At 11:14 Central Time, U.S. Senator John Hoeven cast the deciding vote in favor of Betsy Devos for Education Secretary. His vote created a tie in the Senate forcing Vice President Mike Pence to cast a vote. 51-50 and Devos is now leading our nation’s Education Department. Hoeven ignored what appeared to be a strong […]
Politicians have a practice they live by. If there is a position or news they know their constituents will not like, they will publicly release the information on Friday afternoon. In doing so, they hope people are already in the weekend mode, and the media will need to run the story on the inside page […]
Today the North Dakota House of Representatives defeated HB 1130. You may recall first reading about the proposal to “assess a fee” which was really a tax increase for private pay nursing home residents here on ND xPlains. The tax was included in former Governor Jack Dalrymple’s budget, and current Governor Doug Burgum supported the tax increase […]
This morning we learned from Senator Tim Mathern the Legislature has decided against Governor Burgum’s recommendation of requiring state employees to pay 5% of their health insurance premium. Though things can change before the end of the session, I doubt the insurance changes will become law. Why? Because it is the Legislature’s insurance benefit also. […]
Perry Miller I joined Perry Miller for happy hour in Wahpeton, ND. We couldn’t find the right atmosphere to suit our needs, so we went to his basement bar, turned on some tunes, and talked about politics. I challenge you to find a better happy hour special than free beer at Miller’s “Red Dog Bar.” […]
Yesterday the North Dakota House of Representatives voted against removing North Dakota’s ‘blue laws’ that prevent businesses from opening before noon on Sunday. The bipartisan change in HB 1163, introduced by Democratic-NPL Representative Pam Anderson, would have allowed businesses to decide when to open their doors. In North Dakota, we pride ourselves on limited government […]
Monday I had the privilege of guest hosting News and Views with Joel Heitkamp on KFGO and across the state. Friday’s Executive Order and the resulting protests needed to be talked about. People were feeling a little anxious about what was unfolding. When scheduling the show, I wanted to provide a real face to the impacts […]
This morning an article by Nick Smith of the Bismarck Tribune caught my attention. The headline read, “State Treasurer Defends Her Agency Before Lawmakers.” As you may know, a bipartisan resolution has been introduced in the legislature to eliminate the Treasurer’s office. The resolution follows Senator Tim Mathern’s 2016 campaign for Treasurer on the platform […]
The Senate voted down a bill today that would have refused federal funding for schools if there were any federal mandate attached. In other words, basically all federal dollars would be rejected. The misguided SB 2180 was sponsored by Senator Oley Larsen of Minot and newly elected Senator Janne Myrdal from District 10. Thankfully common sense prevailed, […]
As we’ve seen in other states, North Dakota is now debating whether or not to mandate drug testing people on temporary assistance (TANF) to determine eligibility. The bill was introduced by Senator Tom Campbell to the Senate Human Services Committee. On Tuesday, the committee recommended a “Do Pass” by a vote of 4-3. Senate Bill […]