Latest news with #LandonBahl
Yahoo
17-04-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
Lawmaker's vacation among 195 missed days by North Dakota legislators
Rep. Landon Bahl, R-Grand Forks, listens in the House chamber during a floor session on April 17, 2025. Bahl has missed 10 days of the legislative session. (Michael Achterling/North Dakota Monitor) North Dakota lawmakers will be paid at least $41,500 for absences during the 2025 legislative session so far, though most legislators with more than a handful of missed days said they were due to family or medical reasons, military service or their jobs. Rep. Lori VanWinkle, R-Minot, said earlier this week she felt singled out by criticism from the House majority leader over taking five days off to go on a vacation. Five lawmakers have missed six or more days during the legislative session, including VanWinkle, who has missed seven days of the session. In total, 84 lawmakers of the Legislature's combined 141-member body were absent for at least one day since the session began in early January. They accumulated 195 missed legislative days as of Thursday, according to Legislative Council. The North Dakota Monitor excluded from the analysis the absences of Rep. Josh Christy, who died in office in February. North Dakota lawmaker defends absence as she's urged to go without pay for vacation Legislators are paid for days they are absent unless they ask Legislative Council to withhold their pay, said Legislative Council Director John Bjornson. They are paid $213 per calendar day during the legislative session, with committee chairs and other leadership positions earning slightly more. That's in addition to a monthly salary of $592. Rep. Landon Bahl, R-Grand Forks, has missed the most with 10 days, according to Legislative Council. Bahl missed the week of March 31 to lobby for fraternities in Washington, D.C., on business not related to the state Legislature, but will receive $1,065 in legislative pay for those five days. Bahl also has missed days for reasons related to his job. He said his situation is unique because he is the chief operating officer for 322 Hospitality Group, which oversees more than 250 employees across eight different restaurants, hotels and event centers. 'District 17 voted me in as a business operator,' Bahl said. 'I always have two laptops because I'm constantly emailing … and bouncing back and forth because that's my job and this is a part-time citizen Legislature.' On Monday, House Majority Leader Mike Lefor, R-Dickinson, said he suggested that VanWinkle voluntarily give back the $1,065 in legislative pay she received while on a family vacation. Lefor said he didn't have the authority to withhold a lawmaker's pay. House and Senate rules, however, appear to conflict with state statute. North Dakota Century Code states members of the Legislature are 'entitled' to receive compensation. But House and Senate rules state legislators may not be absent during an entire day 'unless unable to attend due to illness or other cause.' The rules also say 'no one is entitled to draw pay while absent more than one day without leave.' Lefor and Senate Majority Leader David Hogue, R-Minot, referred questions on the rules to Bjornson. Bjornson said he was unsure when the absence rules were first added to the chamber rule books, but they were included in every rule book going as far back as 1957, the oldest rule book on his office shelf. The presiding officer of the chamber, either the speaker of the House or the president of the Senate, signs payment vouchers for the lawmakers, Bjornson said. If the presiding officer and the majority leader of the chamber told the Legislative Council not to pay someone, they would follow that direction, Bjornson said. North Dakota lawmakers serve up to 80 days every two years. Thursday was day 64 of the session. Lefor said earlier this week he thinks it's inappropriate for a lawmaker to take vacation during a legislative session. VanWinkle defended her absence to spend time with her family and said she thinks the criticism is unfair. She declined additional comment on Wednesday. Rep. Jayme Davis, D-Rolette, has missed nine days during the legislative session. Absences early in the session were due to the death of her father. More recently, she said she has missed days to drive her mother from Rolette to Bismarck for medical appointments. 'As much as I want a vacation, I'm here to do a job that I was elected to do,' Davis said. 'Unless it's literally life or death, it's probably the only reason I would miss.' Rep. Alisa Mitskog, D-Wahpeton, and Rep. Matt Ruby, R-Minot, have each missed six days. Mitskog said her absences were related to medical reasons for herself and her family. She said her husband is battling cancer that requires appointments in Minneapolis and she attends when possible so she can ask questions. Her elderly mother also needed to be driven to appointments in Fargo that were set up months in advance. 'They weren't vacation days,' Mitskog said. Ruby said his absences were due to National Guard training and because his son had surgery. He said he communicated every absence to chamber leadership, which he said is important for planning which bills come to the floor for votes. 'I certainly wasn't taking vacation,' Ruby said. Ruby said he does not think the policy surrounding legislative absences needs to be changed because he doesn't believe people are abusing it, for the most part. 'Sometimes you have doctor's appointments you have to get done,' Ruby said. 'Sometimes you shouldn't be sitting shoulder to shoulder with someone if you are sick … but it's expected to be here if you can, and we're all adults here.' 2025-Regular Session-Absent Members-2 SUPPORT: YOU MAKE OUR WORK POSSIBLE SUBSCRIBE: GET THE MORNING HEADLINES DELIVERED TO YOUR INBOX
Yahoo
29-03-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
Proposal to change North Dakota sessions to every year debated in Senate committee
Mar. 28—BISMARCK — Grand Forks legislator Landon Bahl believes a proposal that would end the Legislature's traditional biennial schedule would modernize the state's lawmaking process while preserving the integrity of the current system. Bahl, a Republican member of the state House of Representatives, testified in favor of House Bill 1408 during a Friday morning meeting of the Senate State and Local Government Committee. As chief sponsor of the plan, he believes its approval will strengthen the legislative process, improve decision-making and ensure "long term efficiency in government." North Dakota's Legislature is one of just four states that still meet every other year. Fifty years ago, more than 40 states followed the every-other-year schedule. Technically, HB 1408 seeks to amend and reenact a section of the North Dakota Century Code, "relating to annual reconvened sessions of the legislative assembly." If passed in its current form, HB 1408 would maintain the 80-day limit but would instead distribute them over two years, starting in 2027. The bill passed the House 64-26 and is working its way through the Senate process. The goal, Bahl said, is to improve responsiveness and allow for more timely decision-making. Additionally, according to his written testimony, it could better attract "high-quality legislative candidates by making public service more accessible. Annual sessions would allow more North Dakotans, especially those unable to commit to four months at a time, to serve, fostering a more experienced, diverse and representative Legislature." He also believes the change would improve the effectiveness of interim legislative committees. "Don't get me wrong. I think we all enjoy our interim committees, but I think we can all agree that they may not be the most effective — not because of who is leading them, but just simply because of how the process unfolds for those committees," Bahl said during Friday's hearing. He was pressed on that. Committee member Sen. Judy Lee, R-West Fargo, said "I respectfully take umbrage that you think interim committees are not effective. ..." Bahl clarified: "I never said interim committees are not effective. I said they could become more effective." Lee called the proposal a "big fruit basket upset." Opponents believe annual sessions could give too much power to or put too much work on the shoulders of Legislative Management, a body that works between sessions to provide services to lawmakers. Scott Hanebutt, director of public policy for the North Dakota Farm Bureau, believes it could increase state spending and limit farmers from being in the Legislature. During testimony against SB 1408 on Friday, Hanebutt said he has worked as a lobbyist elsewhere and said "I wouldn't mess with a good system, which is what we have here. "Every state is a little bit different so I am sure we can find examples on both sides of the argument," he said. "Our (Farm Bureau) members have certainly always believed that increasing to an annual session would increase budgets and would make it harder to get farmers to run for the Legislature. So we feel this isn't a good idea for our state, and for the rural people of our state." Rep. Scott Louser, R-Minot, testified in favor, saying he has previously been against all proposals to change to annual sessions. He said this year's proposal prompts creative ideas and "outside-the-box" thinking. Further, he said, the length of the state's current single sessions comes with a certain level of tedium. "I want to be careful how I say this, but we all get mental fatigue in April. When the most important decisions are being made for North Dakota, we are tired," he said. "... I think there is a lot of benefit in doing (the change to annual sessions)." Among those who testified Friday was Jim Mehlhaff, the majority leader in the South Dakota Senate. He gave neutral testimony, providing an outline of the work that is done in that state's annual schedule.
