A previous version of the bill that included restrictions on K-12 transgender athletes in North Dakota was gutted earlier this session on the Senate floor. The amendment proposed Monday still needs approval from the full House and Senate to be incorporated into the bill.
At the Legislature: individual rights vs. social action But issues are not always one or the other
Dylan Sherman
BISMARCK A divergence of vision on how best to protect individual rights while addressing societal issues has sometimes marked the 2021 North Dakota legislative session, but the difference between the two aims is not always clear.
Legislators in North Dakota have argued one way or the other this session, on whether bills would affect individual or social rights, for better or worse.
Affordable health care is an area where the legislature felt that while some bills may be beneficial, they could infringe on personal rights. Two health care bills that failed include a paid family leave study and an affordable insulin bill.
By Pat Sweeney
The bonding bill is on its way to North Dakota Governor Doug Burgum.
The Senate passed HB 1431 unanimously today (Thu). The bill is back to the House level of $680 million.
Senators considered a $1.1 billion bill. Senate Majority Leader Rich Wardner of Dickinson says the Senate Appropriations Committee looked at it and felt that “adding things would only gum up the process.”
Wardner says it’s exactly the same as the House passed it – meaning it will not have to be in a conference committee. He says such things as infrastructure for state buildings, and $30 million for township roads are out of the bill. But
It s shocking how black the park looks from the road. Theodore Roosevelt National Park Superintendent Wendy Ross, on the effects of a large wildfire in the park s North Unit.
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âI could smell the breath of the dragon. Thatâs how close I was.â Wally Owen, whose Medora property was threatened by a wildfire that prompted the evacuation of the town.
q   q   q Life is very fragile. Fires remind us of that truth. This will be one April Fool s Day and Holy Thursday that will stick deeply in all of our souls. Roger Dieterle, a retired pastor who lives south of Medora, as a wildfire threatened the town on April 1.
Legislature OKs slimmed down infrastructure bonding bill Follow Us
Question of the Day By JAMES MacPHERSON - Associated Press - Friday, April 9, 2021
BISMARCK, N.D. (AP) - Senate lawmakers said Friday they are looking to restore hundreds of millions of dollars cut from an approved landmark bonding package aimed largely at financing infrastructure projects across the state.
The original bonding package sought $1.1 billion, but the House slashed that amount to $680 million after grumbling among some lawmakers who believed it was attached to too many unnecessary extras, referred to as “Christmas tree” items.
The Senate on Thursday unanimously approved the scaled-down House version that would use earnings from the state’s oil tax savings account to pay for the borrowed money.