Connect with us

North Dakota

North Dakota House fails to find consensus with Senate on start date of term limits

Published

on

North Dakota House fails to find consensus with Senate on start date of term limits


BISMARCK — The North Dakota House of Representatives on Monday, April 28, voted down a bill designed to set the start date for when lawmakers’ time in office starts counting toward their term limits.

House Bill 1300

was originally introduced by Rep. Ben Koppelman, R-West Fargo, to set the effective date of the legislation as Nov. 7, 2022. It was then amended by Sen. Janne Myrdal, R-Edinburg, to change the effective date to Jan. 1, 2023.

Under Myrdal’s proposal, lawmakers elected in the 2022 election would not have their time in office start counting toward their term-limited time until after their next election in 2026. Under Koppelman’s proposal, the term they were elected for in 2022 would count toward their time served for term limits.

Advertisement
Sen. Janne Myrdal, R-Edinburg, speaks on House Bill 1300, a bill focusing on legislative term limits, at the North Dakota Capitol on Friday, March 28, 2025.

Tanner Ecker / The Bismarck Tribune

Both argued that their chosen date would stand up better in court should term limits face litigation.

The House originally failed the bill when it was returned from the Senate amended. However, the following day, it was brought back and passed with the understanding that it would go to a conference committee and the House would have another chance to advocate for their chosen date. The Senate’s Jan. 1, 2023, date was decided on and returned from conference committee.

Advertisement

“This bill came to us here before. We killed it. And then they said let’s bring it back to the conference committee so we can keep our position,” Rep. Steve Vetter, R-Grand Forks, said on the House floor. “It doesn’t look like we kept our position, so I would ask for a red (no) vote.”

The House voted 61-28 to fail the bill.

Senate Concurrent Resolution 4008

, passed earlier this session, would make several changes to term limits, including setting the effective date for the start of time counted toward term limits as Jan. 1, 2023. Because the resolution would make changes to the state’s Constitution, it will go before voters as a measure before taking effect, likely on the 2026 general election ballot.





Source link

Advertisement

North Dakota

The North Dakota Attorney General issued an opinion to the ND State Auditor – North Dakota Attorney General

Published

on


The North Dakota Attorney General issued an opinion to the ND State Auditor

March 4, 2026

Media Contact: Suzie Weigel, 701.328.2210

BISMARCK, ND – It is the opinion that federal law does not prevent the state from auditing P&A and even though P&A possesses confidential records, N.D.C.C. § 54-10-22.1 and 42 C.F.R. § 51.45(c) authorize the state auditor and the employees of the auditor’s office, to review the records without detriment to P &A.

Also, whether Rule 1.6 of the North Dakota Rules of Professional Conduct for licensed attorneys prohibits P&A from disclosing to the State Auditor the contents of a client file for the purpose of conducting a non-financial performance audit under N.D.C.C. ch. 54-10 when the requested file includes information about individuals and businesses in the private sector who chose to contact P &A.

Advertisement

This issue was already addressed in a 1995 opinion of this office regarding P&A. The 1995 opinion highlighted that P&A has authority to contract with private attorneys to represent private individuals. 17 During that performance audit, auditors asked to see billings from the contracted attorneys. 18 P&A redacted the names of the individuals represented by the contract attorneys under the rules for attorney-client privilege or attorney-client confidentiality. 19 The names of individuals seeking services of P&A are protected under N.D.C.C. § 25-01.3. The opinion stated:

Thus, P&A’s records which indicate to whom its services were provided are available to the State Auditor for performance audit purposes. The State Auditor has
been given access by P&A to its records other than the attorney’s billings. Therefore, the State Auditor already has access to the names of the persons to whom P&A
provides services. State law requires that the State Auditor and his employees must keep such information confidential.

Here, P&A has not identified a specific record. Given that, I rely on the past opinions declaring that records made confidential by N.D.C.C. § 25-01.3-10 are available under N.D.C.C. § 54-10-22 to the State Auditor and the Auditor’s employees for audit purposes.

Link to opinion 2026-L-01

###

Advertisement



Source link

Continue Reading

North Dakota

Angler may have broken North Dakota’s perch record on Devils Lake

Published

on

Angler may have broken North Dakota’s perch record on Devils Lake


FARGO, N.D. (Valley News Live) – A Wisconsin angler may have reeled in a new North Dakota state record yellow perch on Devils Lake.

Alan Hintz of Stevens Point, Wis., caught the fish while fishing with Perch Patrol Guide Service’s Tyler Elshaug. North Dakota Game Warden Jon Peterson weighed the perch at 2.99 pounds and measured it at 16.5 inches at Woodland Resort.

The current state record perch of 2 pounds, 15 ounces was caught by Kyle Smith of Carrington, N.D., also on Devils Lake, on March 28, 1982.

The catch is still considered unofficial. The North Dakota Game and Fish Department requires a four-week waiting period to verify all details before officially recognizing a new state record.

Advertisement
Alan Hintz of Stevens Point, Wis., caught the fish that has unofficially weighed at 2.99 pounds and measured it at 16.5 inches(Perch Patrol Guide Service)

Steve Dahl with Perch Patrol Guide Service confirmed the details to Valley News Live. Dahl said overall perch numbers on Devils Lake are down this year, but anglers are seeing more fish weighing over 2 pounds.

Devils Lake is one of North Dakota’s most popular ice fishing destinations, known for producing trophy-sized perch.



Source link

Advertisement
Continue Reading

North Dakota

The Democratic Spirit: Reflections on North Dakota History and the Declaration of Independence at 250 – America250

Published

on

The Democratic Spirit: Reflections on North Dakota History and the Declaration of Independence at 250 – America250


A state and national public forum comprising a lecture, and then a question-answer session. Kwame Anthony Appiah’s lecture commemorates the 250th anniversary of the Declaration of Independence and explore its enduring significance in American life. Appiah’s scholarship on ethics, identity, and cosmopolitanism offers a unique lens for examining democratic ideals in a diverse society. By connecting these themes to North Dakota’s historical narrative, the forum fosters civic engagement, intellectual discourse, and cultural understanding within our community.



Source link

Continue Reading

Trending