This guest post was submitted by House Majority Leader Al Carlson and Senate Majority Leader Rich Wardner As the legislature leaves Bismarck, we are returning home with a balanced budget and no tax increases. This session has proven the importance of exercising fiscal responsibility and saving for lean times. Despite facing one of the largest…
North Dakota Republicans Blew It on Spending
My colleague Mike McFeely writes today that North Dakota’s budget situation is the result of “fiscal mismanagement on the part of ND Republicans.” He’s right, and the budget for the state’s universities proves the point. A group of “distinguished professors” from NDSU are decrying what they describe as “devastating” budget cuts. But I’m not sure…
The State of North Dakota Is Not Putting Meals on Wheels Funding “At Risk”
“Meals on Wheels funds at risk with ND bill and Trump budget,” reads a recent headline. That’s an unfortunate headline though it does make for a nice talking point for the state’s liberals, who have been crowing about this online and tying the situation to similarly exaggerated claims about President Donald Trump’s budget. .@NDHouseDemNPL is…
David Flynn: Expect North Dakota’s Revenue Forecasts to Continue Falling
We are getting a new forecast this week for tax revenues in North Dakota. Or so we are told. I’ve written about the problems with these forecasts in the past, but there is a further issue here needing discussion. The simple fact of the matter is a lack of good practice in the overall approach, particularly with…
Burgum Cuts Dalrymple’s Budget by Another $159 Million
Last month, shortly before leaving office, former Governor Jack Dalrymple delivered an executive budget to the Legislature. Which is a little unusual, that the outgoing governor would get to write a budget for the first two years of the incoming governor’s term in office. But it is what it is. Anyway, since his State of…
Before Anything Else, Burgum and Lawmakers Must Find Confidence in Revenue Forecasts
Today is officially the first day of North Dakota’s legislative session. This afternoon Governor Doug Burgum will deliver his State of the State address. Also sometime today we should be getting the details on the tweaks Burgum wants to make to the budget delivered to the Legislature by former Governor Jack Dalrymple last month. As our state’s…
Audio: Governor Doug Burgum Says He’s Concerned About State’s Revenue Forecast
Yesterday Doug Burgum officially became North Dakota’s Governor. Today he was kind enough to make time for an interview on my radio show, and during out discussion we hit on the state’s budget situation. It’s a little odd, but due to timing mandated by state law, it was outgoing Governor Jack Dalrymple who earlier this…
Video: Gov. Dalrymple Delivers Final Budget Address, Credits Law Enforcement for #NoDAPL Response
In North Dakota state law requires that we convene a session of our Legislature every January in odd-numbered years, just weeks after the election. It also requires that lawmakers hold an organization session in December and that at this session the Governor delivers a budget address. But oddly, when we elect a new governor, the…
Saying Republicans Ignored Needy People in Budget Fix Is Lazy and Inaccurate
Over the weekend the Fargo Forum editorial board praised Republican budget fix passed during a special session last week. Taking exception to that editorial is state Senator Tyler Axness (D-Fargo) who argues in a rebuttal letter that Republicans ignored the needy by eschewing a Democratic proposal to spend reserve funds on bringing in matching federal…
Dustin Gawrylow: Special Session Finishes Kicking the Can Down the Road
This week’s special session was intended to be dull and boring with few surprises allowed to happen. Sure, there was the typical Democratic complaints that the cuts went too far. Democrats actually had a point about Republicans foolishly refusing to find a way to shift $29 million back to human services in order to receive…