Latest news with #HouseBill1255
Yahoo
22-04-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
North Dakota Senate removes funding for anti-abortion campaign, advances budget bill
Sen. Janne Myrdal, R-Edinburg, talks to Sens. Ron Sorvaag, R-Fargo, and Brad Bekkedahl, R-Williston. (Kyle Martin/For the North Dakota Monitor) North Dakota senators on Tuesday narrowly rejected a proposal to add $1 million for a 'life education committee' in the Office of Management and Budget budget to teach people about abortion alternatives. The amendment was brought by Sen. Janne Myrdal, R-Edinburg, who pitched the program as a way to help pregnant women. The committee established by the amendment would have administered a campaign to teach the public about state abortion laws, policies 'supporting life and family values,' and resources available for pregnant mothers, families and children. The campaign would have been carried out by a third party contractor. The amendment was added by the Senate Appropriations Committee, but split from the rest of the budget bill so the Senate could vote on it separately. North Dakota lawmakers look to add $1 million to state budget for anti-abortion campaign Sen. David Clemens, who made the motion to split the bill, said he is not opposed to the idea of the program but takes issue with the fact that the proposal was never heard by a policy committee. 'I feel this is in violation of our own rules,' he said. Clemens, R-West Fargo, noted that members of the public were not provided the opportunity to speak for or against the funding. Sen. Brad Bekkedahl, a Williston Republican and chair of the Senate Appropriations Committee, said he agreed with Clemens that the public did not get proper notice about the amendment. 'Had this been a standalone bill with its own title and its own placement into a policy committee, it would have had people interested in listening to the discussion,' he said. Sen. Judy Lee, R-West Fargo, said the $1 million would be put to better use in the state's budget for indigent guardianship. The request for the budget was about $9 million, but the OMB budget as currently written sets aside $7 million million for the program. Myrdal said a procedural technicality should not stand in the way of something that will help women and children. She also pointed out that the committees routinely amend bills after their public hearings. 'Nothing was hidden, nothing was strange about it,' Myrdal said. The North Dakota Supreme Court in 2023 warned the Legislature against lumping issues to budget bills when it found that the state's previous OMB budget violated the state constitution's single-subject rule. The amendment failed by a 23-24 vote. Prairie Public supporters urge North Dakota Senate to restore state funding The Senate approved other changes to the OMB budget, which included grant funding for Prairie Public. The House had stripped Prairie Public's $1.2 million base funding after it passed House Bill 1255, which sought to bar the state from spending state money to support public broadcasting. House Bill 1255 was subsequently defeated in the Senate. The Senate Appropriations Committee added $850,000 to Prairie Public's budget for broadcast tower infrastructure, but did not restore its $1.2 million base funding. The Senate also reduced funding for a proposed state hospital in Jamestown by $45 million. The amended funding includes $200 million from the state infrastructure improvement fund and $85 million from a Bank of North Dakota line of credit, for a total of $285 million. The funding was shifted to the OMB budget because that agency will oversee the construction. The House's version of the budget included $330 million for the hospital in the state's Department of Health and Human Services budget. The budget also includes $2.3 million for new driveway and additional fencing for the governor's residence. The Office of Management and Budget bill will next go back to the House for a concurrence vote. SUPPORT: YOU MAKE OUR WORK POSSIBLE SUBSCRIBE: GET THE MORNING HEADLINES DELIVERED TO YOUR INBOX
Yahoo
16-04-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
Bipartisan support suggests better sex ed in FL schools. It's the opposite.
As a Palm Beach County resident, the Executive Director of the Florida Alliance of Planned Parenthood Affiliates, and a mom of two teenagers, I have grave concerns about our young people's future in Florida. I know our elected officials share my commitment to education, but I'm troubled by the support I'm seeing for House Bill 1255, which includes language mandating the use of anti-abortion propaganda in our public schools. As this bill moves through the committee process we're seeing members of our local legislative delegation – both Democrats and Republicans – voting "yes" for this bill requiring middle and high school students in Florida be subjected to anti-abortion indoctrination despite the fact that National Sex Education Standards do not recommend viewing an ultrasound video for sex education and displaying such a video is not considered a best practice in the sex education field. Bills like HB 1255 are another example of a growing trend to infuse anti-abortion extremism and disinformation into health education by requiring the viewing of the "Meet Baby Olivia" video created by Live Action, an extreme anti-abortion group. Although the bill doesn't directly name Live Action's 'Meet Baby Olivia' video, it uses a description of the video that is very similar to the one used in the North Dakota law, and would likely require that students have to watch the Live Action video as part of health education. Thus far, no other videos have been developed that comply with the legislation, which leaves school boards with no option but to rely on Live Action's materials, even though the video is not scientifically accurate and has not been endorsed by leading medical organizations such as the American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists (ACOG). Opinion: Florida is getting prudish on sex education Being that the video in question is intended to mislead and frighten, it's no wonder it's rife with falsehoods. For starters, the video counts the embryo's age from conception, which is not how doctors measure pregnancy. They measure from the last known period. That means, in addition to other inaccuracies about development, every milestone is presented two weeks earlier than it happens. The computer-generated video uses up-close shots to misrepresent fetal development. The truth is, early pregnancy looks nothing like what we're told by groups like Live Action. Live Action – the group behind the 'Baby Olivia' video – must not be allowed to spread their propaganda in our schools. Their group has been suspended or banned from several social media platforms for spreading conspiracies and disinformation and for posting graphic fear-mongering content and has been widely discredited for its inflammatory and doctored videos. In April 2024, Fargo Public Schools in North Dakota stopped showing this video after a 15-year-old student said the video was misleading. A committee there investigated the video and found it contains significant portions of untrue information, inaccurate facts, and/or faulty premises. Opinion: Florida turning the page on book banning with an excuse that will make you gag All young people — no matter who they are or where they live — deserve sex education that is reflective of their experiences and needs. Young people deserve an accurate curriculum that will equip them to make healthy decisions and build the futures they want. I hope our legislators will heed this warning from North Dakota – and from the overwhelming opposition from Floridians who have testified against this bill – and not only vote down this dangerous language, but speak up for our young people who are looking to these elected officials for leadership. Laura Goodhue is Executive Director of the Florida Alliance of Planned Parenthood Affiliates, and Palm Beach resident. This article originally appeared on Palm Beach Post: Florida sex ed in schools may get worse with new bill | Opinion
Yahoo
17-03-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
North Dakota Senate vote allows funding for public broadcasting, but no guarantee
Prairie Public Broadcasting's offices in downtown Fargo. (Jeff Beach/North Dakota Monitor) The North Dakota Senate defeated a bill that bans state or federal funding for public broadcasting but some senators who voted against the bill still called for defunding Prairie Public Broadcasting. North Dakota typically funds Prairie Public Broadcasting through the Office of Management and Budget bill. Gov. Kelly Armstrong's proposed budget included nearly $2.9 million for Prairie Public. When House Bill 1255 mandating the public broadcasting funding ban passed the House of Representatives, Appropriations Committee members took Prairie Public funding out of the OMB bill. Sen. Kristin Roers, R-Fargo, said Monday that the appropriations bill is where the funding decision should be made and warned of unintended consequences of passing the House bill. The bill, sponsored by Rep. Jorin Johnson, R-Fargo, failed on a 24-6 vote. Prairie Public supporters urge North Dakota Senate to restore state funding Roers said the House bill would have prevented federal funding for public broadcasting from passing through a state agency. She said the bill also could have prevented state agencies from renting space on towers owned by Prairie Public for things such as emergency sirens and weather instruments. 'If you want to defund public radio and television in North Dakota, do that through the appropriations process,' Roers said. Roers said there are upsides to continuing to fund Prairie Public, such as supporting broadcasts of state high school sports, educational television and local documentaries that are free over the air. She said Prairie Public's broadcast towers also benefit the state. Sen. Scott Meyer, R-Grand Forks, and Sen. Janne Myrdal, R-Edinburg, were among those who voted against the funding ban but advocated for cutting funding in House Bill 1015, which funds the Office of Management and Budget. John Harris, president and CEO of Prairie Public, testified last week in a Senate Appropriations hearing asking that the funding be restored. Harris said Prairie Public would be spending $4 million to $7 million in the next 18 months to upgrade facilities and buy transmitters. The nearly $2.9 million for Prairie Public during the 2025-27 biennium in Armstrong's preliminary budget included $1.7 million in one-time funding to assist with transmitter maintenance and replacement. Prairie Public leaders have testified that the organization can survive without state funding, but that it will mean less local programming. Other sources of funding include charitable gambling, endowment funds and investment funds. SUPPORT: YOU MAKE OUR WORK POSSIBLE SUBSCRIBE: GET THE MORNING HEADLINES DELIVERED TO YOUR INBOX
Yahoo
08-03-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
Prairie Public supporters urge North Dakota Senate to restore state funding
John Harris, president and CEO of Prairie Public Broadcasting, speaks March 7, 2025, during a legislative committee hearing about state and federal funding for the organization. (Michael Achterling/North Dakota Monitor) Prairie Public supporters are urging Senate lawmakers to defeat a bill that removes taxpayer support for North Dakota's mainstay public broadcasting organization. But even if House Bill 1255 is defeated, Prairie Public would still need to convince lawmakers to add state funding back into a budget bill. The bill, sponsored by Rep. Jorin Johnson, R-Fargo, passed the House on a 48-41 vote in February after two House committees recommended the bill be voted down. The bill would prohibit state officials from using state or federal tax dollars to support the organization. A Senate State and Local Government Committee hearing Friday was the first time members of the Senate had the opportunity to weigh in on the matter. House votes to defund North Dakota public broadcasting, sends bill to Senate Johnson told state senators that Prairie Public won't need to close its doors because of the loss of $1.2 million in state funding. He added it could even be a good thing for the organization because he believes donors would rally behind the organization to keep it funded, just without state tax dollars. 'The original mission of PBS is no longer accurate with the explosion of digital media, streaming services and content creators,' Johnson said. 'There's an abundance of free, or low-cost content, available online making public broadcasting redundant.' Gov. Kelly Armstrong's preliminary budget included a recommendation of nearly $2.9 million for Prairie Public during the 2025-27 biennium, including about $1.7 million in one-time funding to assist with transmitter maintenance and replacement. The funding is typically in the budget for the Office of Management and Budget. House lawmakers removed those dollars from the budget bill after they approved House Bill 1255. Johnson said Prairie Public has $36.2 million in assets, about $16.8 million in reserves and is one of the largest charitable gambling beneficiaries in the state. 'I think they are doing OK,' he said. 'No one can convince me that Prairie Public won't survive without state dollars.' Johnson added, if Prairie Public starts to 'flounder,' representatives could come back during the 2027 legislative session and petition to have funding reinstated. John Harris, president and CEO of Prairie Public Broadcasting, told lawmakers he agreed with Johnson that the funding loss wouldn't force the nonprofit to close, but it would affect local programming. 'The national programming will continue, but what (news director) Dave Thompson does, what we do for the local community with our educational team going out and providing professional development, those are the things that will go away,' Harris said. 'We would become a pass-through for the national feeds is what would happen as we start losing money and our resources.' Johnson also criticized Prairie Public for taking steps to purchase a bar in West Fargo as a charitable gambling site, arguing they shouldn't need state money if they were looking into that purchase. Harris said they didn't follow through with the bar purchase, but they were looking into security for their charitable gambling site so a bar owner couldn't just sign another charity to conduct gambling and cut them out. 'It (gaming) is up and down in any given year,' he said. 'We've lost three sites in the last year-and-a-half-or-so because one changed hands and a couple closed.' Harris said the company operates 39 radio and television towers in the state that range from 200 feet to 1,000 feet in height and those towers reach about 98% of all North Dakotans for free. He added that some towers hold emergency warning sirens and weather equipment that benefit residents with their operations and data. Recently, Harris said Prairie Public installed a new tower in Minot that cost $3.5 million. Sen. Judy Lee, R-West Fargo, a Prairie Public donor, said she can't imagine ignoring the good Prairie Public Television has done over decades. 'I think it's really important that we have that available to everybody and I would not want to jeopardize that,' Lee said. More than 170 people submitted written testimony to the committee with the vast majority in opposition to cutting taxpayer support. Paul and Ann Nyren drove from Garrison to testify during the hearing. They shared how their daughter learned sign language from Prairie Public children's programming and was able to communicate with a couple they met at a mall food court. 'She signed something to them and I didn't know she even had that skill,' Paul Nyren said. 'They signed back and she was so excited that she was able to use this knowledge that she had learned through children's programming.' He said children being excited to learn through programming is an important thing to protect, which is one of the reasons his family supports Prairie Public. The committee did not take immediate action. SUPPORT: YOU MAKE OUR WORK POSSIBLE SUBSCRIBE: GET THE MORNING HEADLINES DELIVERED TO YOUR INBOX
Yahoo
18-02-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
House votes to defund North Dakota public broadcasting, sends bill to Senate
Prairie Public Broadcasting's offices in downtown Fargo. (Jeff Beach/North Dakota Monitor) North Dakota members of the House on Monday voted to defund Prairie Public Broadcasting, with one lawmaker citing it as in line with federal cost-cutting. The House Appropriations Committee had recommended continuing to fund Prairie Public with $1.2 million for the biennium. But House Bill 1255, sponsored by Rep. Jorin Johnson, R-Fargo, passed the House on Monday with a 48-41 vote, cutting the funding. The bill prevents state officials from providing state or federal funding to Prairie Public. It will move on to the state Senate, which also will take up the bill. Rep. SuAnn Olson, R-Baldwin, noted the House minutes earlier had passed a bill creating the North Dakota version of Department of Government Efficiency that has been generating headlines for the Trump administration. 'This may be our first opportunity to start looking for efficiencies,' Olson said. 'Our hope would be that we're not continually finding something that has the ability to fly on its own.' Supporters of the bill noted that Prairie Public has significant backing from members and from charitable gambling. Rep. Brandy Pyle, R-Casselton, said the bill wasn't necessary and expressed reservations about the Legislature cutting off federal funding. She said the Legislature has the ability to address Prairie Public's funding level in the budget for the Office of Management and Budget. In written testimony, Linda Mork, education services manager for Prairie Public in Fargo, said cutting the funding would impact the organization's educational mission. 'The loss of funding would not only affect educators but also students across the state, especially those in underserved communities,' she said. Johnson said that the explosion of digital media sources means that Prairie Public is now just one of many sources of news and programming for North Dakotans. Prairie Public CEO and President John Harris testified in committee that Prairie Public would continue to operate with the funding, but likely with less local programming.
