North Dakota lawmakers continue to push for more information about Governor Doug Burgum and his use of state resources. The latest attempt introduced by Republican Representative Bill Devlin seeks information on the costs of the Governor’s security and travel as first reported by the Associated Press. It seems lawmakers aren’t buying into the public perception Burgum […]
It seems there is bitterness certain legislators have toward the public over their approval of Measure 1. We broke down how legislators believe they’re smarter than voters when they introduced SCR 4001. The timing of this resolution in relation to the ethics measure raises suspicions. It doesn’t end there. There appear to be two approaches […]
Congressman Kevin Cramer demands that taxpayers keep paying him a salary while the federal government is partially shut down due in no small part to his own vote. This is the second time the government has shut down during his time in Congress. Both times he has continued to collect his pay while federal employees, […]
In one of the first proposals submitted to the incoming North Dakota Legislature, Senator David Hogue is wanting to give the Legislative assembly the final say on citizen-led initiated measures. The resolution comes just weeks after North Dakota voters passed Measure 1 that establishes ethical guidelines and transparency on the same legislative assembly going forward. […]
Late Friday afternoon, a federal judge in Texas ruled the Affordable Care Act unconstitutional. The ruling came the day before the enrollment deadline and after years of chipping away at the law from the Trump administration. What ultimately set this latest lawsuit in motion was the elimination of the individual mandate in the 2017 tax […]
Attorney General Wayne Stenehjem determined the Cass County Commission violated the state’s open meeting laws when Commissioners attended a meeting at the White House in August. The circumstances of the violation closely resemble a situation Stenehjem found himself in one calendar year earlier. However, the similar situation rendered a different opinion from the Attorney General. Perhaps […]
New leadership but the same tactics were on display during last week’s organizational session. Rule changes and shouting matches rippled through the Capitol as Legislators were given committee assignments and heard Governor Burgum’s budget proposal. Perhaps it was a window into what we can expect in the 66th session. It seems the fight between the […]
Doug Burgum pledged to “reinvent state government” and make the “tough calls” to balance the budget when he ran for Governor. As Governor, he was quick to call for deep budget cuts to state agencies. Those cuts led to layoffs, buyouts, and salary freezes for many state employees. With that record as the backdrop, it […]
It is no secret, North Dakota has become more reliant on energy activity over the last decade. The state budget relies heavily on oil revenues. The problem this reliance poses is the volatile swings in oil prices. It leads to budgeting uncertainty. The higher the price, the more activity, the more revenue the state accrues. […]
The North Dakota Emergency Commission will convene at 4 PM in the Capitol today. One of the items on their agenda is to consider transferring money to ensure National Guard students in college on ROTC scholarships are fully funded. The request is under $600,000 to fund the scholarship throughout the remainder of the biennium. The […]