Letter to the Editor

News from the Legislature: Bob Hunskor

By Rep. Bob Hunskor

01/27/2015

Should the North Dakota Legislature meet annually or once every two years? The current budget dilemma with declining oil prices underscores why yearly sessions should be considered.

Annual or Biannual Sessions

HB 1343 would split the current 80-day session held on odd-numbered years into a 60-day session in odd-numbered years and a 20-day session in even-numbered years. The longer session would begin in January while the shorter session (the review session) would start between Jan. 2 and Feb. 28.

SB 2247 would require a 50-day session in odd-numbered years and a 30-day session in even-numbered years.

The shorter session would allow legislators to make budget adjustments and address other needs without having a special session.

Currently, only four states hold regular sessions every other year.
Potential Constitutional Amendment

More than 600,000 Alaska residents will receive direct payments from their state’s oil wealth trust fund in 2014.

HCR 3013, if passed, would submit a constitutional amendment to the voters of North Dakota in November 2016.

A portion of the amendment would read, “The Legislative Assembly may provide by law for direct general allocations of state funds to North Dakota resident individuals upon eligibility terms and conditions established by law.”

Eligible residents would receive equal payments regardless of earnings, assets, age or property holdings. Individuals would need to maintain continuous residency in North Dakota for at least one year to be eligible.

Concealed Firearms Permit

HB 1195, similar to a bill that was passed in the House and killed in the Senate last session, is once again on the legislative calendar.

The proposal would allow anyone with a Class 1 Concealed Carry Permit to carry a firearm in a school as long as they have the permission of the school board.

The language in the bill has been changed to make it more acceptable to legislators by raising the level of permit required and requiring coordination and training with local law enforcement.

Passed then killed

HB 1077 would have raised the threshold for the bidding process on public projects from $100,000 to $500,000.  Any project that cost less than $500,000 would not have to be bid out and could be given to any contractor.

The House passed the bill 51-31 despite objections from industry groups. The next day, legislators who were absent for the original vote on HB 1077 requested it to be brought back to the House floor - After much debate it was defeated 41-45

Early Childhood Education

A packed hearing room heard testimony supporting legislation that would expand early childhood legislation.

SB 2151 would provide six million dollars in grant funding for up to 6,000 preschool children. Under the proposal, one-thousand dollars would be available for each eligible child which would cover about half of the cost of the program. Each child from low-income families would be eligible for $1500.

The funding for this bill would be available July 1, 2016.

Hunting Eligibility

HB 1088 would require three years of residency for an individual to be eligible to apply for once in a lifetime bighorn sheep, elk and moose licenses.