Cory Barthel, a staff member at Pure Dakota, a medical marijuana manufacturing and processor, trims a cannabis plant at the facility in Bismarck. (Contributed/Pure Dakota)BISMARCK, N.D. (North Dakota Monitor) — Changes to North Dakota’s medical marijuana program aimed at expanding program access and product options for patients are set to go into effect Aug. 1. The North Dakota Legislature passed a…
Members of the Legislative Management Committee conduct a meeting at the Capitol on June 26, 2025. (Michael Achterling/North Dakota Monitor)BISMARCK, N.D. (North Dakota Monitor) – North Dakota lawmakers plan to hold a security hearing with the North Dakota Highway Patrol and Capitol Security to discuss the safety concerns of legislators after Minnesota House Speaker Melissa Hortman, and her husband Mark,…
Rep. Scott Louser, R-Minot, talks to a colleague in the House chamber on May 1, 2025. (Kyle Martin/For the North Dakota Monitor)BISMARCK, N.D. (North Dakota Monitor) — A North Dakota lawmaker says he’ll no longer petition for a ballot measure to make the state fund 100% of the public school system after polling showed homeowners have mixed feelings about his…
North Dakota lawmakers participate in a Senate floor session on April 25, 2025. (Michael Achterling/North Dakota Monitor)BISMARCK (North Dakota Monitor) — North Dakota legislative support staff on Saturday wiped legislators’ home addresses from the Legislature’s website in response to the shootings of two lawmakers in Minnesota. John Bjornson, director of Legislative Council, said he made the decision Saturday morning hearing…
BISMARCK, N.D. (KVRR) — Attorney General Drew Wrigley rules that Gov. Kelly Armstrong’s line-item veto of a Senate bill will stand. That means no special session will be needed to fix the matter. The problem started when Armstrong vetoed $150,000 for a Native American-focused organization to fund a homelessness liaison position. But the veto also unintentionally crossed out a $35…
BISMARCK (North Dakota Monitor) — North Dakota is being sued over a new law that requires drug manufacturers to sell more of their medications at a discount. House Bill 1473, signed by Gov. Kelly Armstrong in April, primarily affects drug companies participating in a federal program called 340B. A drug manufacturer has filed suit over the policy in North Dakota…
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…
State Rep. Kelby Timmons. (Photo provided by the North Dakota Legislative Assembly)BISMARCK, N.D. (North Dakota Monitor) — A former North Dakota legislator will take over the seat of Rep. Jeremy Olson, who resigned abruptly after the 2025 session amid a harassment complaint. The District 26 Republicans on Saturday picked Kelby Timmons of Watford City to replace Olson. Timmons served with…
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,…
BISMARCK, N.D. (North Dakota Monitor) — The North Dakota Legislature passed expanded regulations and penalties surrounding pornography and deepfake content during the 2025 session. Gov. Kelly Armstrong signed bills that added age-verification requirements for websites publishing explicit content. He also signed a bill that added civil penalties for the creation and distribution of deepfake, or computer-generated, pornographic material without a…
