Official Newspaper of Eddy County since 1883
Official Newspaper of Eddy County since 1883
The House of Representatives took time on Tuesday afternoon to recognize and honor former members who have passed away in the last two years. Family members from across the nation come to the service and take part in the very moving ceremony. There were 27 former Representatives honored in the House this year. We have served with many of those legislators and thank them, as well as their families, for the work they did on behalf of the citizens of our great state.
In another special ceremony this past week, Gov. Burgum delivered remarks and signed a proclamation Friday declaring March 29 as Vietnam Veterans Day in North Dakota during a ceremony at the Capitol honoring Vietnam War veterans. It was a very moving ceremony.
Most policy committees have finished their work on the bills they have been assigned, other than completing final amendments, and the members are waiting for the conference committees to start. The Appropriations Committee is completing work on all the agency budget bills and reviewing all the bills that came from the policy committee with fiscal notes.
The Government Operation Section of House Appropriations will complete its work on budgets this week. SB 2005 is the agency budget for the State Treasurer. The office has seven employees, including the treasurer, and has four key management functions: cash management, accounting, investments, and tax collection and distribution.
The office is responsible for paying all warrants or checks drawn against the state and manage over a dozen bank accounts. In addition, the treasurer’s office is responsible for the collection of various revenues from political subdivisions and for the administration of over 35 separate revenue distributions to local political subdivisions across the state.
The committee will grant a one-time amount of $35,000 to fund software updates necessary to administer the newly formed Prairie Dog Bill, HB 1066, which will alter the oil gross production tax distribution formula.
One of those is SB 2124, which was heard in the Human Services Committee. It lays out the plan for the state to take over county social services. The bill was amended in the House as all the stakeholders, including the counties, provided input on how the bill could be improved. Although everyone didn't agree completely with all changes there was unanimous agreement the bill should move forward. The committee gave the bill a 4-0 do pass recommendation and sent it to the Appropriations Committee for their consideration.
Another bill that generated quite a bit of debate on the House floor this week was SB 2275. It would have provided hundreds of millions of dollars across the state for infrastructure and other needs of local government. Unfortunately, the bill was a bonding bill, which would leave the state owing $55 million in bond payments each of the next 15 biennia. The House defeated it 34-55.
The House passed SB 2344 last Thursday. It has been one of the most contentious bills we have heard this session. Supporters said it was imperative that the bill be passed to protect landowners' rights and provide for a solid future for important industries for the future of our state. The Energy and Natural Resources Committee agreed the bill will protect private property rights and provide certainty for the development of the oil industry, the coal industry and the Enhanced Oil Recovery project planned for our state. They gave it a14-2 do pass recommendation. The members of the assembly agreed that SB 2344 restores the right of the surface owners and has other highly beneficial benefits for the state and passed it 65-27.
The Energy and Natural Resources Committee finished work on its last couple bills this past week. One of them was SB 2139 which has a lot of support from our District. The intent of the bill is to restore the ability for the ND State Water Commission to provide cost assistance for the snagging and clearing of fallen trees and debris in rivers and waterways, a provision taken away last session.
According to testimony on the bill: snagging and clearing of rivers and waterways allows the waterway to move water more efficiently, resulting in the water flowing in the waterway at a lower elevation, which reduces flooding and flood damage to public infrastructure and property.The committee fully supports the bill and is working to clean up the language before bringing it to the House Floor this week.
District 23 residents who wish to contact us about what is being discussed or proposed can email us at: [email protected] and [email protected]. Mail can be sent to us in Bismarck; c/o North Dakota House of Representatives, State Capital, 600 East Boulevard, Bismarck, ND 58505.
During the session constituents that wish to leave a message for us may call (888) 635-3447.
