As I watched the debate in the North Dakota House today on HB 1218 I didn’t know if I wanted to cry or I was truly disgusted. I have witnessed the North Dakota legislature become the whipping post for the education establishment for thirty years. Whether it is K-12 funding or the higher ed folks…
John Dorso: A Difficult Budget Situation
If you are regular visitor to the Say Anything Blog you are aware that we are approaching the day on the legislative calendar named crossover. It is at this point that all of the bills in each house are supposed to have been acted on. They have either been defeated or should be sent to…
John Dorso: Minority Status Lets Democrats Be Superficial And Irresponsible
I suppose we are just going to have to live with the notion that the Democrats in North Dakota don’t know how to govern. Being the minority party allows them to be superficial and irresponsible. Knowing that some of the things you propose have no chance of passing allow you to become reckless. In these…
John Dorso: Common Core Debate Has Resulted In A Fine Legislative Mess
Normally I wouldn’t have much to say concerning HB 1461 the repeal, if you can call it that, of Common Core. I haven’t followed the arguments nationally or in the state of North Dakota. I have to be honest however. If it were up to me there would be no U.S. Department of Education. Of…
John Dorso: Renaissance Zone Policy Due For Some Refinement
I noticed Senate Bill 2329 concerning Renaissance Zones has been introduced. Since I was involved in the passage of the original enabling legislation I was curious as to what it concerned. As you are aware the creation of the RZ’s has been a big success in North Dakota and has garnered considerable interest in other…
John Dorso: Don't Limit Lawmaker Access To Records
I was out of commission for most of last week but I was very interested in SB 2222 (concerning open records requests) as introduced by Senator Flakoll. The only way I could find the text was to go to Senator Flakoll and look at bills he introduced, the normal search engine didn’t bring it up.…
John Dorso: No Is A Difficult Word When You're Spending Other People's Money
Two weeks of the legislative session have come and gone without much excitement. There might be an issue or two that have sparked some interest but as usual things are pretty slow. One issue that had my interest was the situation surrounding the SBHE board appointments. I believe that was as good of result as…
John Dorso: Reflections On College Sports And Legislating For The New Year
In the last few weeks I have read some posts on SAB that I can’t help commenting on. Fewer bills introduced in a legislative session was one of my goals during my time as House Majority Leader. Rod St. Aubyn is correct in that a smaller legislature generates fewer bills. You will also notice that…
John Dorso: End Of The Year Thoughts On Taxes
As we approach the end of the year I have to take time to plan for the eventualities of the coming year. One of the big things is to do some tax planning. Yes I have to make Federal estimate tax payments. Which in and of itself usually raises my blood pressure. I often wonder…
John Dorso: Feds Should Stop Meddling In Local Law Enforcement Matters
That President Obama and his AG Eric Holder are adding to the racial tensions in this country is a point some may argue with. What isn’t being discussed is the insertion of the Federal government into issues that are best dealt with at the local and state level. The undermining of our state judicial systems…