north dakota legislature

North Dakota House committee discusses resolution to add minimum wage raise to 2026 ballot

BISMARCK, N.D. — Work has resumed at the legislature in Bismarck after crossover week when bills move from one body to the other. Lawmakers are considering a resolution to add an article to the state’s constitution regarding a minimum wage. The state currently follows the federal minimum wage, which is $7.25 per hour. The resolution would add a minimum wage…

Multiple bills honor North Dakota veterans this session

The POW/MIA flag waves in the wind outside of the Capitol in Bismarck on Feb. 27, 2025. (Michael Achterling/North Dakota Monitor)BISMARCK, N.D. (North Dakota News Cooperative) — The North Dakota Legislature is handling a number of bills to honor veterans this session, including seven to name roads and bridges after fallen North Dakota soldiers, and others that highlight current military…

Rural North Dakota issues a priority for new group of lawmakers

BISMARCK, N.D. (North Dakota Monitor) — Sen. Janne Myrdal likes to point out that everything North Dakota exports, from energy to food, starts from a gravel road. That’s why she and other rural lawmakers banded together this session to share information on how they can better serve their communities. The rural caucus, about 50 lawmakers from both chambers, amounting up…

Working with FAA expands North Dakota commercial drone prospects

Collin Newberry, operations manager, at the Northern Plains UAS Test Site, prepares a commercial drone for launching during test procedures on the Vantis system. (Photo by Kacy Meinecke, courtesy of Northern Plains UAS Test Site)BISMARCK, N.D. (North Dakota News Cooperative) — A freshly approved $11 million legislative appropriation to integrate North Dakota’s unmanned aerial system into Federal Aviation Administration airspace…

Petition resubmitted for North Dakota ballot measure focused on transparency, ethics

oters cast ballots at the Hillside Aquatic Complex in Bismarck on Election Day, Nov. 5, 2024. The secretary of state is reviewing a petition for a constitutional ballot measure that could go to voters next year if it’s approved. (Michael Achterling/North Dakota Monitor)BISMARCK, N.D. (North Dakota Monitor) — A petition for a ballot measure related to transparency of lawmaker records,…

Lawmakers expand free school meals in North Dakota after rejecting larger proposal

Students eating lunch at Carl Ben Eielson Middle School in Fargo. (North Dakota Monitor)BISMARCK, N.D. (North Dakota Monitor) — A day after rejecting free school meals for all North Dakota K-12 students, House members on Tuesday slightly increased the number of students who qualify for free lunch. Within House Bill 1013, the budget bill for the Department of Public Instruction, students…

North Dakota House sends 3 property tax reform bills to Senate

Rep. Scott Louser, R-Minot, speaks on the House floor on Feb. 25, 2025, about his property tax proposal. (Michael Achterling/North Dakota Monitor)BISMARCK, N.D. (North Dakota Monitor) — The North Dakota House of Representatives on Tuesday afternoon approved three sweeping packages aimed at reducing property taxes. All three incorporate some form of cap on year-over-year tax increases and would be funded…

House rejects bills that aimed to change how North Dakota candidates get on the ballot

Rep. Mike Nathe, R-Bismarck, speaks on the House floor on Feb. 25, 2025. (Michael Achterling/North Dakota Monitor)BISMARCK, N.D. (North Dakota Monitor) — Two bills that would have reshaped how candidates get on the North Dakota ballot failed in the House late Tuesday. House Bill 1446, sponsored by Rep. Mike Nathe, R-Bismarck, would have eliminated the option of getting on the…

House defeats bill to streamline North Dakota Ethics Commission

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 overwhelmingly defeated a bill that aimed to give the Ethics Commission more freedom over how it investigates potential ethics violations. The Ethics Commission pushed for House Bill 1360 as a…

Petition approved for measure that would change N.D. window tint law

BISMARCK, N.D. (KVRR-KFGO) – The Secretary of State’s Office has approved a petition for a measure that would change North Dakota’s vehicle window tinting law. Under current law, windshield tint must allow at least 70% of light through, driver’s and passenger front window tint must allow at least 50% of light through, and windows behind the driver can be any…