The North Dakota state legislative session began on Tuesday, Jan. 7th. The 69th Legislative Assembly is made up of 47 senators and 94 house representatives who have a lot to get done in a short amount of time. The North Dakota Legislature meets for a maximum of 80 days and is one of only four state legislations that only meets every other year. Members of the assembly are faced with a substantial challenge this year; more than 1,000 bills have been introduced, which is the most in 15 years. Members of both the House and Senate have a lot of ground to cover on a wide array of different issues. So, what is on the docket in North Dakota? What changes can the public expect to see after this session?
On Tuesday, Jan. 28th, the North Dakota House of Representatives approved a bill that would end Daylight Savings time in the state. This bill still needs to go through the senate and be approved by the governor before it can officially become law. Proponents of the bill believe that the practice of Daylight Savings time disrupts people’s daily sleep patterns which negatively effects their health and is simply an inconvenience. Opponents argue that the bill will negatively affect farmers by removing an hour of daylight in the summer evenings. If this Bill passes, North Dakota will be one of only three states that do not recognize Daylight Savings time. Legislation related to Daylight Savings time has been tossed around on both the state and national level with little success, so many are interested to see where this bill goes.
Another proposed bill that would affect the day-to-day lives of many North Dakotans is House Bill 1298, which would raise the speed limit on certain interstate highways from 75 to 80 miles per hour. HB 1298 has been passed in the House of Representatives and is under consideration in the Senate. Bills intended to increase interstate speed limits have been proposed and rejected on multiple occasions in North Dakota, so it is quite unclear whether this bill will become law.
There are several bills regarding K-12 education being introduced this session. House Bill 1475 proposes that North Dakota provides free breakfast and lunch to all K-12 students regardless of family income. This endeavor would cost around $140 million over the next two years. There have also been bills proposed that would increase funding towards education in the state to improve the salaries of teachers. Another K-12 issue being brought up during this session is School Choice. School Choice can mean several different things but is essentially any policy or program that would allow parents to choose the best educational setting for their children rather than simply sending children to the public school that corresponds with a family’s address. North Dakota has very limited school choice programs in comparison to other states in the U.S. but there are a few bills in the works regarding this issue this session. Senate Bill 1358 would expand the availability of charter schools in the states by allowing more of them to be established and allocating funds towards them to give families more educational options for their children. Senate Bill 2400 would establish educational savings accounts for families, allowing parents to use state funds for educational expenses such as tutoring or private school tuition.
The State Legislature is also addressing the topic of abortion this session, a topic that they have addressed in the past. Last year a judge struck down a North Dakota law that would make abortion illegal after 6 weeks in all cases except for rape or incest. Judge Bruce Romanick found that women in North Dakota have a legal right to abortion up until the point of fetal viability. Representative Eric Murphy has put forth a bill that would create a compromise between the original bill and Judge Romanick’s order. His bill, which has not been given a number yet, would allow elective abortions up until 15 weeks. Many feel as though this would be an acceptable middle ground on which to land regarding the issue of abortion.
Another issue that is being heavily prioritized this session is that of property taxes. North Dakotans have been calling for reform in this area for years now. Governor Kelly Armstrong has outlined a property tax relief and reform plan that would eliminate property taxes for most primary residences within the next decade. This plan would provide tax credits and would also cap future increases in local property tax budgets at 3% per year. Armstrong has been working with majority leaders of both the House and Senate to craft the plan which provide relief for many North Dakotans.
There is no way to comprehensively explain all of the legislation that is up for a vote in North Dakota, and it is difficult to imagine that members of the legislature have to vote on every single one. As stated above, there are over 1,000 proposed bill for the North Dakota state legislation to get through before their short session is over and they will have to work extremely hard in order to accomplish all that is set out before them and to do it with the thoroughness and excellence that the public expects.