Latest news with #MikeLefor
Yahoo
28-04-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
Lawmakers selected for committee that makes study decisions for next session
North Dakota Senate Majority Leader David Hogue, R-Minot, speaks in front of House Majority Leader Mike Lefor, R-Dickinson, on the House floor during a meeting of the Legislative Management Committee on Nov. 14, 2024. (Michael Achterling/North Dakota Monitor) With the 69th North Dakota Legislative Assembly finishing its business in the coming days, lawmakers elected members to the Legislative Management Committee to prepare for the next session and deal with any unfinished business. The Legislative Management Committee has three primary roles during the interim before the 70th Legislative Assembly meets in January 2027. The committee decides which studies will be completed before the next legislative session and assigns them to the appropriate committees. They will appoint lawmakers to at least eight mandatory interim committees and additional committees, such as the committee tasked with being the North Dakota version of the Department of Government Efficiency, that were approved during the session. Lastly, the committee will accept the reports compiled during the interim. John Bjornson, director of the Legislative Council, said up to 60 discretionary legislative studies and up to 15 mandatory studies are approved during each legislative session, and it will be up to the committee to whittle that down to a more manageable 45 studies in total and assign them. 'Then, they might not meet again for months,' Bjornson said. The Legislative Management Committee also has the power to reconvene the Legislature with a majority vote, using any unused days remaining from their 80-day allotment. If Gov. Kelly Armstrong calls for a special session, the Legislature would not need to use the remaining legislative days. It's anticipated that lawmakers may need to reconvene to address impacts from federal funding cuts. Speaker of the House Rep. Robin Weisz, R-Hurdsfield, said the committee also elects its own chairperson that would have additional responsibilities during the interim, such as approving requests from lawmakers to attend meetings requiring travel reimbursement and working with the Legislative Council. 'Legislative Management doesn't have any role in funding,' Weisz said. 'We have an Emergency Commission, a Budget Section that will deal with funding issues outside of session.' Bjornson said the Legislative Management Committee is expected to meet in June to decide which studies to pursue and make interim committee appointments. Members of the 2025-26 Legislative Management Committee are: Speaker of the House Rep. Robin Weisz, R-Hurdsfield House Majority Leader Rep. Mike Lefor, R-Dickinson Senate Majority Leader Sen. David Hogue, R-Minot House Minority Leader Rep. Zac Ista, D-Grand Forks Senate Minority Leader Sen. Kathy Hogan, D-Fargo Sen. Brad Bekkedahl, R-Williston Sen. Kyle Davison, R-Fargo Sen. Jerry Klein, R-Fessenden Sen. Janne Myrdal, R-Edinburg Sen. Ronald Sorvaag, R-Fargo Sen. Josh Boschee, D-Fargo Rep. Kathy Frelich, R-Devils Lake Rep. Jared Hagert, R-Emerado Rep. Dori Hauck, R-Hebron Rep. Jonathan Warrey, R-Casselton Rep. Glenn Bosch, R-Bismarck Rep. LaurieBeth Hager, D-Fargo
Yahoo
21-04-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
North Dakota lawmakers advance private school voucher bill
House Majority Leader Mike Lefor, R-Dickinson, speaks on the House floor on Feb. 25, 2025. (Michael Achterling/North Dakota Monitor) North Dakota educational options are set to expand as House lawmakers advanced a private school voucher bill Monday and the governor signed a bill establishing public charter schools. The House in a 49-43 vote agreed to changes made by the Senate to House Bill 1540, which establishes Education Savings Accounts for private school students. The bill will now go to Gov. Kelly Armstrong's desk for his signature or veto. If signed into law, the new private school vouchers would be available for the 2026-27 school year. Armstrong also signed a bill Monday that establishes the framework to implement public charter schools in North Dakota. 'Expanding school choice is a win-win for North Dakota families and for our state's workforce and long-term success,' Armstrong said in a statement. 'The public charter schools authorized by this bill can drive innovation, improve student outcomes and increase parent satisfaction.' House passes bill authorizing charter schools in North Dakota Lawmakers have been fairly split on bills related to Education Savings Accounts. House Bill 1540, which passed the Senate last week on a 27-20 vote, only benefits families with children attending private school. As amended, the bill provides private school vouchers in an amount that varies depending on household income. Students from families in the lowest income category could receive about $4,000 per year, while students from the highest income category could receive a little over $1,000 per year. The bill is estimated to cost about $20 million in the first year, though the exact amount will depend on how many students use the vouchers. The state projects that about 8,000 students will attend North Dakota private schools in 2026-27, according to a fiscal analysis of the bill. House Majority Leader Rep. Mike Lefor, R-Dickinson, who voted in favor of the bill, said it allows parents to shape the educational futures of their children. North Dakota Senate passes Education Savings Accounts for private school students 'Beyond academics, House Bill 1540 ensures equality,' Lefor said. 'Parents know their children best. It's not the government, but families who should have the final say in their children's education.' Rep. Liz Conmy, D-Fargo, voted against the bill and told lawmakers the North Dakota Constitution prohibits the use of public school tax dollars to support a sectarian school. 'We are obligated, constitutionally, to fund and strengthen public schools and specifically directed to not subsidize private education,' Conmy said. 'We don't get to pick and choose what part of the constitution we want to go with or not.' A competing Senate Education Savings Account bill, Senate Bill 2400, proposed to benefit public school and homeschooled students in addition to private school students. It passed the Senate but received a do-not-pass recommendation by the House Education Committee in March. The bill has not been forwarded for a full chamber vote. Sen. Michelle Axtman, R-Bismarck, chief sponsor of the Senate bill, prepared an amendment to her Education Savings Account bill Monday for a House Education Committee hearing. She sought to introduce an amendment to remove the private school portion of her bill and advance an Education Savings Account of $500 for educational expenses for public school and homeschooled students. However, committee members denied a motion to reconsider the bill. It will advance to full chamber. After the committee hearing, Axtman said the bill that passed the House is leaving out a 'key component' of school choice – public school students. She said she also worries about rural students with limited choices because new charter schools probably won't make their way into deeply rural areas. 'I think we are missing a huge segment of choice for those students,' Axtman said. 'I've always from day one been a supporter of a universal program that is truly universal so I'm disappointed we couldn't get there.' Armstrong recommended $44.3 million in his preliminary budget in January for a potential Education Savings Account program that would cover public, private and homeschooled students. North Dakota United, a union representing public school teachers and other state employees, opposes Education Savings Accounts. Nick Archuleta, president of North Dakota United, said the private school vouchers will only benefit a small selection of North Dakota students. 'I think the governor is going to look long and hard at it and, ultimately, the voters will,' Archuleta said. 'We don't believe it provides school choice. We believe that it's the school's choice to educate whom they choose to educate in that particular bill, so we weren't in favor of that bill and still aren't.' SUPPORT: YOU MAKE OUR WORK POSSIBLE SUBSCRIBE: GET THE MORNING HEADLINES DELIVERED TO YOUR INBOX
Yahoo
31-01-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
Bill offers immunity from conflict crimes to North Dakota lawmakers if they follow ethics rules
House Majority Leader Mike Lefor, R-Dickinson, testifies in support of a bill during a committee hearing on Jan. 31, 2025. (Michael Achterling/North Dakota Monitor) A bill debated Friday would give North Dakota lawmakers immunity from conflict-of-interest crimes if they disclose potential conflicts and follow legislative ethics rules. House Majority Leader Mike Lefor, R-Dickinson, said he sponsored House Bill 1505 to give citizen lawmakers clarity on how to navigate potential conflicts when voting on bills. Meanwhile, a separate bill that seeks to overhaul how the North Dakota's Ethics Commission handles complaints encountered opposition from the state Attorney General's Office on Friday. Voters created an ethics commission in North Dakota. Then the Legislature limited its power. Lefor's proposal provides immunity to lawmakers if they disclose conflicts and follow rules such as those adopted by the House in December. For example, the rules require members to disclose sufficient detail about a conflict so other lawmakers can decide whether to allow them to vote. The rules also allow a member to abstain from voting and provide a grace period so lawmakers can disclose conflicts after voting on a bill. It's unclear what impact the bill would have on the Senate, which has not yet adopted similar conflict-of-interest rules. The bill also allows lawmakers who act following written guidance of the Ethics Commission to use that as a defense if they are prosecuted for voting on a bill. Emily Thompson, legal division director for Legislative Council, outlined some of the language changes on potential conflicts. Instead of saying lawmakers with a 'direct, substantial' benefit from a bill have a potential conflict, lawmakers with a 'unique' interest in a bill have a potential conflict. As an example, she said changes to property taxes may directly benefit a lawmaker, but because the benefit is not unique to an individual lawmaker, there would not be a conflict. Conflict-of-interest issues were elevated last year when Rep. Jason Dockter, R-Bismarck, was convicted of a misdemeanor crime related to votes he submitted on the House floor. Dockter was the part-owner of a building with space being leased by two agencies. Dockter voted on budget bills that included money for those leases. McLean County State's Attorney Ladd Erickson, the prosecutor in the Dockter case, submitted written testimony in support of the bill. He said the bill would not have changed the outcome of that case. Erickson said the bill would provide lawmakers assurance that they won't be in legal jeopardy if they disclose conflicts and follow the Legislature's conflict rules. Rep. Lori VanWinkle, R-Minot, said she was struggling to understand how the bill would reduce corruption if it offers lawmakers immunity. Thompson said the bill does not grant lawmakers immunity from taking a bribe or other bad act, just the official act of voting on a bill. Ethics Commission Executive Director Rebecca Binstock filed written testimony against the bill, but said amendments Lefor introduced Friday addressed most of the concerns. The House Government and Veterans Committee did not act on the bill or on another bill related to the Ethics Commission, House Bill 1360. The North Dakota Ethics Commission, created by voters in 2018, has received 84 complaints since it was established. An investigation by the North Dakota Monitor and ProPublica published earlier this month showed that the commission has yet to substantiate a single complaint. In addition, the commission often receives information about potential ethical issues it can't investigate unless a formal complaint is filed. Binstock explained for the committee how the bill seeks to streamline the Ethics Commision process and would alter how it handles complaints. Changes include eliminating the word 'complaint' and replacing it with the term 'relevant information.' Binstock said one of the biggest changes is that it would allow legislators implicated with misconduct to address the situation publicly, rather than wait for the end of a sometimes lengthy review. It also allows some cases to be dismissed or dealt with more quickly. But Deputy Attorney General Claire Ness testified against the bill, saying it strips away some protections for those accused, gives the Ethics Commission too much leeway in rulemaking and takes away enforcement authority from the Legislature. Rep. Austen Schauer, R-West Fargo, chair of the House Government and Veterans Committee, expressed frustration after the testimony from Ness. 'We're here … going through this bill for an hour, and then the Attorney General's Office comes in and basically blows it up,' Schauer said. Ness said her office provided input to the Ethics Commission and lawmakers on both bills, and she testified in support of the immunity bill. 'It is our duty to explain what our concerns are,' Ness said. 'We are in absolutely no way trying to blow anything up.' SUPPORT: YOU MAKE OUR WORK POSSIBLE SUBSCRIBE: GET THE MORNING HEADLINES DELIVERED TO YOUR INBOX
