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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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What happened today?
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Keep Public Dollars in Public Schools
Of the bills that sought to use public dollars to fund private schools, only two remain: SB 2400 and HB 1540. On this front, there was good news and bad news today.
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Sen. Michelle Axtman's (R-7) bill (SB 2400) received a DO NOT PASS recommendation from the House Education Committee. That is good news, but we must continue to reach out to our State Representatives to tell them to VOTE NO on SB 2400.
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In the Senate Education Committee, however, Rep. Ben Koppelman's (R-16) bill (HB 1540) received a DO PASS recommendation.
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Democratic-NPL Bills
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Rep. Jayme Davis’ (D-9) bill (HB 1564) to update North Dakota's Indian Child Welfare law is headed to the Governor's desk to be signed!
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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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Letter: A bill in Congress threatens every American’s right to vote
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Military families punished: North Dakota has a strong military presence, and service members often relocate. Under this law, they’d need to provide additional documentation every time they re-register, and a military ID alone wouldn’t be enough to prove citizenship.
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Disaster victims disenfranchised: North Dakota has faced 28 federally declared disasters in the last two decades—many of them floods. Families recovering from devastation often lose critical documents. Forcing them to navigate bureaucratic red tape just to vote is unfair and unnecessary.
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Women and name changes: Over 160,000 married women in North Dakota likely changed their last name. Across the U.S., an estimated 69 million women do not have citizenship documents that match their current legal name. This law would force them to go through a costly and time-consuming process just to exercise their fundamental right to vote.
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Democratic ND senator proposes doubling Ethics Commission budget, citing Holmberg case
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A state senator wants to more than double the staff for the North Dakota Ethics Commission, arguing the state should be doing more to prevent public corruption.
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The amendment was brought before the House Appropriations Committee’s Education and Environment Division on Wednesday by Sen. Tim Mathern, D-Fargo.
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He said his proposal was prompted by news coverage of former Republican state Sen. Ray Holmberg’s prison sentence.
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“It seems like every week, sometimes every day, there’s some sort of news story about our former colleague, Sen. Holmberg,” Mathern told lawmakers.
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Riaz Aziz explains Trump's "Liberation Day" regarding economic tariffs
Joel Heitkamp is joined by Riaz Aziz to have a conversation on the economy, and the impact of tariffs. President Trump will announce the details of his “Liberation Day” plan later today, where he plans to chance economic agreements with Canada and Mexico.
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Riaz Aziz is an Instructor of Economics at Concordia College, and has taught graduate and undergraduate courses in business, economics, management, finance, and entrepreneurship. Riaz is also the CEO of the Begunahi Foundation USA, which is dedicated to educating and empowering underprivileged women in India.
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Opposition to North Dakota SB 2128 "Truth in Sentencing"
Guest host Dane DeKrey is joined by Jesse Walstad with Vogel Law to discuss SB 2128 and why they oppose it passing on Afternoons Live with Tyler Axness.
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Mandatory Minimum Sentencing Moving Through the North Dakota Legislature
Guest host Adam Martin and special co-host Scott College welcome Tracy Reams with Barkus Law Firm to discuss SB2128 and why they think Mandatory Minimum Sentencing is the wrong way to go for our state, on Afternoons Live with Tyler Axness.
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Hearing set Thursday on North Dakota legislative resolution prompted by Holmberg conviction
The proposal suggests that lawmakers explore mandatory reporting requirements for public officials, for one. It also asks that legislators study creating a body within the Attorney General’s Office specifically for investigating allegations of child exploitation by public officials.
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'Bloodbath': Protesters meet Trump at every step as he butchers U.S. government agencies
Rachel Maddow looks at some of the extreme actions Donald Trump has taken in the 24 hours that Senator Cory Booker was delivering his history-making speech in the Senate, from slashing thousands of healthcare jobs to cutting veterans' health services to snatching immigrants off the street, with Americans protesting every step of the way.
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Gutting Rural Education: the GOP's long-term plan
North Carolina Representative Julie Von Haefen, Tennessee Representative J.C. Bowman, and Iowa Representative and One Country Project board member J.D. Scholten join The Hot Dish to discuss the challenges facing public education in rural America. The conversation highlights the efforts to fight against the dismantling of public education systems and the consequences of funding private schools with public dollars. Heidi Heitkamp leads the conversation, emphasizing the importance of this issue for rural communities and the future of American education.
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Heidi and Joel Heitkamp delve into the vital role of public education in maintaining democratic values and fostering community. They encourage listeners to support public schools by advocating for policies that prioritize educational access for all. Gain valuable insights into the ongoing battle for public education and hear the various arguments against the privatization of public schools. The guests provide a comprehensive view of the political challenges and the grassroots efforts needed to protect public schools and uphold educational equity.
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Free Speech? Not If You’re A Foreign Student.
As video of federal agents stopping Tufts student Rumeysa Ozturk on the street and taking her away to be detained circulated on social media, people kept asking, “how could this happen here?” The answer involves organizations that claim to help the federal government identify and find activists, and victims whose rights to free speech and due process can be swiftly suspended.
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Report: Mike Waltz, staff used Gmail to discuss sensitive military positions and weapons systems
Mary McCord, Former Acting Assistant Attorney General for National Security at the Justice Department join Nicolle Wallace on Deadline White House with reaction to new stunning reporting by The Washington Post, that NBC News has not yet independently verified, which has uncovered how embattled Trump national security adviser Mike Waltz and his staff have reportedly used Gmail for official government business, which is a far less secure communications application than Signal, which was already a massive security failure, and what it says about Waltz’s recklessness when it comes to communications when it comes to official government business.
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Donald Trump Fell for Elon Musk’s Big Con
The key to pulling off a big con, Henry Gondorff tells Johnny Hooker in 1973’s The Sting, is maintaining the façade: “He can’t know you took him.” Right now, that’s exactly what Musk is doing with Trump. For the low price of $288 million—chump change when you’re the world’s richest person, valued at $350 billion—Musk has been handed the keys to the U.S. government and given the run of the place, while Trump seems to have convinced himself that he’s still in charge. Meanwhile, angry crowds are storming Republican town halls, furious that DOGE is killing jobs, destroying vital services, and attacking the social safety net while enriching Musk. Elections are turning in Democrats’ favor, potentially imperiling Trump’s power to enact his agenda. And yet, there sits the duped president behind the Resolute Desk, grinning like a senile old lady who’s happily given out her bank card and Social Security number to a cunning younger man with an accent.
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5 takeaways from Tuesday's elections, including bad news for Elon Musk
Musk went all in in the Wisconsin judicial race. Groups with the world's richest man's backing spent some $20 million. He also made an appearance in the state (wearing a cheese hat), offered $1 million checks to voters and even said "the entire destiny of humanity" could rest on the race.
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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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