North Dakota
North Dakota Senate rejects conflict of interest rules while House adopts modified version • North Dakota Monitor
The North Dakota House adopted new conflict of interest rules Wednesday, but the Senate rejected those same rules in a split vote.
Sen. Janne Myrdal, R-Edinburg, said she proposed removing the conflicts of interest section of the Senate rules because she worried about the “erosion” of the Legislature’s authority and she believes the Ethics Commission is overstepping.
“I think we write our own rules,” Myrdal said. “I think we govern our own body.”
The new rules were created through consultation with the Ethics Commission after the Legislative Procedures and Arrangements Committee finished its business during the interim. The rules were designed to promote transparency and provide a clearer path for lawmakers to recuse themselves from votes in which they had a perceived conflict.
North Dakota lawmakers discuss changing conflict of interest rules
“I would ask that we stand as a body and reject this and go back to the drawing table, if need be, but that we don’t allow another fourth branch of government with no guard rails and no oversight come and demand rules upon us that we have the authority ourselves to write,” Myrdal said.
The Senate voted to remove three sections of the conflict of interest rules by a vote of 24-20.
Senate Minority Leader Sen. Kathy Hogan, D-Fargo, said she is worried that state senators won’t have the option to abstain from votes containing a perceived conflict, which the new rules would have provided. Instead they will just leave the chamber before the vote occurs, so they don’t have to vote on it. She also lamented the Senate’s general rule that requires all lawmakers on the chamber floor during a vote to cast a vote on a measure.
“They don’t want to be in the position of having to vote when they know they have a conflict and are forced to vote by the rule,” Hogan said. “So, this is a dilemma. We’ll have to reconsider our actions.”
She added she thinks removing the conflicts of interest rules to preserve the Senate’s authority will actually do the opposite and give more power to the Ethics Commission to adjudicate potential conflicts.
Hogan said the Senate can change its rules at any time.
The House of Representatives passed the new conflicts of interest rules with one change. Lawmakers with a personal or private interest on a measure or bill must have a direct, individual and unique benefit over members of the general public to be considered conflicted. Under the version proposed by the Rules Committee, House members would have only needed one of those criteria to have a conflict of interest that would require disclosure to the full chamber.
House Minority Leader Rep. Zachary Ista, R-Grand Forks, member of the House Rules Committee, said the one word change from an “or” to an “and” caused the House to “fumble the ball at the goaline.”
“We were ready to move forward with a rules package that was responsive to the need of better, tighter conflict of interest rules,” Ista said. “The change never came up for discussion in that committee and I’m very frustrated that a last minute floor amendment was put forward without debate, without discussion, without asking ourselves what it means.”
Lawmakers must say something if they believe they stand to benefit from legislation. Their colleagues then decide whether or not to allow them to vote on the legislation.
Previously, this vote had to be decided without debate. The new House rules would allow lawmakers to discuss a conflict disclosure before voting.
The rules also require House members who raise conflicts of interest to provide sufficient detail about their situation so other members can make an informed decision.
Other changes include allowing lawmakers to abstain from voting even if their peers vote to allow them to participate, and creating a grace period for legislators to report conflicts of interest to leadership if they inadvertently fail to report a conflict.
House Majority Leader Rep. Mike Lefor, R-Dickinson, said the rules package was largely in line with the recommendations from the House Rules Committee.
“During the interim, we had conversations with the Ethics Commission to further define what is a conflict and what isn’t a conflict … and it gives the House of Representatives the opportunity to become the neutral reviewer,” Lefor said.
Lefor also said he is planning to propose a bill that would provide criminal immunity to lawmakers who follow the House rules regarding conflicts of interest.
“A legislator should never be criminally charged for voting on a bill,” he said.
Rep. Jason Dockter, R-Bismarck, was charged with a misdemeanor last December after the Ethics Commission referred a complaint to a prosecutor. A jury found Dockter guilty earlier this year of a conflict of interest crime related to his voting on budget bills for the Attorney General’s Office and Department of Health. Dockter is one of the owners of a building leased to those agencies.
Jury finds Rep. Dockter guilty of misdemeanor conflict-of-interest charge
Also Wednesday, the Senate adopted a rule that would exclude members of the public and lobbyists from the Senate floor 30 minutes before the chamber convenes. During that time, only lawmakers, legislative employees, legislative guests and properly identified members of the media will be allowed on the Senate floor prior to the start of the session.
Members of the public would be allowed in the balcony. They also would be allowed in the back of the chamber once the floor session begins.
Sen. Jeffery Magrum, R-Hazelton, said he was targeted by lobbyists during the 2023 legislative session with attempts to scuttle legislation he was proposing. He said he wanted more than 30 minutes to be public and lobbyist-free before the chamber convenes, but was willing to compromise.
The House did not pass any rule on Wednesday restricting the public or lobbyist access to the House chamber.
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GRAFTON, N.D. — Two North Dakota men who say they were switched at birth at a Grafton hospital in 1988 are suing the medical center after a 2023 DNA test revealed they had been raised by each other’s biological families.
According to court documents, Unity Medical Center denies all allegations in the complaint.
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Funeral service for Carmen Tweeten, 90, of Albuquerque, NM, formerly of Dickinson, will be 10:00 am, July 23, 2026 at Stevenson Funeral Home, Dickinson with Pastor Konrad Tweeten officiating. Burial will follow to Dickinson Cemetery. Visitation will take place one hour prior to the service. Carmen passed away July 8, 2026. Carmen Wayne Tweeten was born on February 4, 1936, in Grand Forks, North Dakota, the son of Tillman and Minerva (Dahl) Tweeten. He grew up in Grand Forks and Dickinson, North Dakota, graduating from Central High School in Dickinson in 1954. He married Henrietta Oukrop on June 13, 1954, in Dickinson. They celebrated their 72nd wedding anniversary this year. In February of 1955, they welcomed their only child, a boy whom they named Konrad (Kon). Carmen graduated from Dickinson State College and then taught Junior High Science in Glendive, Montana. He graduated from Worsham College of Mortuary Science in Chicago, Illinois, with the highest grade point average in the school’s history (as of 2012 it was still not surpassed). Carmen worked at Silvernale Funeral Home in Glendive until moving to Echo, Minnesota in 1960 where he managed Sunset Funeral Home until 1978. In 1974, Carmen gave his life to Jesus Christ and began to teach Bible studies in the Echo area. He filled many pulpits for vacationing pastors and churches who were in between pastors. He also held revival meetings in western North Dakota. In 1978, he and his wife, Henrietta, moved to Dickinson, North Dakota, where they owned and operated Tweeten Funeral Homes in Dickinson and Bowman, North Dakota. In November of 1984, Carmen and Henrietta relocated to Albuquerque, New Mexico where they lived for the past 42 years. Carmen worked at French Mortuary as both a funeral director and then as a pre-need funeral planner. He also worked for Monumental Life Insurance Company in Baltimore, Maryland, as a trainer and conference speaker. He retired in 1998 in Albuquerque where he and Henrietta continued to enjoy each other until his death at home on July 8, 2026. He is survived by his wife, Henrietta; his son, Kon (Connie) Tweeten of Albuquerque; three granddaughters, LaChae Webster of Oklahoma City OK, Kristy (Brian) Sterling of Wylie, Texas, and Yvette (Joshua) Smith of Dayton OH; fourteen great grandchildren, and nine great, great grandchildren; one brother, Dennis of The Villages Fl; one brother-in-law, Daniel (Kathy) Oukrop of Bismarck ND and many nieces, nephews, cousins and a multitude of friends. He was preceded in death by his parents, Tillman and Minerva Tweeten and Harry and Amy Oukrop, two brothers, two sisters, and one grandson. Remembrances and condolences can be shared at www.stevensonfuneralhome.com.
Wrestling: Yates, Raper excel in North Dakota
Published 2:07 am Monday, July 13, 2026
Carson Raper. Rhett Hoy photo.
Staff report
FARGO, N.D. – Carson Raper, a rising sophomore at South Rowan, and Braylen Yates, a rising sophomore at East Rowan, did very well on a national stage in the 16U Junior Nationals held over the weekend in the Fargodome.
Yates wrestled at 175, while Raper wrestled at 113.
Yates finished fourth (out of a field of 128 wrestlers) to earn All-America honors.
Yates dominated his first three matches before winning a close quarterfinal. He lost a 4-0 decision to a Minnesota wrestler in the semifinals and a 6-2 decision to an Illinois wrestler in the third-place match.
Raper won his first two matches by technical fall before losing to a Missouri wrestler in the Round of 32.
Raper bounced back in the consolation bracket to win two more matches. He lost a 12-10 decision to a Florida wrestler to end his run in the tournament. Raper was the youngest in his weight class.
Raper won a 4A NCHSAA championship last winter, while Yates was a state runner-up in 5A.
They have big futures.
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