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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?
Unfortunately, Sen. Michelle Axtman’s (R-7) bill (SB 2241) to make charter schools legal in North Dakota passed the House today.
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Rep. Mary Schneider’s bill (HB 1410) to review state laws relating to criminal conduct against children had a hearing, and the Senate Judiciary Committee immediately gave it a DO PASS recommendation.
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What's coming up?
| Sen. Keith Boehm’s (R-33) book-banning bill (SB 2307) has not left the House Appropriations Committee yet, but it will hit the House Floor for a vote soon! Our librarians shouldn't have to worry about facing CRIMINAL CHARGES because one patron doesn't like a book. North Dakotans could also lose access to e-book/audiobook apps like Hoopla and Libby and our students could lose access to academic journals. Tell your Representatives to VOTE NO on SB 2307! |
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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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Erin Oban talks about the importance of public dollars staying with public schools
Joel Heitkamp is broadcasting from the Capitol to focus on a few bills that aim to put public dollars towards private schools. Erin Oban is a former State Senator from Bismarck and served as the state director of USDA Rural Development. She's now working with North Dakotans for Public Schools, to advocate against Senate Bill 2400 and House Bill 1540 that would use public dollars for private education.
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NDFU's Mark Watne explains how the tariffs are impacting North Dakota farmers
Joel Heitkamp is joined in the KFGO studio by Mark Watne, the President of North Dakota Farmers Union. Mark was elected president in November 2013, and talks with Joel about the tariffs that President Trump has implemented, as well as the status of the Farm Bill.
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Cancel-Culture Crybabies
This is all very Project 2025, which calls for ending tenure for service academy professors, which would end any sense of academic freedom and reduce the quality of instruction, and conducting a course audit to remove “Marxist indoctrination.” Everything the Heritage Foundation doesn’t like is Marxism.
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North Dakota farmers brace for financial fallout from China’s retaliatory soybean tariffs
Farmers like Christie Jaeger and her family from Esmond, N.D., say they can only prepare so much for how the tariffs will affect their income.
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“When it’s such a big hit, like a tariff on products that we normally sell overseas ... it really makes one wonder how things are going to go this fall financially,” Jaeger said.
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Dr. Aimee Copas talks about public school funding from the ND State Capitol
Joel Heitkamp is broadcasting from the North Dakota State Capitol to focus on a few bills that aim to put public dollars towards private schools. Dr. Aimee Copas is the Executive Director of the North Dakota Council of Educational Leaders, and talks with Joel about school funding.
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Homeland Security email error prompts 'terror and panic' for Moorhead woman from Ukraine
Some members of the Fargo-Moorhead Ukrainian community, now living and working legally in the area, are dealing with a wave of emotions after a weekend email from the Department of Homeland Security to a Moorhead family told tthem they had seven days to get out of the country.
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After more than 12 hours of fear and unknowns, another email arrived told them "it was sent in error."
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It didn’t need fixing
I’ve asked a number of times what Trump’s goal is. What is his end game? I’ve had three different reasons come at me. Some say it’s to turn America into a country that manufactures every thing the world could need. Some say it’s to raise the money we need to lower our national debt. And others think this could be Trump’s way of causing a market correction.
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Letter: Library censorship bill is vague, expensive and unworkable
SB 2307 (library censorship) is vague, expensive, subjects our North Dakota libraries to the whims of anyone from any state, is potentially unworkable especially for smaller libraries, and is vehemently opposed by so many North Dakotans (I calculated 85% of online testimony as opposed; many of the few in favor were from out of state organizations).
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Check out these posts from the national Democratic Party
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Economist says there's a math error in the formula used to calculate Trump's tariffs
Dr. Stan Veuger breaks down the math that President Donald Trump's administration used to calculate the tariffs and says there's an error in the equation.
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'Citizenship won't save you': Free speech advocates say student arrests should worry all
"This is what happens in a dictatorship, and these are test cases," said Eric Lee, a lawyer who represents Momodou Taal, a Cornell University Ph.D. student and advocate for Palestinian rights whose visa was revoked. "If the government can get away with doing this to these students, it can do it to everybody in this country. Your citizenship won't save you. ... Your views will be next."
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‘I see a pile of manure’: Nicolle Wallace on Trump's economy ahead of tariffs kicking in
Douglas Holtz-Eakin, Former Congressional Budget Office Director, Charlotte Howard, Executive Editor at The Economist and Tim Miller, former RNC Spokesperson join Nicolle Wallace on Deadline White House with to discuss the continued plummet of the stock market, and how long the business community many of whom supported Donald Trump’s re-election, will tolerate his policies which have single handedly hurt the economy.
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‘Bad math on steroids’: Democratic senator berates Trump trade official over tariffs
Sen. Mark Warner (D-VA) asks US Trade Representative Jamieson Greer about President Donald Trump's tariffs on Australia at a Senate Finance Committee hearing.
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Here’s What One of Trump’s Grantee Termination Letters Looks Like
“The termination of your grant represents an urgent priority for the administration,” acting NEH head Michael McDonald, who stepped into leadership when President Trump pushed the former director to resign, explained in this letter addressed only to “NEH Grantee.” The agency is “repurposing its funding allocations in a new direction in furtherance of the President’s agenda,” and my “grant’s immediate termination is necessary to safeguard the interests of the federal government.”
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‘Let Kansans live free’: Leaked emails to efficiency portal call for abortion rights, school funding
Nearly 60 submissions included criticism of the Kansas Attorney General’s performance. Many claimed Kris Kobach’s “frivolous lawsuits” have cost Kansas taxpayers millions, and others called for him to be fired.
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Amy Warfield, a Hays resident in her 30s, said “a more efficient Kansas state government would better seek to reign in vanity lawsuits” from Kobach, which include banning abortion drug mifepristone, blocking immigrants without citizenship from being counted in the Census, and limiting Title IX protections for youths.
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‘Literally heartbreaking as a librarian’ 150 titles pulled from Rutherford County school libraries
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Rutherford County school librarians’ phones started buzzing with traded messages of fear and frustration as soon as the central office email directive arrived on an otherwise routine Tuesday morning:
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150 book titles had to be removed from the shelves – or tracked down and taken from kids who had borrowed them.
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“Librarians had to drop everything they were doing: no more checking books in and out, no answering questions or assisting with research, not able to do the jobs they love to do. Some even had to shut down their library for the day,” said Elizabeth Shepherd, librarian at the Discovery School in Murfreesboro who described the frantic text message exchanges among fellow librarians that ensued.
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Lawyer for U-M protester detained at airport after spring break trip with family
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While in the interrogation room, Makled said, a man in plain clothes entered and began speaking to him. He said he recalls the man telling him: "We know you're a lawyer. We know you take on big cases."
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Makled said he responded: "I said, 'I’m not a famous lawyer. Let’s get to the bottom. What's the issue here?' "
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According to Makled, there were two men in the room with him. One told him it's a federal crime to lie to a federal agent.
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"I'm aware of that," Makled said. "But you're not identifying yourself."
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One agent handed him a pamphlet about confiscating phones at the border. Makled, who is familiar with the law, said he was well aware that the government can confiscate one's phone for a period of time and then give it back. But he said he told the agents he wasn't going to let them have his phone because it contained privileged information with all of his clients.
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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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