SD lawmakers declare state of ’emergency’ to force repeal of ethics law

The article clearly identifies this as a Republican issue in both SD and ND?

"Up to one year" has a very specific meaning. In most cases a crime that is not punishable by more than one year in prison is not a felony, in fact this is often the primary distinction between a misdemeanor and a felony.

I once went on a blind date with a prosecutor from a large city, who worked in a department that investigated corrupt cops, lawyers, politicians and city employees. She said some of them were straight up psycholopaths that needed the book thrown at them. Others who had a singular lapse in judgment and found themselves on the wrong side of the law received some leniency. So penalties like this are to give the judge or jury a tool to remove someone permanently from the position they abuse, or to give them an opportunity to make amends. Or re-offend but second offenses often carry stiffer penalties.

Dunno about US but in most European countries, convictions under 2 years are almost invariably suspended (often automatically) for first offences. So you technically need two convictions, and at that point you could argue that career-crippling is warranted.