Oil Tax Trigger is Legislated Away, Goes to Governor

The House approved Senate version of an amended oil tax bill that will do away with oil price tax triggers. The volatility of oil prices combined with the low-price trigger created a lot of uncertainty in forecasting revenues for North Dakota. Full story from Amy Dalrymple.

Read & Share   sourced from: Grand Forks Herald

Gov. Dalrymple Signs Student Due Process Bill

From here forward, students and North Dakota Universities will have the right to be represented by an attorney when facing school disciplinary boards. Governor Dalrymple signed Senate Bill 2150 into law yesterday.

Read & Share   sourced from: WDAZ

New Governor’s Residence Gets Approval from House, Sent to Governor

It looks like Governor of North Dakota may be getting a new residence on the capitol grounds — unless Governor Dalrymple chooses not to sign the bill. The bill allocates $4million from to the project that’s contingent on raising another $1 million from private donations.

Read & Share   sourced from: Bismarck Tribune

Dalrymple Signs Bill for Enhanced Pipeline Safety

— Official News Release, Governor Dalrymple — Gov. Jack Dalrymple today signed into law House Bill 1358, legislation that will strengthen the state’s regulatory oversight of gathering pipelines for produced water and crude oil.  The bill includes enhancements for the prevention and detection of pipeline leaks and expands the state’s remediation and restoration program for

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Landowner Group Happy With Legislature

Leadership of the Northwest Landowners Association is pleased with the progress made in the 2015 legislative session. Several bills related to oil industry and pipelines were passed that will positively affect landowners. KX News has the full story.

Read & Share   sourced from: KX News

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Republicans Propose Removing Oil Price Trigger in Exchange for Lower Rate

Republican legislators proposed a late-session bill that would remove the oil-tax price triggers from oil production tax equation in exchange for a slightly lower overall tax rate. Details from Mike Nowatzki.

Read & Share   sourced from: Grand Forks Herald

House Does End-Run Around the Senate To Pass Income Tax Cuts Anyway

We all know the world of politics is as much gamesmanship and savvy as it is issues and idealism. Want a peek at how it really works? Rob Port at Say Anything Blog provides the back-story and context surrounding the ND House’s passage of an income-tax bill.

Read & Share   sourced from: Say Anything Blog.com

Dalrymple Signs Bill Establishing State Grant Program for Early Childhood Education

— Official News Release, Governor Dalrymple — Gov. Jack Dalrymple today signed into law Senate Bill 2151, establishing a state grant program for early childhood education. The bill provides $3 million in state grants to certified pre-kindergarten programs that serve low-income children. “This legislation is a great start,” Gov. Dalrymple said. “We’re confident that the

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North Dakota Bill Lowers Charges for Drug Paraphernalia

The bill lowers paraphernalia related charges for first-time offenders to a Class A misdemeanor. Repeat offenders would be subject to felony charges.

Read & Share   sourced from: Grand Forks Herald

Public Service Commision Budget Drops Rail Safety Program

The $972,000 program would have added three full-time positions in the Public Service Commissions budget focused on railroad inspections and safety. Full story on the debate from the Bismarck Tribune.

Read & Share   sourced from: Bismarck Tribune

How Elf Rights Activists Are Influencing Iceland’s Infrastructure

In Iceland, the government is going out of its way to protect the rights of mythical creatures. Here in North Dakota, we’re still working on protecting the rights of real, live people.

Read & Share   sourced from: Fast Company

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Lawmakers Discuss Oil Tax Revenue Amendment

A group of Senators are proposing an amendment that would allocate more money to oil-impacted parts of the state if oil revenues rise in the second half of the biennium.

Read & Share   sourced from: KMOT News

Anit Discrimination Bill: How They Voted

SB 2279 failed in the ND House yesterday by a wide margin. See how our area representatives voted in this piece from the Dickinson Press.

Read & Share   sourced from: Dickinson Press

Minot Legislator Proposes Water Funding

Minot Representative has an amendment in the works that would allow the state to issue bonds in order to pay for upcoming water projects for Minot, Fargo, and Grand Forks. The plan includes $420 million for Minot and is in the process of final revisions. Full story from KX News.

Read & Share   sourced from: KX News

Oil Production Tax: Large Trigger ‘Likely’ to Hit

Department of Mineral Resources Director Lynn Helm’s is walking back from his previous opinion that the larger of North Dakota’s oil production lower tax triggers is unlikely to be reached.

Read & Share   sourced from: Williston Herald

Revised Revenue Forecast: State Budget to Expect Revenue Losses

The Governor’s revised revenue forecast was released last week. Unsurprisingly, it is less optimistic about state revenues than January’s report. Nick Smith of the Bismarck Tribune has the details.

Read & Share   sourced from: Bismarck Tribune