Page 14 - Dan Ruby News Today

Twenty-five of them can use all the excuses they want. What they did is shameful.

2:01 The state House of Representatives has voted to expel Dickinson Republican Representative Luke Simons because of sexual harassment. The vote was 69 to 25. It needed a two-thirds vote, or 63, to pass. Simons has been accused of inappropriate comments made toward female colleagues and interns. "This is not about someone occasionally using coarse language, or saying something that was misconstrued," said House Majority Leader Chet Pollert (R-Carrington), one of the authors of the expulsion re...

A female minority There are 30 female lawmakers in the 66th North Dakota session, making the Legislature 21 percent female. According to data from the National Conference of State Legislatures, that is a slight uptick from sessions over the past 10 years, in which the number hovered between 15 and 19 percent. Some female lawmakers say they do feel pressure because of gender, particularly female Democrats who represent a “double minority” as Sen. Erin Oban, D-Bismarck, calls herself. Erin Ob...

By Dave Thompson BISMARCK, N.D. (Prairie Public Radio) – The House has put the brakes on a bill to raise the speed limits on the Interstate highways to 80 miles an hour. The bill says the speeds would be raised if and when the Department of Transportation determines the interstates can support that speed. Another section of the bill would have set a minimum 40 miles per hour speed on those highways. The bill was split into two sections — one on the higher limit, one on the minimum. Cando Re...

1:14 The House has put the brakes on a bill to raise the speed limits on the Interstate highways to 80 miles an hour. The bill says the speeds would be raised if and when the Department of Transportation determines the interstates can support that speed. Another section of the bill would have set a minimum 40 miles per hour speed on those highways. The bill was split into two sections -- one on the higher limit, one on the minimum. Rep. Greg Westlind (R-Cando) argued against the higher speed li...

Opponents of the bill said it presented a "slippery slope" and, if passed, the next discussion about assisted suicide could be centered on allowing the practice for healthier people. 

Local officials sponsored and testified on behalf of a bill to double the fine for driving on a road closed due to winter weather.

Editorial: North Dakota Legislature needs to move forward on a plan to fix the state’s aging infrastructure So as the North Dakota Legislature considers adding a few extra pennies to the tax we pay on a gallon of gas, keep an open mind for what it really could do for the state while not putting a serious dent in the general public’s pocketbook. Written By: Grand Forks Herald editorial board | 6:40 am, Feb. 5, 2021 × The national average price for a gallon of regular g...

Hazelton Republican Rep. Jeff Magrum said his bill aimed to reflect the idea that the government shouldn't be tasked with protecting residents from themselves. Magrum said during a committee hearing on the bill that he rarely wears a seat belt in his own vehicle.

House committee supports bill that would loosen North Dakotas seat belt law Under House Bill 1257, adult drivers and occupants would no longer have to buckle up in the car, though the safety measure would still be mandatory for those under 18. After hearing arguments about public safety and personal freedoms, the House Transportation Committee voted 8-6 on Thursday, Jan. 28, to give the bill a "do pass" recommendation as it heads to the House floor. Written By: Jeremy Turley ...