North Dakota House passes bill for Renaissance Zone reentry

The state law authorizing Renaissance Zones was first passed in 2001, and at the time, it didn’t account for a time in the future in which a city with lapsed participation in the program — due to changing political fortunes — might want to rejoin. Well, the law is headed for an update, and it’s

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A poison pill was just dropped into debate over North Dakota’s public worker pensions

North Dakota’s pension for public workers is short $2 billion, and the task to solve that problem falls to the legislature. It’s an issue fraught with politics and special interests. And when we boil it down, it can metaphorically be explained with a question: do we put another band-aid on, or tear the one we’re

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Should School Board Candidates Be Required To File Campaign Finance Reports? Proposed Legislation Says Yes

Currently, candidates for local school board officers are not required to file campaign finance reports the same as other local office candidates. But two bills proposed in the current legislative session would change that. The bills propose to exempt school board candidates in districts with less than 750 students, but for all others, campaign finance

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Bill funding construction of career tech education centers passes House committee

A bill to speed up the construction of planned technical education centers around the state is advancing through the legislature. House Bill 1199 authorizes a Bank of North Dakota line of credit to the tune of ~$68 million. The amount is equal to the American Rescue Plan Act dollars that are earmarked for the purpose

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Sen. Jeff Magrum files 8 bills related to Summit Carbon Solutions pipeline

Summit Carbon Solutions has seeking approval to build a 2,000-mile network of carbon capture pipelines connecting several ethanol plants in the upper midwest to final storage locations West of Bismarck. But Senator Jeff Magrum has proposed a number of bills adding significant legislative oversight and hurdles to the proposed project. The bills pertain largely to

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North Dakota House advances bill banning ‘sanctuary’ cities

A bill that would prohibit North Dakota towns and cities from making policies related to immigration enforcement passed the ND House recently. Jeremy Turley with Inforum has the full story that includes no evidence of any North Dakota towns or cities actually considering laws or policies this bill will prevent.

Read & Share   sourced from: Grand Forks Herald

Bill would criminalize false allegations of sexual harassment, discrimination

A legislative bill in committee this morning would make it a Class C Felony to falsely accuse someone of sexual harassment and discrimination. House Bill 1256 was sponsored by Grand Forks area Representative Eric Murphy, who was himself exonerated following charges of sexual harassment. Representative Murphy likens the proposed law to legal protections against false

Read & Share   sourced from: InForum

Petition Reform Bill Hopes to Put a Damper on Fraudulent Signors and Petitioners

Over North Dakota’s recent political past, we’ve had no shortage of stories related to petition fraud. It’s the price we’ve paid with a state law that has historically relied more on honor than teeth. This legislative session may change that. Rob Port has the news and commentary on the bipartisan-sponsored House Bill 1230 that’s intended

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Street challenges sideline sidewalk snow removal

Local coverage of the City’s snow removal failure on public sidewalks started here on TheMinotVoice last week. Yesterday, Jill Schramm with The Minot Daily News added to the story. Nine days past the initial public attention to the failure and now eighteen days since the last measurable snowfall in Minot, and many city-maintained sidewalks are

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Sports Betting Resolution Passes North Dakota House 

A bill to let the voters decide on sports betting in North Dakota has passed in the House. Lydia Hoverson writing for The Dakotan has the story that includes quotes from two Minot legislators. If the bill is passed in the Senate and signed by the governor, the measure would be placed on the ballot

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North Dakota bills take aim at ‘sexually explicit books’ at libraries and stores

Two bills in the legislature are taking on ‘sexually explicit books’. Senate Bill 2123 and House Bill 1205 both take on the topic, and comments provided by the North Dakota Library Association on the topic were direct and against both. At the core of the problem, taking away people’s freedom to choose what information they

Read & Share   sourced from: InForum

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Inflation, salary increases top university presidents’ agenda before House Appropriations committee

Yesterday, Minot State’s budget request and enrollment were in the news. Today, it’s the same story from around the State. Several of the state’s university presidents were in front of the House Appropriations Committee on Wednesday, January 11, to share what’s happening on their campuses and their funding needs. The story is similar to Minot’s.

Read & Share   sourced from: Dickinson Press

Shared Power Used to be the Norm in Statehouses. Now It’s Nearly Extinct

North Dakota is what is known as a trifecta state. It’s a  term that describes the circumstance of a single political party controlling the governorship and both houses of the state legislature. In North Dakota, we have a Republican trifecta. It’s a trend more common in states than it has been in a long time;

Read & Share   sourced from: PEW

Amid Budget Request, Minot State Enrollment Trending Down With Possible Silver Linings Locally

Minot State’s student enrollment has been trending down in recent years, but there’s an emerging silver lining — local numbers are up. Current enrollment shows 2,167 students with significant growth in freshman students from NW North Dakota. Jill Schramm with the Minot Daily News has the full story including comments from MSU President Dr. Steve

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North Dakota Senate OKs higher THC limit for medical marijuana patients

A bill to up the limits on the quantities and types of THC (the active ingredient in marijuana) that can be purchased from North Dakota’s medical dispensaries is one-third the way to becoming a law. Yesterday, the Senate voted 33-14 to pass the bill that was modified slightly on the floor. Jack Dura with the

Read & Share   sourced from: Bismarck Tribune

North Dakota lawmakers weigh income, property tax cut bills

The State of North Dakota’s budget surplus is among the reasons Governor Burgum and legislators are signaling tax relief, but there’s no consensus yet on what it should look like. Jack Dura and Jeremy Turley, in a joint news story between The Bismarck Tribune and Forum News Services, have the details on the property tax

Read & Share   sourced from: Bismarck Tribune