N.D. Senate Update for March 18, 2019

A highlight this week was to have the Lakota High School and Hope-Page High School students visit the Capitol. Besides a tour of the building, a visit to committee hearings, and lunch, some students had the opportunity to sit with House or Senate members for the afternoon voting session. I hosted students from both schools and enjoyed visiting with them about their experience and their future plans. Thanks, students for taking your time to come visit, and to your teachers for preparing you for the experience.

I also visited with and presented to the Women's Network "We Rise" participants on Monday. It was inspiring to see the number of individuals who are interested in following the legislative process. Several visited the Senate for our afternoon session.

House Minority Leader Joshua Boschee and I held a press conference Wednesday outlining the successes of the first half and our priorities for the second half of the session.

As we move into the final votes on House bills in the Senate, many of the bills we have heard are housekeeping bills or bills without much controversy. We passed a bill removing mandatory minimum sentences for some offenses. That move will make it easier for judges to provide a sentence appropriate for the offense while taking other factors into consideration for the offender. We also passed HB 1282 which is called the "Ban the Box" bill. It prohibits public employers from asking about an applicant's criminal history record until the applicant has been granted an interview. This is for government agency jobs such as state, county or city positions. When the individual presents for their first interview, then the question as to previous criminal history can be asked.

Our caucus opposed HCR 4015 which is a resolution to change the North Dakota Constitution by making it more difficult for individual citizens to bring initiated measures forward on the ballot. This is clearly another power grab and will only diminish the opportunities for citizens to take an active part in Direct Democracy.

I provided testimony to the House Government and Veteran's Affairs Committee on the bill that passed the Senate the first half relating to loans for furloughed federal workers. This bill would provide a safety net for federal workers in the state that are now back to work, but who are on a roller coaster day to day whether they will be able to work. This safety net is important because during the last federal furlough, many workers went without paychecks for three pay periods. This program would be backed by the Bank of North Dakota and run through local community lending institutions. After no opposing testimony, the committee voted an 8-5 Do Not Pass. The bill has not come to the House floor yet. I would expect some debate in the House on this as about 1,900 workers in the state went without paychecks during the furlough. The program would require repayment on terms the individual banks set forth. The impact goes even further, though, because if people can't make their rent payment, car payment, or purchase needed medication, their family as well as other businesses in the community are affected.

In closing, here is a summary of the number of bills completed the second half. The Senate has passed 90 House bills, killed three, have 258 bills and 35 resolutions remaining for action. The House has passed 34 Senate bills, killed three, and have 232 Senate bills and 14 resolutions pending.

You may reach me at [email protected] or by calling (701) 302-0355.

Have a great week! THINK SPRING!