Shaw: The 2023 North Dakota Legislative Dubious Achievement Awards

With the

North Dakota Legislative session

mercifully over, it’s time to recognize the legislators who stood out for all the wrong reasons. So, with steep competition, it’s time to hand out the 2023 North Dakota Legislative Dubious Achievement Awards.

The Marjorie Taylor Greene Congeniality Award: To Sens. Janne Myrdal, R-Edinburg, and Michael Wobbema, R-Valley City, for

turning their backs on a Senate prayer

preaching love and unity.

The Let the Children Starve Award: To Wobbema, for

saying it’s not the state’s responsibility to feed hungry children

from low-income families and questioning whether they really want to eat.

The Joseph Goebbels Book Burning Award: To Sen. Keth Boehm, R-Mandan, and Rep. Mike Lefor, R-Dickinson, for

their bills to ban books

at your local library.

The Don’t Let the Facts Stand in the Way of Unnecessary and Cruel Legislation Award: To Boehm and Rep. Brandon Prichard, R-Bismarck. Boehm shamefully referred to gender-affirming care as

“child mutilation”

and falsely claimed that puberty blockers “permanently sterilize a child.” Prichard falsely and disgracefully said gender-affirming care is motivated more by a political agenda, rather than sound scientific evidence.

The George Santos Fabrication Award: To Prichard, for telling the Bismarck Tribune that he’s a part-time student at the University of Minnesota Law School, but

failed to provide any proof of that to columnist Rob Port.

The Women’s Bad Hygiene Award: To Lefor, who in leading the effort to defeat a sales tax exemption for tampons,

asked, “Where do you draw the line?”

The Who Cares What the Voters Want Award: To Rep. Ben Koppelman, R-West Fargo and Rep. Jim Kasper, R-Fargo.

Koppelman’s bill banned approval voting

in Fargo, even though Fargo voters approved it in a landslide. Kasper

tried to gut term limits

in the Legislature, even though North Dakota voters overwhelmingly approved it.

The What $5,000? Award: To Kasper, for apparently failing to report a $5,000 check he received for a campaign contribution.

The Donald Trump Revenge Award: To Rep. Jeff Hoverson, R-Minot. After being prevented from boarding a flight due to an altercation with airport security,

Hoverson introduced a bill that would restrict searches by the TSA.

The What Planet Are You Living on Award: To Rep. Dan Ruby, R-Minot (who has 10 children), for saying

his answer to the childcare crisis is for working people not to have kids.

The Too Much Information Award: To Kasper, for reading about masturbation on the House floor.

The I Hate Mrs. Doubtfire Award: To Prichard, for his

bill to ban drag shows on public property.

The Ebenezer Scrooge Award: To Rep. Larry Bellew, R-Minot, for saying the state’s budget is a “paradise for parasites.”

The John Bluto Blutarsky 0.0 Grade-Point Average Award: To Koppelman, for

his bill to allow guns to be brought into bars,

and to Sen. Jeff Magrum, R-Hazelton, for

his bill to ban the COVID-19 vaccine

in the state.

Shaw is a former WDAY TV reporter and former KVRR TV news director.

This column does not necessarily reflect the opinion of The Forum’s editorial board nor Forum ownership.

InForum columnist Jim Shaw is a former WDAY TV reporter and former KVRR TV news director.