North Dakota
Lawmakers advance bill to replace North Dakota drones made by foreign adversaries
BISMARCK — Lawmakers unanimously advanced a bill aimed at replacing over 300 Chinese-made drones used by North Dakota agencies due to security concerns, though development of drone infrastructure in the bill drew scrutiny from lawmakers.
House Bill 1038
would create a $15 million program to replace all drones used by North Dakota agencies that do not comply with the
National Defense Authorization Act
and the
American Security Drone Act of 2023.
In short, any drones that are manufactured in adversarial countries would be replaced.
For North Dakota, that would be 307 of the 353 drones — or 86.97% — used by state agencies, according to a survey administered by the North Dakota University System.
All 307 drones that would be replaced are from China, according to the survey, specifically from a company called DJI, according to bill sponsor Rep. Mike Nathe, R-Bismarck.
During his testimony to the appropriations committee, Nathe said that DJI has roughly 90% of the hobby market, 70% of the industrial market and 80% of the first responder market in the U.S., something he said was “very disturbing” to him.
“Even if out of the 307 we have one of these that are bad, it’s worth doing,” Nathe said. “So, these drones are flying all over our state. They’re flying over our communities, our air bases, our missile sites, our oil fields and God knows if they’re collecting data and transmitting that. And that is not only a security risk for North Dakota but also for the country.”
Nathe said North Dakota agencies are using Chinese drones because they are cheap.
“Why do we have so many of these in our inventory? And we’re not the only state, every other state is – has as many of these as we do,” Nathe said. “And the answer is they’re cheap. Cheaper than U.S. stuff, and they’re easy to fly and they’re very consumer-friendly. And they are not just years ahead, they’re like generations ahead of the (U.S.) manufacturers.”
Despite this, he said he has not had any pushback from state agencies on the proposed bill.
The program would be run by the Grand Forks-based
Northern Plains Unmanned Aircraft System (UAS) Test Site
. Under the proposed bill, the test site would find and pay for drones that could serve the same function of the Chinese drones currently used by agencies, then organize training on the new drones for agencies’ personnel and inspect and dispose of the Chinese-made drones.
Agencies would be able to continue using the drones they have until a replacement drone from a U.S. manufacturer or a manufacturer in a country friendly to the U.S. has been found by the test site, Nathe said.
Some members of the committee questioned how much it would cost to replace the current drones. Frank Mattis, director of UAS integration at Thales and newly minted chair of the
North Dakota UAS Council
, said that it would likely cost more than $10,000 per drone to replace the current DJI drones used by state agencies.
Thales is a company partnered with the state and the Northern Plains UAS Test Site to develop the
Vantis
system. The system, simply put, is a radar system that tracks and identifies drones, which allows them to operate beyond the line of sight of pilots.
The second part of HB 1038 would allocate $11 million to develop an FAA radar data enclave and engage in a first-of-its-kind one-year pathfinder program where the FAA would share radar data with Vantis that would extend the system’s reach over most of the state.
Northern Plains UAS Test Site Deputy Executive Director Erin Roesler said the system covers 3,000 square miles and with the FAA data would cover 56,000 square miles — an expansion that would cost the state $255 million to develop without the FAA’s assistance.
The hope, according to those in support of the bill, is that Vantis with the FAA’s data would become the guideline for a national drone infrastructure system.
According to Mattis, this would be the first time the FAA shared unfiltered radar data with an organization outside of the federal government.
The data is not classified as “top secret” or “secret,” Mattis said, but it does rise to a level of importance where it needs to be protected. The $11 million would pay for the training, screening of personnel, and physical and cybersecurity upgrades to the test site that would allow them to house and utilize the data.
Several lawmakers on the committee questioned how and when the state would see a return on the $11 million investment in Vantis.
Roesler said that Vantis should be viewed as an infrastructure project and that its value comes from the opportunities it will create.
She said that state agencies and other drone operators must create their own often costly and redundant systems to operate drones the way Vantis allows for. Creating this shared-use infrastructure lowers the barrier for agencies and companies to use drones in new ways.
Rep. David Richter, R-Williston, told a story about a hospital in his part of the state using a drone to deliver medicine across Lake Sakakawea to a remote area as an example of the use of drone infrastructure.
“We build highways and then people use them,” Richter said. “We are building a highway and people will use it.”
The bill was given a unanimous “do pass” recommendation by the committee and will be carried to the floor for a vote by Nathe.
GRAND FORKS — A North Dakota composer’s dream is turning into a statewide invitation.
Williston-based musician Emily Black-Driscoll was chosen as the North Dakota Music Teachers Association’s commissioned composer for 2026. She’s preparing an original composition that will premiere in August.
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North Dakota
Challengers declare victory after ND Supreme Court rules against Legislature’s attempt to alter term limits
BISMARCK — A constitutional ballot measure to amend the state’s term limits law as proposed by the Legislature will not appear on November’s ballot, the North Dakota Supreme Court ruled Thursday, siding with petitioners who argued the Legislature exceeded its authority and violated the state constitution in proposing the changes.
“The people’s voice was heard,” Grand Forks County Commissioner Terry Bjerke said in reaction to the news.
Bjerke was a member of the sponsoring committee behind the successful 2022 effort to pass a term limits initiative, which amended the state constitution by capping legislative term limits to eight years in the House and eight years in the Senate. The amendment, which became article XV of the state constitution, also included a clause barring the Legislature from making constitutional changes to term limits.
During the 2025 session, however, lawmakers narrowly approved Senate Concurrent Resolution 4008, in which the legislature proposed Constitutional Measure 1, a ballot measure to amend the term limits language to allow legislators to decide in which chamber they want to serve their 16 years, and to repeal the clause limiting the legislative assembly’s authority to propose an amendment to alter or repeal term limits.
Bjerke and former Minot legislator Oley Larsen brought the lawsuit challenging the validity of the Legislature’s action in January, and the state Supreme Court
heard oral arguments in the case
this spring.
“Those term limits may only be altered by a measure proposed by the people rather than the Legislative Assembly. And yet a few years later, the Legislative Assembly is doing what they are prohibited from doing,” attorney Zachary Wallen argued on Bjerke and Larsen’s behalf.
Tanner Ecker / The Bismarck Tribune
The Legislature’s attorneys argued the clause prohibiting legislative proposals to alter the constitutional term limits language “infringes on our republican form of government” by “limiting the people’s ability to vote on amendments proposed by their elected officials.”
Justice Jon Jensen seemed skeptical of that argument during the April 2 hearing, questioning whether a second vote was appropriate.
“The public did speak on this. The public spoke on it when it passed the original constitutional amendment and they said, ‘Legislature, you don’t even get to propose a change.’ They have already spoken on it,” Jensen said. “You want a second shot, or a second bite at the apple, not a first one, a second.”
In Thursday’s ruling, all five justices sided with Bjerke and Larsen.
“We … conclude the Legislative Assembly’s adoption of S.C.R. 4008 violated N.D. Const. art. XV … and declare S.C.R. 4008 and Constitutional Measure 1 void … We enjoin the Secretary of State from placing Constitutional Measure 1 on the November 2026 general election ballot,” the ruling said.
Bjerke thanked the legal team that worked on behalf of their lawsuit, and said he was grateful the court reached the conclusion it did.
“I’m thrilled that what the people voted on and approved has been validated,” Bjerke said.
He added that the Legislature had “multiple opportunities” to address term limits prior to 2022’s initiated measure and chose not to, and gave a nod to the country’s coming milestone and the process by which voters expressed their support for term limits.
“We’ve lasted 250 years,” Bjerke said. “I have two words for those elected leaders who think they aren’t: everyone’s replaceable.”
North Dakota
Fargo woman convicted in North Dakota fraud case now faces charges in Minnesota: A deeper dive
FARGO, N.D. (Valley News Live) – A North Dakota woman who was sentenced to 180 days in jail in Cass County for defrauding healthcare providers and Medicaid programs is now facing additional fraud charges in Minnesota.
Christine Marie Pryor, 55, pleaded guilty in November 2024 to theft by deception involving more than $50,000. She was sentenced to first serve 180 days with a 3-year sentence suspended. She received credit for 44 days already served.
Pryor was ordered to pay $82,584.78 in restitution to Southeast Human Services in Fargo, where she worked between 2018 and 2019.
How the scheme unfolded
According to court documents, Pryor worked at multiple healthcare facilities in North Dakota and Minnesota between 2018 and 2023, using the identities and credentials of three licensed professionals without their knowledge. She submitted fraudulent Capella University diplomas and transcripts to gain employment.
Investigators say Pryor admitted she searched state licensing websites for therapists who shared her first name, then used those therapists’ last names and license numbers when applying for jobs.
At Southeast Human Services, where she worked as a Licensed Addiction Counselor, Pryor earned $55,584.82 while providing therapy services to approximately 150 patients. She also opened her own counseling center, NIAM Brain Injury Center, in Fargo between 2020 and 2021, and worked at The Lotus Center in Moorhead, Minnesota, from 2021 to 2023.
Court documents say the three licensed professionals whose identities were used told investigators they had no knowledge of Pryor’s actions and did not give her permission to use their information.
Two additional charges against Pryor in North Dakota, unauthorized use of personal identifying information, were dismissed on motion of the state.
Additional charges in Minnesota
Pryor is also facing charges in Minnesota. Minnesota Attorney General Keith Ellison announced on Tuesday charges against Pryor in Clay County District Court for six theft offenses and six identity theft offenses related to defrauding Minnesota’s Medicaid program of more than $150,000.
According to the Minnesota complaint, Pryor claimed to provide psychotherapy and alcohol and drug counseling services to Medicaid recipients despite having no license or credentials to do so. Prosecutors allege she used the credentials and identities of three licensed professionals while claiming to provide Medicaid-funded services to 169 clients.
The Minnesota charges were filed as part of National Health Care Fraud Takedown Day, a joint effort involving the Department of Justice and more than 40 state Medicaid Fraud Control Units.
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