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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 [email protected]. Spread the word of our newsletter by sharing our sign-up link today: https://demnpl.com/join-our-newsletter/.
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The North Dakota Legislative Session is fast-paced and every bill gets a vote unless it's withdrawn. Are there bills you want to know more about or bills that you are following that you think should get more attention? Please let us know!
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Karla Rose Hanson’s (D-44) bills to protect IVF (HB 1477) and birth control (HB 1478) failed in the House. Karla said, “Rep. Jayme Davis from the Human Services Committee had an awesome floor speech about the importance of this care for people who need medical help to build their families. Rep. Van Winkle gave some interesting remarks about protecting life, monitoring the ethics of IVF, and even eugenics. Defending the bill, Rep. Gretchen Dobervich from the Human Services Committee talked about the attacks on contraception in other states and how critical contraception is for women to prevent unplanned pregnancies and treat many medical conditions.”
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Rep. Lori VanWinkle’s (R-3) bill (HB 1373) which would have redefined criminal offenses, including murder, to apply to fertilized eggs. Had it passed, it could have sent North Dakotans to prison for IVF, abortion, and potentially even miscarriages. Women shouldn’t face JAIL TIME for starting or growing their family on their terms. Shame on Representatives Dennis Fisher (Minot), Matt Heilman (Bismarck), Donna Henderson (Calvin), Jeff Hoverson (Minot), Dan Johnston (Kathryn), Jim Kasper (Fargo) Dwight Kiefert (Valley City) Roger Maki (Watford City), Andrew Marschall (West Fargo), Desiree Morton (Fargo), Dennis Nehring (Williston), SuAnn Olson (Baldwin), Doug Osowski (Grand Forks), Nico Rios (Williston), Lori VanWinkle (Minot), and Christina Wolff (Minot) who voted for it!
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Even more shame on VanWinkle who said “Perhaps women are going to the IVF clinics because judgment is on their womb and god has effectively closed their womb.”
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Democratic-NPL Bills
Rep. Austin Foss (D-44) presented HB 1516 which would provide teachers with a formal voice as board observers on school boards.
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Rep. Jayme Davis (D-9) presented HB 1536 which would provide funding for the Department of Public Instruction to implement a Native American history curriculum.
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Sen. Josh Boschee (D-44) presented SCR 4018 which would urge the Capitol Grounds Planning Commission to build a line-of-duty death memorial dedicated to honoring both volunteer and career Emergency Medical Services personnel who have lost their lives in service to the state
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What's coming up?
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On Thursday, Rep. Jared Hendrix will present HCR 3026 to encourage the US to annex Greenland.
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Rep. Nico Rios (R-23) will introduce HCR 3020 which urges "North Dakota to acknowledge the Kingship of Jesus Christ."
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Democratic-NPL Bills
Rep. Lisa Finley-DeVille (D-4a) will present HB 1581 to fund Department of Commerce tribal tourism grants.
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Sen. Kathy Hogan (D-21) will present SB 2389 to conduct a legislative management study regarding child care infrastructure.
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Rep. Jayme Davis (D-9) will present HCR 3023 to affirm the Legislative Assembly’s commitment to ensuring state-funded essential services, including education, law enforcement, infrastructure, and public health remain fully funded and operational, regardless of changes in federal funding allocations
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Help us spread our message—share these recent posts!
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Bills aim to improve access to dental care in North Dakota
“We need to take action,” said Rep. Mary Schneider, D-Fargo, who is one of the sponsors for the House bill. “We need effective and permanent ways to address lack of dental access for groups who rely on Medicaid for oral health.”
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Adding dental benefits to the Medicaid Expansion program is one step toward that goal, supporters of Senate Bill 2231 say. Currently, anyone on Medicaid receives dental benefits, but those who receive insurance through the Medicaid Expansion program don’t.
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North Dakota’s Kirsten Baesler nominated for key position in U.S. Education Department
State Superintendent Kirsten Baesler has been nominated assistant secretary of education for the Office of Elementary and Secondary Education, according to a news release issued by the White House on Tuesday evening, Feb. 11. The U.S. Department of Education agency oversees programs meant to improve outcomes for pre-kindergarten through 12th-grade students across the U.S.
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Port: 'Perhaps women are going to the IVF clinics because judgment is on their womb'
"Perhaps we have a workforce shortage because we're killing our children," she continued. "Perhaps women are going to the IVF clinics because judgment is on their womb and God has effectively closed their womb."
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Episode 5: We're Back in School
This episode, we’re back in school. Legislators narrowly voted down a bill (SB 2241) to authorize public charter schools. You can hear how and why charter schools are controversial - and why North Dakota continues to be one of five states that doesn’t have them.
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Port: Paying for school lunches is worth more to North Dakota families than an income tax cut
We are obliged to send our kids to school, and at school our kids have to eat. Covering that cost amounts to a $144 million targeted tax cut for North Dakota families with school-age children.
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We can find room for that in our state's budget. Even more so if we jettison the income tax cut nobody is asking for.
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'Truth in sentencing' bill could cost North Dakota roughly $269 million, prison leaders say
Senate Bill 2128 could need $90.7 million dollars to implement in the 2025-27 biennium, the North Dakota Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation estimated in a recently published fiscal note. The price would nearly double in the 2027-29 biennium to $178.6 million, the fiscal note said.
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Abortion, reproductive rights bills rejected in North Dakota House
“North Dakotans are asking us to protect their ability to seek medical care without government interference,” said Rep. Jayme Davis, D-Rolette, during floor debate. “Fertility impacts thousands of families across our state and modern medicine provides safe, effective treatments to help them have children.”
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Tribune editorial: State needs to keep funding Prairie Public
If legislators want a study that’s fine, but don’t cut funding before it’s done. And a study shouldn’t be conducted by legislators, but by an impartial outside group decided upon by both lawmakers and Prairie Public.
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Check out these posts from the national Democratic Party
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US aid freeze claims first victims as oxygen supplies cut off
A 71-year-old woman has died after her oxygen supply was cut off when the United States announced a freeze on aid funding.
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Inflation EXPLODES! Trump’s REVENGE Policy Won’t Bring It Down
Sam Stein and Tim Miller talk Donald Trump's broken promise to lower inflation on day one, as inflation rises 3% and consumer prices 0.5% amidst Trump's proposed policies.
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Judge rules Trump's sweeping plan to persuade federal workers to resign can move forward
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U.S. District Judge George A. O’Toole Jr. had temporarily halted the administration’s offer of mass buyouts to millions of federal workers last week, just hours before the Thursday deadline for employees to accept it. That order came after labor unions representing government workers filed suit alleging that the administration did not have the legal authority to offer such buyouts.
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In his ruling Wednesday, O'Toole found that the unions lacked legal standing to bring the suit.
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Trump’s shocking purge of public health data, explained
Some of this data was restored in a matter of days, but much of it was incomplete. In some cases, the raw data sheets were posted again, but the reference documents that would allow most people to decipher them were not. Meanwhile, health data continues to be taken down: The New York Times reported last week that data from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention on bird flu transmission between humans and cats had been posted and then promptly removed.
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Rape Crisis Centers Say Federal Funding Disruptions Are Impeding Life-Saving Programs
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Now, anti-sexual violence organizations—which have already faced a steadily worsening funding crisis in recent years—report unexplained disruptions of funding amid shakeups from the Trump administration. The disruptions come as unelected billionaire Elon Musk performs his hatchet job of an audit on federal agencies, and the Project 2025-powered Office of Management and Budget (OMB) seems determined to gut the entire government.
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On Friday, NPR reported that funding from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s Rape Prevention and Education Program has been delayed without explanation, hampering organizations’ ability to provide life-saving programs to rape and abuse survivors. This funding is disbursed to state health departments, which then allocate it to community anti-sexual violence organizations and rape crisis centers. A new grant cycle was set to begin on February 1, but the National Alliance to End Sexual Violence says that funding hasn’t come. (The organization says Nevada is the only state that hasn’t reported a disruption in funding for its health department’s anti-sexual violence services.)
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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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