North Dakota Treasurer Kelly Schmidt, a Republican, has announced she won’t seek a fifth four-year term in office during the 2020 election cycle. “This is not something I have taken lightly,” she told Bismarck Tribune reporter Jack Dura. “I have thought about it. I have prayed about it. I have visited with my family about…
Plain Talk: How Did an Effort to Decriminalize Marijuana Get Turned Into Legislation Which Increases Penalties?
State Rep. Shannon Roers Jones (R-Fargo) has spent a lot of time this legislative session pushing to decriminalize possession of small amounts of marijuana under North Dakota law. Her original bill failed, but the issue was brought back in the state Senate in an amendment to a Department of Corrections bill. But now that amendment…
Plain Talk: State Senator Explains Why She Brought Back Decriminalization of Marijuana
State Senator Kristin Roers (R-Fargo) is a cousin to state Rep. Shannon Roers Jones (R-Fargo). The latter Roers introduced legislation to decriminalize marijuana earlier this session only to see it defeated. That prompted the former Roers to resurrect it by way of floor amendment in the Senate. To give the legislation its “day in court”…
Decriminalizing Marijuana Isn’t Enough
Kudos to state Senator Kristin Roers for bringing back legislation to decriminalize marijuana by way of a floor amendment this week. The bill passed on a 37-10 vote, and thanks to the amendment brought by Senator Roers it would reduce the penalty for possessing less than a half ounce of marijuana to a $250 fine.…
Plain Talk: Lawmaker Says Push to Decriminalize Marijuana Isn’t Dead Yet
The North Dakota Legislature has a tradition of giving every bill introduced, at the very least, a committee hearing and a floor vote in the chamber in which it was introduced. A bill to decriminalize marijuana introduced by state Rep. Shannon Roers Jones (R-Fargo) did get those things, but on this episode of Plain Talk…
Plain Talk: Activist Says ND Legislature Has Shown “No Interest in Having an Adult Conversation About Marijuana”
On this episode of Plain Talk, marijuana activist David Owen says the Legislature killing a decriminalization bill was “shameful” because of the way it was done. “The civil asset forfeiture bill was given five hours” of time for testimony before the House Judiciary Committee, Owen told me. “We got 15 minutes.” “To give a bill…
Video: Despite Counterarguments Invoking God and Ghostbusters, Sunday Closing Bill Passes House by Wide Margin
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,…
Plain Talk Podcast: Sealing Criminal Records, Blue Laws, Measure 1, and Why Initiated Measures Make for Bad Policy
Are initiated measures a good way to make public policy? I don’t think so, and I talk about it in this episode of the Plain Talk podcast. Measure 1 – a constitutional amendment approved by voters in the 2018 election – is one reason why many, like me, feel that way. Also Rep. Shannon Roers…
Lawmakers Want to Seal DUI Records After Seven Years
Earlier this week I wrote about legislation introduced by Rep. Shannon Roers Jones (R-Fargo) which would allow criminals (except those who have to register as sex offenders) to petition the courts to get their cases sealed. Another bill along those lines has been introduced, but it would apply specifically to DUI offenses. It’s been introduced…
Legislation Would Let Those Convicted of Misdemeanors and Felonies Petition to Seal Their Records
On the ballot last year a measure which would have legalized medical marijuana, and expunged the records of those convicted of marijuana offenses in the past, failed on the statewide ballot. But the issue isn’t dead. State Rep. Shannon Roers Jones, a Republican from Fargo, is proposing two pieces of legislation to address those issues.…