Legislative Report: Sept. 27, 2021

INTERIM WORK: As the Legislative Interim Session moves along, I participated in several committee meetings and will have a busy schedule for the next two months, as redistricting moves along, as well as, completing a plan on how to disperse the $1.007 Billion from the American Rescue Act.

Dates have been set to prepare the redistricting bill and the appropriations bill to disperse the ARPA funds. My duties on Senate Appropriations begin on October 12 and 13, October 19 and 20, and possibly the 26 and 27. Following those meetings, the House and Senate Appropriations Committees will propose a bill for the upcoming special session set for the week of November 8. We are expected to be in session for a week or more to complete this bill and approve the redistricting plan for the legislative districts for the next 10 years.

INTERIM MEETINGS: I attended the Higher Education Committee meeting at Valley City State University in August. We heard presentations on the work of the college, student engagement, capital projects, and toured the facilities new heating plant, and the nearly completed new Fine Arts Center. Both position the college to meet their needs going into the future.

The North Dakota Chamber presented a virtual/in-person policy summit in early August in Bismarck. I participated virtually and found the topics on the political climate in the state, the budget, sustainable business practices, and changes in the constitution via the election process very informative.

I attended three meetings for the Tribal-State Interim Committee. We met at Turtle Mountain, Three Affiliated, and Spirit Lake to hear their concerns. Some of those concerns included the upcoming redistricting process, economic development, law enforcement memorandums, missing and murdered indigenous people, and the drug pipelines across the state. The committee will also visit Standing Rock, and connect with the Sisseton-Wahpeton Nation soon.

Legislative Audit and Fiscal Review met on August 19. We heard several audit summaries including those from Bismarck State College, Dickinson State University, and several commodity groups. Audits of the Retirement and Investment Office, and the Public Employees Retirement system, were presented by contracted firms due to the specific training required to audit these entities. Other audits presented included the State Historical Society, Indian Affairs Commission, Industrial Commission, Information Technology, and Veterans Affairs.

September 9, I attended the Administrative Rules Committee meeting. We heard rules developed for the Professional Engineers and Land Surveyors, the Department of Public Instruction for qualifications for Special Education Technicians, Education Standards and Practices addressing substitute teachers, reading minor equivalency requirements, and adding SAT to accepted basic skills exams. The Department of Human Services brought in rules to address the rate setting process and requirements for foster care residential treatment providers, as well as, updating child abuse and neglect terminology as it related to qualified residential treatment providers for foster care. Our final presentation was a repeal of cottage food laws as adopted by the State Health Department. The courts found the department did not have the authority to adopt those rules and the department came forward asking for those rules to be repealed.

This past week, I attended a listening session sponsored by the Department of Public Instruction, the Information Technology Department, and the North Dakota University System about improving access to computer training and cybersecurity training for our K-12 students. I feel the issue of cybersecurity training is very important to keep our student, family, staff, and school information secure. This initiative continues to be a work in progress. More to come.

I want to make sure all of you have the opportunity to keep current on upcoming Interim Legislative meetings. All meetings are being streamed live and archived on the legislative web site: http://www.legis.nd.gov. Click on the “Video” link near the top left side of the page. I hope you find this helpful, and invite you to watch the work of the legislature over the interim.

Another important process right now is the redistricting process with meetings that can be viewed at the same above site. You can also follow some of the maps presented by going to https://www.legis.nd.gov/assembly/67-2021/session-interim/2021-legislative-redistricting-maps.

If you have any questions on any of this, you can reach me at [email protected] or by calling (701) 302-0355.