BISMARCK, N.D. — The North Dakota Legislature discussed a bill on Thursday that would end approval voting for Fargo city elections. The bill is similar to another bill passed last session that was vetoed by then Governor Doug Burgum. If passed, HB 1297 would ban approval voting and ranked choice voting for elected officials in the state. Currently, Fargo is…
Carrington City Library has a designated children’s reading area where youth gather for activities. (Erik Gjovik/Foster County Independent)BISMARCK, N.D. (North Dakota Monitor) — North Dakota lawmakers are revisiting potential regulations about the placement of allegedly questionable library materials, as well as a measure to clarify who may distribute state grants to libraries and how the State Library can provide surplus…
WASHINGTON, D.C. (KVRR/AP/FOX) — Former North Dakota Gov. Doug Burgum has been confirmed by the U.S. Senate to become Interior Secretary in the second Trump Administration. The Republican was confirmed by a vote of 79-18. Burgum served as governor of North Dakota from 2016 to 2024. He also launched a presidential bid for the 2024 election in June 2023, where…
BATON ROUGE, Louisiana (AP) — A U.S. appeals court on Thursday ruled against a federal law requiring young adults to be 21 to buy handguns, finding it violated the Second Amendment. The ruling, handed down by a panel of three judges on the conservative U.S. 5th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals in New Orleans, comes amid major shifts in the…
BISMARCK, N.D. — A new senate bill would require North Dakota public schools to include Intelligent Design in their science classes. SB 2355 says that the Superintendent of Public Instruction would be responsible for adding intelligent design to the state’s science content standards for elementary, middle, and high school students by August 1, 2027. They would also have to provide…
Sen. Keith Boehm, R-Mandan, speaks during a public hearing of the Senate Agriculture and Veterans Affairs Committee on Jan. 17, 2025. (Michael Achterling/North Dakota Monitor)BISMARCK, N.D. (North Dakota Monitor) — A bill preventing policies that would limit the use of baiting for big game animals on private property passed the Senate floor Wednesday on a 31-15 vote. Senate Bill 2137 would…
South Central Judicial District Judge Jackson Lofgren presides over a trial Jan. 27, 2025, in Bismarck. (Mary Steurer/North Dakota Monitor)BISMARCK, N.D. (North Dakota Monitor) — A North Dakota father told a judge on Wednesday that he feels state lawmakers were acting out of ignorance when they passed the state’s ban on gender-affirming care for minors. North Dakota in 2023 made…
Abby Berger of Bismarck stands Jan. 29, 2025, before a legislative committee hearing with a photo illustrating the large number of syringes and vials needed to help her conceive her child. (Jeff Beach/North Dakota Monitor)BISMARCK, N.D. (North Dakota Monitor) — State Rep. Karla Rose Hanson said Wednesday that bills protecting birth control and fertilization treatments are necessary because of efforts…
WASHINGTON, D.C. (KVRR/FOX) — The Senate voted 78–20 to advance President Donald Trump’s pick to lead the Interior Department, former North Dakota Gov. Doug Burgum, for a final confirmation vote. That isn’t expected until Thursday. Burgum appeared before the Senate Energy and Natural Resources Committee in mid-January. He told lawmakers that national security issues and the economy were his two…
BISMARCK, N.D. — A bill that would end Daylight Saving Time in North Dakota has passed in the House. If it becomes law, you would not have to set clocks forward an hour every spring and back again in the fall. Representatives in favor of the bill argued that the time change often results in sleep debt and can cause…
