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During the 69th Legislative Assembly, North Dakota Democratic-NPL Insider will provide updates and calls to action each day of the regular session. If you would like to have something added to the newsletter, email us at laura.dronen@demnpl.com. Spread the word of our newsletter by sharing our sign-up link today: https://demnpl.com/join-our-newsletter/.
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North Dakota Democratic-NPL Legislators are fighting to protect children
In light of Holmberg case, Sen. Tim Mathern (D-11) proposed a bill Monday to make lawmakers and higher ed employees mandated reporters of crimes against children. Republicans on the Senate Delayed Bills Committee killed it immediately.
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Holmberg was the longest-serving state Senator in the country when he was in office. He walked the halls of the Capitol as one of the most powerful men in North Dakota. He said it himself—that he would be in power as long as he wanted to, unless he was caught. Why would they reject this bill?
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The Legislative Session is almost over
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The Legislature will likely complete its business this week.
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Follow Along!
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Did you know you can watch along with these hearings or watch them later on your own time?
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Help us spread our message—share these recent posts!
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In light of Holmberg case, Fargo senator proposes bill to make lawmakers, higher ed employees mandated reporters
Mathern remarked, “Ray Holmberg committed the most heinous crimes against children. He bragged about it. Holmberg was the longest-serving state Senator in the country when he was in office. He walked the halls of this Capitol as one of the most powerful men in North Dakota. He said it himself—that he would be in power as long as he wanted to, unless he was caught. He emailed his friend Bruce Gjovig, ‘no one is ever (too) young’ in 2011. Holmberg served for another full decade after he said that. That’s outrageous.”
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Call logs show Holmberg, former AG communicated amid federal sex crime investigation
But a man who spoke at the March 26 sentencing hearing came forward to the FBI years earlier to report sexual exploitation by Holmberg.
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Handwritten notes in a former Grand Forks prosecutor’s file obtained by the North Dakota Monitor indicate Stenehjem knew in 2015 about that report.
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David Jones, former Grand Forks County state’s attorney, wrote in an Aug. 31, 2015, note: “A.G. office doesn’t want T.F. involved at all. (Wayne decision.)”
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Jones said he used the initials T.F. as shorthand for a multi-jurisdictional law enforcement task force. The state BCI, within the attorney general’s office, is part of the task force.
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Joel Heitkamp and Tyler Axness respond to report on Bruce Gjovig discussing underage male prostitutes with Ray Holmberg
Joel Heitkamp from "News and Views" and Tyler Axness from "Afternoons Live" share their thoughts on the recent news regarding Ray Holmberg and Bruce Gjovig. If you missed it, a NDBCI report revealed emails Ray Holmberg sent to others detailing decades of sex abuse. Bruce also responded to that report with a press release of his own, where he said he "was unaware of the criminal nature of Mr. Holmberg’s sexual conduct."
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North Dakota lawmakers renew — then deny — calls for mandatory reporting requirements for legislators
House Minority Leader Zac Ista, D-Grand Forks, echoed Mathern's comments during the press conference, saying the state needs to back the Ethics Commission instead of "handcuffing" it.
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He pointed to rules proposed this session that would force the commission to dismiss 28 of the complaints it's investigating — 17 of which are against lawmakers.
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“That’s both unacceptable and a violation of our constitutional duty not to hamper, restrict or impair the work of the Ethics Commission," Ista said. The Ethics Commission was formed by a constitutional amendment approved by voters in 2018.
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North Dakota Dems push for new mandatory reporting laws in response to Holmberg emails
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House Minority Leader Zac Ista of Grand Forks says in addition to bringing forth this legislation, he’s renewing his call on the legislature to fully fund the Ethics Commission.
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"If now is not the time to fully empower the Ethics Commission, when is? But as it stands now, this Legislative Assembly is proposing to handcuff the work of the Ethics Commission by placing on it an arbitrary case closure deadline. This risks forcing the Commission to dismiss as many as 28 pending complaints, including 17 against lawmakers. That is both unacceptable and a violation of our constitutional duty not to hamper, restrict or impair the work of the Ethics Commission."
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Proposed legislation would make lawmakers, higher ed employees mandatory reporters; bill already rejected
“This would be a step forward toward justice as we continue to process Holmberg’s vile crimes and uncover more information on what has become the most egregious scandal in our state’s history,” Mathern said.
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Cooperating Witness, Will Swearson, speaks out on sexual abuse from Ray Holmberg
Joel Heitkamp is joined in the KFGO studio by Will Swearson, a victim and survivor of Ray Holmberg. Will met Ray Holmberg when he was working in Bismarck, and quickly became a target of Ray's. Will shared what he witnessed for the sentencing memo on Ray Holmberg, and now speaks publicly on "News and Views."
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Check out these posts from the national Democratic Party
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US economy goes into reverse from Trump’s abrupt policy shifts
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The US economy just had its worst quarter since 2022 as President Donald Trump’s significant policy changes unnerved consumers and businesses.
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Gross domestic product, which measures all the goods and services produced in the economy, registered at an annualized rate of -0.3% in the first quarter, the Commerce Department said Wednesday.
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A DOGE Aide Involved in Dismantling Consumer Bureau Owns Stock in Companies That Could Benefit From the Cuts
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Court records show that Kliger was among a small handful of top CFPB and administration officials discussing the implementation of the layoffs in emails. Separately, a federal employee who works on the layoff team said that Kliger “managed” the firings of about 90% of the bureau’s staff earlier this month, according to a sworn declaration filed by lawyers opposing the administration.
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The employee, using the pseudonym Alex Doe for fear of retaliation, said they learned of Kliger’s role from colleagues and described Kliger keeping the CFPB employees “up for 36 hours straight to ensure that the notices would go out,” the declaration states. “Gavin was screaming at people he did not believe were working fast enough” and “calling them incompetent.”
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3 children who are US citizens — including one with cancer — deported with their mothers, lawyers and advocacy groups say
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The disorder at the NSC, officials told me, stems from Trump’s impatience with process, disregard for the law, and insistence on loyalty in place of
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Willis denied either mother was given a choice, telling CNN Sunday both wanted their children to remain in the United States. The 4-year-old, for instance, was still receiving cancer treatment, Willis noted. Additionally, both women had family in the United States, according to Willis and Hebert.
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“These are mothers, these are pregnant women. These are children,” Alanah Odoms, the executive director of the ACLU of Louisiana told CNN Sunday. “These are people with terminally ill or very serious medical conditions who were law-abiding residents, who were checking in with ICE as they had been instructed to do under orders of supervision.”
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Utah Farmers Signed Up for Federally Funded Therapy. Then the Money Stopped
Farmers and ranchers across Utah quickly accepted the money, which ran out in just four months — well before he expected — and his office had to start turning people away. It convinced Dallin of the deep need in the state’s agricultural communities, and people’s openness to getting help when cost is not a barrier. “I want you to know,” he recalled one voucher recipient telling him, “that this saved my life.”
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Kentucky Farmers Hit by One-Two Punch of Trade War, Historic Floods
Farmers across the country are facing similar dilemmas as planting is under way and growers face last-minute decisions about what to plant as global agricultural markets have been upended by tariffs and trade uncertainty.
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We Led the World. Then Came 100 Days of Trump (w/ Antony Blinken)
For 80 years, the United States built strong economic, military, and political alliances around the world. But in just 100 days, that trust has been dismantled, and our friends are now working without us to forge new relationships. Former Secretary of State Antony Blinken joins Tim to discuss how hard it will be to rebuild after what Trump has done—plus the Biden administration's response to the Gaza protests, and the continuing questions over why Biden did not step aside earlier. Tony Blinken joins Tim Miller.
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GOP blocked Hegseth Signal probe because he is 'indefensible,' says Rep. Adam Smith
Rep. Adam Smith: They passed a rule basically to shut off resolutions of inquiry to not allow them, which basically frustrates the democratic process. And there's a theme there in terms of what the Trump administration has been doing all over the place, changing the rules, not allowing open public discussion in the normal democratic process to take place. And I guess there's substance and there is this process here. And the substance is they are so afraid of this issue — they can't defend it — that they don't want to talk about it. And they will go to extraordinary process lengths to try to prevent Congress from doing its job of exercising oversight over the Pentagon. And as you know from the Signal story, Secretary Hegseth really needs oversight, given his use of sensitive information in a way that is incredibly dangerous.
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Committees
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Every bill is voted on in the North Dakota legislature, but first, it must go through a committee hearing. The committee will vote to give the bill a "Do Pass" or a "Do Not Pass" recommendation. Below is a list of Standing Committees this legislative session.
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Senate Standing Committee Members
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Meets Thursday and Friday
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Meets Monday through Friday
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Meets Monday, Tuesday, and Wednesday
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Meets Thursday and Friday
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Desiree Van Oosting (R-36)
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Meets Monday, Tuesday, and Wednesday
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Meets Monday, Tuesday, and Wednesday
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Desiree Van Oosting (R-36)
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Meets Monday, Tuesday, and Wednesday
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Meets Monday, Tuesday, and Wednesday
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Meets Thursday and Friday
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Meets Thursday and Friday
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Meets Thursday and Friday
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House Standing Committee Members
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Meets Thursday and Friday
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Gretchen Dobervich (D-11)
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Cynthia Schreiber-Beck (R-25)
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Meets Monday through Friday
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Meets Monday, Tuesday, and Wednesday
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Cynthia Schreiber-Beck (R-25)
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Patrick R. Hatlestad (R-1)
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Meets Thursday and Friday
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Meets Monday, Tuesday, and Wednesday
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Mike Motschenbacher (R-47)
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Meets Thursday and Friday
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Gretchen Dobervich (D-11)
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Meets Monday, Tuesday, and Wednesday
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Lisa Finley-DeVille (D-4A)
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Meets Monday, Tuesday, and Wednesday
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Lawrence R. Klemin (R-47)
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Meets Thursday and Friday
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Patrick R. Hatlestad (R-1)
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Lawrence R. Klemin (R-47)
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Mike Motschenbacher (R-47)
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Meets Thursday and Friday
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Lisa Finley-DeVille (D-4A)
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The Century Club supports our year-round work to build party infrastructure supporting candidate recruitment, local district and regional leadership, issue-based education, and tools for Dem-NPL success.
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Help us elect great Democrats up and down the ballot!
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The North Dakota Democratic-NPL is launching a new grassroots program called “Neighbor to Neighbor” where volunteers will connect with voters in your community to elect Democrats up and down the ballot. As a volunteer, you will be responsible for connecting with voters in 25 homes in your neighborhood or friends and family to help elect Democrats up and down the ballot about 3-4 times this year.
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Grassroots organizers are the lifeblood of the Dem-NPL! Sign up to volunteer with the Dem-NPL!
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