NORTH DAKOTA ETHICS COMMISSION Archives - Page 3 of 5

Lawmakers attempt to clear up unanswered questions over attorney general building lease

August 15, 2025

KVRR Staff,

Rep. Emily O’Brien, vice chair of the Legislative Audit and Fiscal Review Committee, questions staff from the Attorney General’s Office about how it handled finances related to a controversial renovation and lease of a south Bismarck building. (Mary Steurer/North Dakota Monitor)BISMARCK, N.D. (North Dakota Monitor) — Financial discrepancies related to an Attorney General’s Office building project have been resolved, staff…

39 apply to serve on North Dakota Ethics Commission

August 13, 2025

KVRR Staff,

Members and staff of the North Dakota Ethics Commission meet during an Oct. 23, 2024, meeting at the North Dakota Capitol. Pictured clockwise from left are member Murray Sagsveen, then-Chair Dave Anderson, attorney Logan Carpenter and then-operations administrator Alisha Maier. (Mary Steurer/North Dakota Monitor)BISMARCK, N.D. (North Dakota Monitor) — A total of 39 North Dakotans applied to fill the open…

ND Ethics Commission OKs lawmakers’ expenses-paid trip to Israel as ‘educational’

July 31, 2025

KVRR Staff,

House Minority Leader Zac Ista, D-Grand Forks, speaks on the House floor in December 2024. Ista recently asked the Ethics Commission to analyze whether it would be an ethics violation for him to attend a study tour paid for by the government of Israel. (Michael Achterling/North Dakota Monitor)BISMARCK, N.D. (North Dakota Monitor) — At least one North Dakota lawmaker has…

Grandmas group stands against legislative measures, asks for Ethics Commission support

July 30, 2025

KVRR Staff,

MOORHEAD (North Dakota Monitor) — A leader of the BadAss Grandmas for Democracy on Monday encouraged voters to push back against two proposals from the North Dakota Legislature to change the state constitution. Dina Butcher, part of the group that was the driving force behind creating the Ethics Commission in North Dakota, said the two measures are the Legislature’s way…

North Dakota Ethics Commissioners to evaluate ‘strained’ relationship with Attorney General’s Office

July 17, 2025

KVRR Staff,

Commissioners Murray Sagsveen, left, and Ronald Goodman, right, members of the North Dakota Ethics Commission, listen to a House committee hearing on March 18, 2025. (Michael Achterling/North Dakota Monitor)BISMARCK, N.D. (North Dakota Monitor) — The North Dakota Ethics Commission is looking into whether strongly worded communications from the state Attorney General’s Office have negatively impacted commission staff. The decision follows…

North Dakota Ethics Commission makes first finding of violations by public official

July 1, 2025

KVRR Staff,

BISMARCK (North Dakota Monitor) — The North Dakota Ethics Commission found Rep. Jason Dockter committed three ethics violations related to his ownership of a Bismarck building, but the agency did not hand down any penalties for the lawmaker. The announcement, released Friday evening, marks the first time the commission has declared that a public official engaged in unethical behavior. The…

ND Ethics Commission has no authority to punish officials violating ethics laws, state leaders argue

June 9, 2025

KVRR Staff,

BISMARCK, N.D. (North Dakota Monitor) — Ever since North Dakota voters created an ethics watchdog agency seven years ago, dubious lawmakers have pushed back against giving it power to actually keep an eye on state officials. That was true in the session that just ended, as legislators shut down many requests from the Ethics Commission, keeping the agency on a…

North Dakota Ethics Commission chair dies

May 27, 2025

KVRR Staff,

North Dakota Ethics Commission Chair Dave Anderson listens during a commission meeting on Oct. 23, 2024, in Bismarck. The commission paid tribute to him May 27, 2025, a day after his death. (Mary Steurer/North Dakota Monitor)BISMARCK, N.D. (North Dakota Monitor) — Ethics Commission Chair Dave Anderson died Monday at age 69, the commission announced at a Tuesday afternoon meeting. Anderson,…

Ethics commissioners say bill would impose an arbitrary cutoff for investigations

April 17, 2025

KVRR Staff,

Commissioners Murray Sagsveen, left, and Ronald Goodman, right, members of the North Dakota Ethics Commission, listen to a House committee hearing on March 18, 2025. (Michael Achterling/North Dakota Monitor)BISMARCK, N.D. (North Dakota Monitor) — The Ethics Commission fears changes approved by North Dakota lawmakers earlier this week could allow alleged ethical violations by public officials to go unaddressed. “We’re going…

North Dakota House removes new Ethics Commission position from budget, adds 6-month deadline

April 15, 2025

KVRR Staff,

Rebecca Binstock, executive director of the North Dakota Ethics Commission, speaks during a committee hearing on Jan. 31, 2025. (Michael Achterling/North Dakota Monitor)BISMARCK, N.D. (North Dakota Monitor) — The North Dakota House on Monday voted to give the Ethics Commission a six-month deadline to resolve ethics complaints while also removing a new position approved by the Senate. The amended bill,…