north dakota legislature

Baiting bill limiting North Dakota Game and Fish policy passes Senate

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…

Birth control, IVF protection needed in face of attacks, North Dakota bill sponsor says

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…

Debate over public charter schools begins in North Dakota Legislature

Rep. Eric Murphy, R-Grand Forks, speaks during a committee hearing on public charter schools on Jan. 28, 2025. (Michael Achterling/North Dakota Monitor)BISMARCK, N.D. (North Dakota Monitor) — Class was in session Tuesday for lawmakers as they weighed the pros and cons of public charter schools in North Dakota. Members of the House Education Committee held a public hearing on House Bill…

Transgender teen urges judge to legalize gender-affirming care for minors in North Dakota

Brittany Stewart, right, delivers the opening statement for the plaintiffs at the beginning of a trial over North Dakota’s ban on gender-affirming care for minors on Jan. 27, 2025. Jess Braverman, another attorney for the plaintiffs, is shown at left. (Mary Steurer/North Dakota Monitor)BISMARCK, N.D. (North Dakota Monitor) — A North Dakota teenager on Tuesday told a courtroom that gender-affirming…

Study pegs potential $9 billion tax impact for CO2 in North Dakota oil wells

Injecting carbon dioxide into oil wells to enhance oil recovery could have significant economic impacts for North Dakota, officials said Jan. 28, 2025. (Kyle Martin/For the North Dakota Monitor)BISMARCK, N.D. (North Dakota Monitor) — North Dakota could see another $9 billion in oil tax revenue over 10 years if oil companies begin injecting carbon dioxide into oil wells on a…

Requiring public comment period at local meetings debated at North Dakota Legislature

Sen. Bob Paulson, R-Minot, testifies in support of a bill during a public hearing at the Capitol on Jan. 24, 2025. (Michael Achterling/North Dakota Monitor)BISMARCK, N.D. (North Dakota Monitor) — North Dakota school boards pushed back on a Senate bill that would require public comment periods during regular meetings of local subdivisions. Sen. Bob Paulson, R-Minot, said he is sponsoring Senate…

North Dakota Legislature considering bills that would increase taxes on tobacco

BISMARCK, N.D. — North Dakota Legislature is considering a bill that would increase taxes on tobacco products. Senate Minority Leader Kathy Hogan of Fargo is the sponsor of the bill. SB 2281 would raise the tax on a pack of cigarettes by 25 cents, to 69 cents. Cigars would see a tax of 32 percent while electronic cigarettes and vapes…

Voter registration, campaign finance reporting debated by North Dakota lawmakers

Rep. Mike Schatz, R-New England, speaks in a favor of a bill to require voter registration in North Dakota on Jan. 23. 2025. (Mary Steurer/North Dakota Monitor)BISMARCK, N.D. (North Dakota Monitor) — The latest proposal to require voter registration in North Dakota met strong opposition last week. North Dakota is the only state in the country without voter registration. Instead,…

Committee votes to tweak North Dakota lawmaker term limits

Rep. Ben Koppelman, R-West Fargo, speaks about term limits during a committee hearing on Jan. 23, 2025. (Michael Achterling/North Dakota Monitor)BISMARCK, N.D. (North Dakota Monitor) — A North Dakota legislative committee advanced a bill Thursday that makes a change to lawmaker term limits approved by voters in 2022. The constitutional measure limits lawmakers to serving no more than eight years in the state House…