Special Session Accelerated With New N.D. Supreme Court Ruling

BISMARCK, N.D. (KVRR) — The timeline for calling a special session of the North Dakota Legislature has been accelerated.

The state Supreme Court ruled in September that the Office of Management and Budget appropriations bill was unconstitutional since it did not solely focus on the department’s budget.

It said it would become void effective October 28.

But today, the court ruled it had no authority to delay the judgment and the bill is voided effective immediately.

Gov. Doug Burgum is in contact with legislative leaders to take steps to address the matter.

He believes a new bill can be passed before November 1st to avoid any interruptions to state government operations.

“This latest Supreme Court opinion will accelerate the timeline for a special session of the Legislature. The Governor’s Office has been in contact with legislative leadership this evening and will continue to discuss next steps to address this matter as quickly as possible,” Burgum said. “We’re confident the Legislature can work through the reformatting and reauthorization of the OMB bill before Nov. 1 to avoid any interruptions to state government operations.”