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Dina Butcher, left, hands North Dakota Secretary of State Al Jaeger a proposed petition for a ballot measure to add anti-corruption policies to the state constitution Wednesday, Jan. 31, 2018 at the state Capitol in Bismarck. John Hageman / Forum News Service

Shocker: Partisans Behind Measure 1 Don’t Like Republican Bill to Implement It

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Shocker: Partisans Behind Measure 1 Don’t Like Republican Bill to Implement It

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Although they masqueraded as a bipartisan coalition the North Dakotans for Public Integrity, a local front group for the far left organizations which bankrolled the campaign behind Measure 1, were anything but. They are partisan Democrats, and Measure 1 is about restricting political speech and activity in North Dakota so that Democrats can win more…

Hailey Vold, a senior at Mayville State, walks to class recently past Old Main. photo by Eric Hylden/Grand Forks Herald

North Dakota’s Constitution Must Be Amended So We Have the Flexibility to Face the Future of Higher Education

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Like it or not, the way Americans access higher education has changed. It will continue to change. Old models of delivering that education need to change with it. Which is why lawmakers should pass HCR3016, introduced by Rep. Rick Becker (R-Bismarck), which would remove from the state constitution mandates for the names and locations of…

Signs opposing raising the amount of radioactive waste allowed in North Dakota sit on chairs as members of the public circulate with questions for experts at a health department hearing Tuesday in Williston. (Press Photo by Katherine Lymn)

Legislation Would End Local Government’s Ability to Block High-Level Radioactive Waste Projects

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The issue of disposing of radioactive waste in North Dakota has been a hot button issue at the local level. In particular, there was a fight back in 2016 over a bore hole experiment the University of North Dakota wanted to conduct in Pierce County (Rugby). “The Deep Borehole Project stems from a U.S. Department…

How to Subscribe to the Plain Talk Podcast

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As you readers know, I’ve been posting new episodes of the Plain Talk Podcast for more than a week now (the latest episode, with Auditor Josh Gallion, is here), but subscribing to the podcast on some of the most popular podcasting platforms hasn’t been possible. When you start a new podcast it takes a bit…

Plain Talk Podcast: Auditor Josh Gallion Talks About Excess Funds in State Agency Reserves, Sunday Closing Bill Debate Got Zany in the House

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State Auditor Josh Gallion joined me on this episode of the Plain Talk podcast to talk about a report his office released detailing nearly $100 million in state funds tied up in state agency funds, despite those agencies getting appropriation increases amid overall budget cuts. I also talked about the debate over a bill to…

Tony Crotty carries back a couple of Canada geese during an early season hunt in North Dakota. (Bret Amundson/Forum News Service)

Legislation Introduced to End the Presumption of Access to Unposted Private Land

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Earlier this month I wrote about a debate that was expected for this legislative session over the presumption of access to unposted private land. Currently hunters and others can go on land that’s not posted. If land is posted, they have to obtain permission. That status quo put the onus on land owners, requiring that they…

President Donald Trump delivers his State of the Union address, at the U.S. Capitol in Washington, Jan. 30, 2018. (Gabriella Demczuk/Copyright 2018 The New York Times)

Governor Burgum Should Invite President Trump to Deliver the State of the Union in North Dakota

- January 17, 2019 - ,

Things in Washington D.C. have devolved to the point where Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi has told President Donald Trump, citing specious security concerns, that he delay his State of the Union address to Congress or deliver that address in writing. Trump, in retaliation, has canceled an overseas trip Pelosi and other lawmakers had…

Rep. Jeff Hoverson, a Republican from Minot, during floor debate over the Sunday closing law.

Video: Despite Counterarguments Invoking God and Ghostbusters, Sunday Closing Bill Passes House by Wide Margin

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The debate was long winded, but ultimately the vote wasn’t close. The Sunday opening or “blue laws” bill, HB1097 introduced by Rep. Shannon Roers Jones (R-Fargo), passed in the state House today. While the outcome was the right one, the debate had a lot of face palm moments. Perhaps the worst was Rep. Sebastian Ertelt,…

Participants in the F-M Protest for Love gather on the Main Avenue bridge between Fargo and Moorhead. (David Samson / The Forum)

Do North Dakota Gay Rights Activists Really Want to Achieve Their Objectives?

- January 17, 2019 - ,

State Rep. Mary Johnson, a Republican from Fargo, has introduced legislation to address alleged discrimination based on sexual orientation in areas like hiring and housing. It’s HB1441, which you can read in full below. Perhaps more interesting than Johnson’s bill, however, is the reaction from supposed gay rights activists who are coming out in opposition…

Rep. Rick Becker, R-Bismarck John Hageman / Forum News Service

Bill Would Establish an Audit Department Tasked With Reviewing Government Agencies and Programs

- January 17, 2019 - ,

Yesterday state Auditor Josh Gallion dropped a surprising report detailing money locked away in special funds by state agencies which continue to get general fund appropriation, with the recommendation that the legislature review these funds and consider putting some limits on these accumulations. I say it was a surprising report, because it’s not the sort…

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