Latest news with #HouseBill1259
Yahoo
07-04-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
North Dakota lawmakers stop time-change bill
A clock stands in front of the former train depot in downtown Fargo on March 6, 2025. A bill in the state Legislature could eliminate changing clocks for Daylight Saving Time. (Jeff Beach/North Dakota Monitor) North Dakotans will keep changing their clocks twice a year. The state Senate on Monday voted 32-15 to defeat House Bill 1259 that would have eliminated seasonal time changes. Just before the vote to kill the bill, it was amended to put North Dakota on year-round daylight saving time. The original bill called for year-round standard time, which passed the House 55-37. North Dakota House approves bill to exempt state from daylight saving time Supporters of using daylight saving time cited advantages for evening recreation and construction. Some construction projects are not allowed to start before 7 a.m. There also were concerns in border cities with North Dakota being on a different time than its neighbors. The bill was amended to take effect only when neighboring states also had dropped the time change. Sen. Michael Dwyer, R-Bismarck, argued against the bill, saying that if Congress or a neighboring state makes a change, to leave the decision up to future lawmakers. SUBSCRIBE: GET THE MORNING HEADLINES DELIVERED TO YOUR INBOX
Yahoo
21-03-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
Rhoden signs library-smut, bathroom-access bills
PIERRE, S.D. (KELO) — Gov. Larry Rhoden has signed into law three more acts passed by the Legislature, including new restrictions on who can legally be in bathrooms and a new route for people to ask that public libraries remove obscene materials. Longtime McCook County Sheriff dies The governor's office announced on Friday morning the signings of House Bill 1259 and House Bill 1239, as well as House Bill 1174 that revises certain provisions related to the rights and obligations of a father of a child born to an unmarried mother. Another 66 House and Senate bills remain on the Republican governor's desk awaiting action. So far, he has approved 154 and vetoed one, which the House of Representatives refused to override. The Legislature is scheduled to return to the Capitol on Monday, March 31, to consider any other vetoes. The South Dakota Library Association opposed the original version of HB 1239 regarding obscene materials. Sponsored by Republican Rep. Bethany Soye, the legislation sought to remove an existing exemption that protected from prosecution 'a bona fide school, college, university, museum, or public library, or was acting in the capacity of an employee of such an organization or a retail outlet affiliated with and serving the educational purposes of such an organization.' The House of Representatives voted 38-32 for Soye's version. Dozens of librarians and supporters clad in green shirts however rallied at the Capitol when the Senate took it up on March 10. That day, Republican Sen. David Wheeler significantly amended existing law, leaving in place the protection for librarians, while providing a new path for people to express opposition to materials. The new law, starting July 1, allows an individual to appeal to the local school board or public library board to determine whether any matter or material is obscene. Any determination made by the board as to whether any matter or material is obscene can then be appealed to court. Senators voted 18-16 for Wheeler's amendment and then passed the amended version 32-2. The House agreed to accept the Wheeler version 36-34, with Soye notably changing sides from yes to no. The governor's announcement on Friday included a statement from Rhoden. 'South Dakota is a place where commonsense values remain common, and these bills reinforce that fact,' the statement said. 'These bills promote strong families, safety in education, and freedom from the 'woke' agenda like what has happened in too many other places.' Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
Yahoo
12-03-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
North Dakota looks at ditching time change rules; here's why some say that's a bad idea
What if North Dakotans quit changing their clocks twice a year? 'Chaos might be too strong a word,' said Charley Johnson, president and CEO of the Fargo-Moorhead Convention and Visitors Bureau. 'But certainly confusing.' As most Americans sprung forward into daylight saving time last weekend, the North Dakota Legislature is considering a bill that would end the time changes, operating on standard time all year long. Johnson, whose organization operates in Fargo and Moorhead, Minnesota, promoting tourism and events, said it's a really bad idea. He noted that roughly one-third of North Dakota residents live in Fargo, Grand Forks and Wahpeton, cities with strong ties to neighboring towns across the Red River in Minnesota. The one-hour difference with neighboring states would be for about eight months of the year, while those states are an hour ahead on daylight saving time. 'I can't imagine how confusing and difficult it might be,' Johnson said. House Bill 1259 was passed by the North Dakota House and awaits a hearing in the state Senate. The bill was introduced by Rep. Roger Maki, R-Watford City. It's an idea that has been proposed in previous sessions but getting approval in the House has people taking notice. 'We will be much more active now that it actually has traction,' said Shannon Full, president and CEO of the Fargo Moorhead West Fargo Chamber of Commerce. Full said 100 businesses, large and small, have signed onto a letter in opposition to the bill. 'We know that businesses already face challenges attracting and retaining talent. We just really don't need any more barriers to that,' Full said. Derrick LaPoint is president and CEO of Downtown Moorhead Inc. 'People didn't take it that seriously,' LaPoint said, knowing that North Dakota lawmakers have shot down the idea before. But passing the House 'takes it a bit more into reality.' While he represents business, he said he thinks of the effect on families like his, with elementary-aged children and a spouse who works in Fargo while they live in Moorhead. The hour difference could throw off schedules for school or child care drop-offs and pick-ups and getting to events in the evening. 'It's such a unified region,' LaPoint said. 'We cleared out the buildings': South Dakota schools hit hard by infectious diseases An organization called Save Standard Time provided testimony on the North Dakota bill. It also tracks efforts in states considering similar legislation. The group's chart shows Nebraska and North Dakota as the closest to ending the time-change Maki said he worked with the group and brought the bill at the request of a constituent. Farmers, especially those with livestock, have often been critics of daylight saving time. Some health professionals say it is bad for people's sleep patterns. Hawaii and Arizona already do not observe daylight saving time. In 2021, the North Dakota Senate passed a bill that would have put the state on daylight saving time all year, but it failed in the House. Similar bills have been proposed in other states. Johnson said he wouldn't mind getting rid of daylight saving time, but North Dakota shouldn't do it on its own. 'If the country decides to pick one and stick with it, that's fine,' Johnson said. The bill has been referred to the Senate State and Local Government Committee. A committee hearing has not yet been scheduled. Deputy editor Jeff Beach is based in the Fargo area. North Dakota Monitor is part of States Newsroom, the nation's largest state-focused nonprofit news organization. This article originally appeared on Aberdeen News: Could North Dakota change its daylight savings time?
Yahoo
11-03-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
South Dakota Senate OKs bill segregating restrooms by sex assigned at birth
South Dakota senators voted 27-6 Monday afternoon to pass a bill segregating restrooms in public schools and state-owned facilities such as the Capitol, university buildings and prisons by sex assigned at birth. With House Bill 1259 as amended Monday, those institutions must designate multi-occupancy changing rooms, restrooms and sleeping quarters as use exclusively by females or males as defined by the bill, and people of one sex can't enter the space of the other sex. Similar legislation has come before the South Dakota Legislature at least five different times — once in 2016 and 2017, twice in 2018 and once in 2022 — but never became law. HB 1259 previously passed in the House State Affairs committee on an 11-2 vote, in the House on a 49-21 vote and in the Senate State Affairs committee on a 7-2 vote. Since it was amended, the House may need to concur in the amendments, and then the bill will likely head to Gov. Larry Rhoden's desk. More: SD Senate committee advances bill segregating restrooms by sex assigned at birth Sen. Mykala Voita, R-Bonesteel, sponsored HB 1259 in the Senate and said simply that 'men do not belong in women's private spaces.' She was supported by Sen. John Carley, R-Piedmont, who said he also didn't want 'boys coming into girls' rooms.' Meanwhile, Sen. Liz Larson, D-Sioux Falls, rebutted their statements and said there are already laws on the books in South Dakota for people entering a restroom for a crime, and added schools already have mechanisms in place to handle situations that come up like this. Larson added she feared the bill would result in litigation, which is another expense to taxpayers. Sen. David Wheeler, R-Huron, said he was concerned with the 'breadth' of the bill and said it 'sweeps in more than it was intended to sweep in.' He and Larson questioned if dorm rooms would be included in the bill. Wheeler added that the bill 'goes too far in trying to tackle an issue' and said it needed more work. The bill has been opposed by the Transformation Project Advocacy Network, South Dakota Youth Activism, the South Dakota Bureau of Human Resources and Administration, South Dakotans for Equity, the South Dakota Municipal League, the ACLU of South Dakota, and other South Dakota residents who've called it anti-trans and said it invites discrimination and litigation to the state. This article originally appeared on Sioux Falls Argus Leader: South Dakota Senate passes bill segregating restrooms by sex
Yahoo
07-03-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
North Dakota border cities expect confusion if time change bill passes
A clock stands in front of the former train depot in downtown Fargo on March 6, 2025. A bill in the state Legislature could eliminate changing clocks for daylight saving time. (Jeff Beach/North Dakota Monitor) What if North Dakotans quit changing their clocks twice a year? 'Chaos might be too strong a word,' said Charley Johnson, president and CEO of the Fargo-Moorhead Convention and Visitors Bureau. 'But certainly confusing.' As most Americans prepare to spring forward into daylight saving time this weekend, the North Dakota Legislature is considering a bill that would end the time changes, operating on standard time all year long. North Dakota House approves bill to exempt state from daylight saving time Johnson, whose organization operates in Fargo and Moorhead, Minnesota, promoting tourism and events, said it's a really bad idea. He noted that roughly one-third of North Dakota residents live in Fargo, Grand Forks and Wahpeton, cities with strong ties to neighboring towns across the Red River in Minnesota. The one-hour difference with neighboring states would be for about eight months of the year, while those states are an hour ahead on daylight saving time. 'I can't imagine how confusing and difficult it might be,' Johnson said. House Bill 1259 was passed by the North Dakota House and awaits a hearing in the state Senate. The bill was introduced by Rep. Roger Maki, R-Watford City. It's an idea that has been proposed in previous sessions but getting approval in the House has people taking notice. 'We will be much more active now that it actually has traction,' said Shannon Full, president and CEO of the Fargo Moorhead West Fargo Chamber of Commerce. Full said 100 businesses, large and small, have signed onto a letter in opposition to the bill. 'We know that businesses already face challenges attracting and retaining talent. We just really don't need any more barriers to that,' Full said. Derrick LaPoint is president and CEO of Downtown Moorhead Inc. 'People didn't take it that seriously,' LaPoint said, knowing that North Dakota lawmakers have shot down the idea before. But passing the House 'takes it a bit more into reality.' While he represents business, he said he thinks of the effect on families like his, with elementary-aged children and a spouse who works in Fargo while they live in Moorhead. The hour difference could throw off schedules for school or child care drop-offs and pick-ups and getting to events in the evening. 'It's such a unified region,' LaPoint said. More 2025 legislative session coverage An organization called Save Standard Time provided testimony on the North Dakota bill. It also tracks efforts in states considering similar legislation. The group's chart shows Nebraska and North Dakota as the closest to ending the time-change Maki said he worked with the group and brought the bill at the request of a constituent. Farmers, especially those with livestock, have often been critics of daylight saving time. Some health professionals say it is bad for people's sleep patterns. Hawaii and Arizona already do not observe daylight saving time. In 2021, the North Dakota Senate passed a bill that would have put the state on daylight saving time all year, but it failed in the House. Similar bills have been proposed in other states. Johnson said he wouldn't mind getting rid of daylight saving time, but North Dakota shouldn't do it on its own. 'If the country decides to pick one and stick with it, that's fine,' Johnson said. The bill has been referred to the Senate State and Local Government Committee. A committee hearing has not yet been scheduled. SUBSCRIBE: GET THE MORNING HEADLINES DELIVERED TO YOUR INBOX SUPPORT: YOU MAKE OUR WORK POSSIBLE
