Voters cast ballots at the Hillside Aquatic Complex in Bismarck on Election Day, Nov. 5, 2024. (Michael Achterling/North Dakota Monitor)BISMARCK, N.D. (North Dakota Monitor) — A bill raising the public vote threshold to 60% to approve constitutional ballot measures in North Dakota passed the Senate Wednesday on a 33-13 vote. House Resolution 3003, sponsored by Rep. Robin Weisz, R-Hurdsfield, would…
BISMARCK, N.D. (KVRR/KFGO) — A bill to establish public charter schools in North Dakota has passed the House on a 64-29 vote. These schools would be under the same regulations as public schools, but operate outside the school district and be administered by their own internal governing boards. The sponsor says some rural schools at risk of closing could reorganize…
Burleigh County residents fill out ballots during the first day of early voting for the North Dakota primary at the Bismarck Event Center on June 5, 2024. (Michael Achterling/North Dakota Monitor)BISMARCK, N.D. — A bill that will end approval voting in Fargo passed the Senate floor on Tuesday. A last-minute amendment grandfathering Fargo’s approval voting system failed to get a…
State Sen. Michelle Axtman, R-Bismarck, speaks on the House Floor during a meeting of the Legislative Management Committee on Nov. 13, 2024. (Michael Achterling/North Dakota Monitor)BISMARCK, N.D. (North Dakota Monitor) — A bill to establish public charter schools in North Dakota passed the House on a 64-29 vote Tuesday. Senate Bill 2241 would allow the establishment of public charter schools in…
Rebecca Binstock, executive director of the North Dakota Ethics Commission, speaks during a House committee hearing on March 18, 2025. (Michael Achterling/North Dakota Monitor)BISMARCK, N.D. (North Dakota Monitor) — A House committee on Monday recommended several sweeping changes to the North Dakota Ethics Commission’s budget, including cutting a new full-time staff member and adding a new six-month deadline for processing…
Gov. Kelly Armstrong speaks during a press conference on banning student cellphone use in North Dakota on March 26, 2025. (Michael Achterling/North Dakota Monitor)BISMARCK, N.D. (North Dakota Monitor) — North Dakota lawmakers passed bills Monday that would prohibit student cellphone use during the school day, reviving one bill that had been defeated last week. Senate Bill 2354 and House Bill 1160 differ on…
A computer model of the proposed upgrades to Fargo National Cemetery by ICON Architectural GroupBISMARCK, N.D. — North Dakota House Appropriation members got a chance to ask questions regarding a bill to provide funding for upgrades to Fargo National Cemetery. Rep. Austin Schauer (R-West Fargo), and Senator Scott Meyer (R-Grand Forks) were among those who introduced the bill and were…
A clock stands in front of the former train depot in downtown Fargo on March 6, 2025. A bill in the state Legislature could eliminate changing clocks for daylight saving time. (Jeff Beach/North Dakota Monitor)BISMARCK, N.D. (North Dakota Monitor) — North Dakotans will keep changing their clocks twice a year. The state Senate on Monday voted 32-15 to defeat House Bill…
Attorney General Drew Wrigley, center, listens March 24, 2025, to testimony on a bill he supports related to criminal sentences. Law enforcement attended the hearing in support of the bill. (Kyle Martin/For the North Dakota Monitor)BISMARCK, N.D. (North Dakota Monitor) — A divisive prison sentencing bill introduced by Attorney General Drew Wrigley’s office failed in the House Thursday after more…
Colby Braun, director of the Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation, speaks during the groundbreaking ceremony for the new Heart River Correctional Center on April 2, 2025. (Michael Achterling/North Dakota Monitor)BISMARCK, N.D. (North Dakota Monitor) — The rehabilitation of female inmates in North Dakota took a large step forward Wednesday as state officials celebrated the groundbreaking of the first prison in…
