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.…
Governor Burgum and a Republican Lawmaker Want to Exempt Military Pay and Pensions From State Income Taxes and It’s a Solid Idea
North Dakota has thousands and thousands of military members, both active duty and retired, living in our state. North Dakota has a chronic labor shortage. North Dakota is also one of just eight states which still fully taxes military pay to retirees. Governor Doug Burgum, along with state Rep. Shannon Roers Jones (R-Fargo), each aim…
Al Carlson’s Replacement as House Majority Leader Won by Promising to Keep Everything the Same
Last night the Republican caucus in the North Dakota House of Representatives picked their new majority leader. The press release is below, but Rep. Chet Pollert of Carrington won the three-way competition over Rep. Mike Nathe of Bismarck and Rep. Dan Ruby of Minot. The result is a bit of a surprise. Heading into the…
Podcast: Democrats Work to Confuse Voters
On the radio show today, we talked a lot about efforts by North Dakota Democrats to confuse voters. From their phony-baloney mailers promoting an independent candidate in the Secretary of State race to Facebook ads trying to scare hunters away from voting. Also state Rep. Shannon Roers Jones, a Republican from Fargo, and attorney Mark…
Podcast: That Blue Alert Thing, Legislative Candidate Kristin Roers, and Senator John Hoeven
Is the Government going to shut down tonight? “I hope not,” Senator John Hoeven told me on today’s radio show. He made a really good point about the Democratic filibuster of legislation to keep the government running. What, exactly, is in the bill that they don’t like? Are they really willing to shut down the…
Chris Severe being interviewed by WZTV Fox 17 regarding his arrest for stalking country music star John Rich via YouTube
Activist Behind ND Anti-Porn Bill Threatens Lawsuit, Was Once Arrested Amid Stalking Accusations
I realize this is my third post on this subject today, but I guess we haven’t found the bottom of this rabbit hole yet. To catch you up, yesterday I wrote about zany anti-porn legislation (HB1185) which would have required that every internet-capable device in North Dakota be sold with content filtering installed on it.…
It's Just A Steady Stream Of Bad News For North Dakota Democrats
It seems state Senator George Sinner may not be running for re-election in District 46. This after confirming, again, that he’s on the long, long list of Democrats deciding not to run for governor. This just two years after Sinner – son of former Governor George A. Sinner – was on the statewide ballot for Democrats…