NORTH DAKOTA — North Dakota lawmakers have approved a measure that states students cannot be stopped from participating in any “student-initiated prayer” at public or non-public schools. Supporters of the measure said it’s in response to an incident at a football game two years ago between two parochial high schools during a playoff game. Because the playoff game was hosted…
BISMARCK, N.D. — The North Dakota Senate has killed a measure that would allow any elected official to carry a hidden firearm in a government building or at a public gathering. The House had overwhelmingly endorsed the bill earlier this month. Sen. Kelly Armstrong says Senate and House negotiators could not agree on some provisions in the bill. He…
Minnesota State Capitol ST. PAUL, Minn. — Gov. Dayton is softening his opposition to Republicans’ tax hike-free approach to funding transportation repairs in Minnesota. Dayton and lawmakers have struggled for years to pass a major road and bridge funding package amid partisan divides over how to pay for it. Dayton still says he thinks a 10-cent tax increase is the…
BISMARCK, N.D. — Lawmakers in Bismarck are rushing to finish up the session by making decisions on a number of bills. They have passed a measure that establishes protections for confidential drug informants. The action comes more than three years after 20-year-old college student Andrew Sadek was found dead in a river with a bullet in his head and a…
BISMARCK, N.D. — Lawmakers have also approved a bill that would extend criminal penalties for anyone who attacks health care and emergency workers with a bodily fluid. Violators could face up to five years in prison and a $10,000 fine. They have also approved the creation of a 19-member commission to study the state’s initiated and referred measure process….
FARGO, N.D. — It’s a bill which affects every farmer in the country. The congressional delegation in North Dakota wants to make sure they get it right. The 2018 Farm Bill, which is in the debate stage, acts as a federal safety net for farmers in the U.S. When something bad happens to farmlands, a little extra financial help can…
BISMARCK, N.D. — Gov. Burgum’s first veto is headed for an override in the state legislature. The House voted 84 to 7 to override the governor’s veto of a bill that limits his ability to set salary bonuses for staff. That was well over the 63 votes needed. The Senate will hold its own override vote this week. Burgum…
ST. PAUL, Minn. — Republicans in the Minnesota state Senate are pursuing deep tax cuts over the next two years for students, families and those on Social Security. The almost $900 million sought in their just released bill directs over half of those breaks to individual taxes. The lowest tax bracket would shrink by over a quarter of a…
FARGO, N.D. — While many Americans did not want the American Health Care Act to pass, Senator Heidi Heitkamp says she was one of them. Before House Speaker Paul Ryan pulled the bill entirely, there were some concerns of where the act would leave citizens. A nonpartisan analysis estimated the American Health Care Act would immediately leave 14 million people…
BISMARCK, N.D. — Beginning August 1st, 2017, it will be legal to carry a concealed handgun without a permit in North Dakota. Governor Burgum signed the controversial bill into law Thursday. Under the new law, people of the state who do not have a criminal record will be able to carry a concealed handgun if they have a valid state driver’s…
