(BISMARCK, N.D.) – Senate Democratic-NPL Leader Joan Heckaman (New Rockford) and House Democratic-NPL Leader Corey Mock (Grand Forks) issued the following statements following the conclusion of the 65^th legislative session.

Sen. Joan Heckaman 

“Throughout the legislative session, our Dem-NPL caucus was committed to working in a bipartisan fashion on good, sensible policies for North Dakota, while also holding the majority accountable when they were reckless or attempted to pass policies that were not in the best interests of our citizens. Democratic-NPL lawmakers played crucial roles in shaping and passing legislation that will have meaningful impacts on the lives of North Dakotans in every corner and every community in our state – from Fargo to Williston; Bowman to Cavalier.

“Democratic-NPL lawmakers played key roles in shaping policies that will help continue Medicaid expansion, which provides healthcare to over 18,000 North Dakotans, foster innovation in our schools, provide alternatives to incarceration, and protect victims of abuse, assault and domestic violence. We also opposed ill-conceived and, at times, detrimental laws that would have drastically reduced education funding, implemented a school voucher system without accountability, taxed senior citizens, and cut programs for the elderly, the homeless and victims of human trafficking. In some cases, we were able to prevent these irresponsible policies entirely; in other cases, we were able to blunt the severity of their impact.

“When it came to balancing the budget, we had strong differences in our positions, approach and priorities with the Republican caucus. We made these differences known, and we will continue to make our case to the citizens of North Dakota. But as we gavel out this evening after a long day of finalizing our legislative work, Democratic-NPL lawmakers can and should be proud of their accomplishments and the conviction with which they fought for all North Dakotans.”

Rep. Corey Mock:  

“At the beginning of the legislative session, lawmakers from both parties confronted a budget shortfall of $1.5 billion. This shortfall was in part the result of low commodity prices and a sagging economy. But it was also the result of excessive spending over the last several sessions and ill-advised tax cuts that sacrificed much of North Dakota’s revenue to benefit corporations and oil companies. In fact, the cost of the corporate income tax cuts and oil extraction tax cuts passed by the Republican majority amounted to one-third of the budget shortfall we faced.     

“Lawmakers in the Democratic-NPL caucus recognized the need to make cuts, eliminate inefficiencies, and find more cost-effective ways to run government. And in many areas, we worked in a bipartisan fashion to accomplish this. However, many of the decisions made by the majority to close our $1.5 billion shortfall were neither responsible, nor fair to our citizens, nor sustainable for our future – and we strongly opposed them. These decisions were irresponsible because they imposed severe cuts to core services and eliminated proven, cost-effective programs that served our citizens well. They were unfair because they held corporations harmless while increasing property taxes and asking rural towns and working families to make disproportionate sacrifices. And they were unsustainable because the majority chose to drain our savings accounts, leaving few options to maintain our obligations and respond to future budget shortfalls.”

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE:
Friday, April 21

(BISMARCK, N.D.) – Democratic-NPL Representative Karla Rose Hanson (Fargo) provided powerful testimony yesterday on HB 1040, a bill to address North Dakota’s behavioral health crisis by enacting recommendations from the interim Human Services Committee.

Speaking on the House floor, Rep. Hanson said:

“Last fall, I was knocking on doors in my North Fargo neighborhood. One day, the man who answered the door apologized to me. I was surprised. And he said: ‘I’m sorry; I just can’t focus right now. Last night, my son overdosed on heroin, and it took two doses of Narcan to bring him back.

“He was distraught about his son, but he was also hopeless about what help could be available. So, we sat on his front steps and talked. We talked about the severe shortage of addiction treatment and mental health care across our state. And we talked about what the legislature can do through policy changes and by funding direct services. 

“This father is unfortunately not alone. I spoke with so many families who felt our state should place a bigger priority on behavioral health services. One mom cried on my shoulder because she lost a daughter to suicide. Another raged because the only way her son could get help for his addiction was to get treatment in jail. Many other families worried about the increase in property crime and violent crime in our neighborhoods […] 

“Across the state, we need to do more. Our behavioral health services are in a crisis, and it’s of our own making. Many of you, I’m sure, have had similar conversations with your neighbors. Because of these conversations, we pledged to our constituents that we will do more for behavioral health. We will address the shortage of treatment and mental health services in our communities. That’s what we’ve promised. 

“My concern with this bill is that it’s another broken promise. Yes, we need to cut budgets during this session, but we should be making smart cuts. We already know that proven programs like peer-to-peer support work and are cost-effective in helping those who are struggling. And we also know it’s effective because it will cost taxpayers less in the long run. By investing in these programs now, it helps us avoid costly medical treatment down the road as well as less cost for law enforcement and criminal justice. Undoubtedly, it will help avoid the ultimate cost of lost lives. 

“So, I’m disappointed in the drastically reduced funding for this behavioral health bill, and I know that North Dakotans will be disappointed by yet another broken promise.”  

When HB 1040 was first introduced, it contained a total of $28 million for North Dakota’s unmet behavioral health needs. By the time the bill was passed, however, it included only $350,000 in funding, just one percent of the original amount.

Originally included in HB 1040 was $7 million in state dollars (which would generate another $7 million in matching federal funds) for children and youth with severe mental health problems. The interim Human Services Committee identified 3,800 children and youth for whom this funding was intended. Unfortunately, this funding was cut out of the final version of the bill.

Rep. Kathy Hogan added:

“House Bill 1040 was the backbone of the interim Human Services Committee’s recommendation to address the need for expanded behavioral health services in North Dakota. It was a comprehensive bill to develop a full range of services based on the Schulte recommendations in 2014. It was comprehensive to address the needs of adults and children with mental health and substance abuse issues.  

“The original funding was $28 million, of which $14 million was from the general fund. This bill is still important because it provides small steps that will help many, but it really doesn’t the crisis in behavioral health.

“Suicide rates continue to grow. There are several people in this chamber who’ve been dealing with issues related to suicide that I’m aware of. The opioid crisis consumes many individuals and families. Children and adolescents with moderate or severe mental health needs are simply not receiving care. Fewer than 10 percent of adults with serious chronic mental health issues receive services.

“Knowing we have a budget crisis, it’s easy to say there is nothing we can do. But without providing these services, North Dakota and our citizens are still paying. Our emergency rooms, our jails and prisons, homeless shelters, foster homes, are filled with people who have nowhere to go. People are dying because of the behavioral health crisis.    

“I urge you to vote green on the many steps this bill addresses. But when you go home at the end of the session, listen to the stories, attend the funerals of people who have committed suicide or passed away from opioid overdoses. Visit with your health care and behavioral health providers. This is an issue that isn’t going away, and we will be back in two years to address it.”

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FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE:
Tuesday, April 4

(BISMARCK, N.D.) – House and Senate Democratic-NPL lawmakers held a press conference Monday calling attention to the impact of budget cuts on North Dakota citizens. Specific impacts addressed at the press conference included cuts to higher education and state employment, reductions in funding for rural infrastructure, and unmet needs in behavioral health and addiction services. Dem-NPL lawmakers also sounded warnings over potential increases in property taxes due to reduced funding for services and reductions in the 12 percent property tax buydown.  

Cuts to Services:

“At the beginning of the session, lawmakers began work on HB 1040, a bill aimed at addressing North Dakota’s behavioral health crisis,” said Sen. Tim Mathern (D-11, Fargo). “This bill recommended $28 million in funding for unmet behavioral health needs and addiction services. But by the time the bill passed the House, funding had been reduced to just $200,000, less than one percent of the original recommendations. This reduction means we won’t make anywhere near the same level of commitment to addressing suicide prevention, alcoholism, addition and abuse, all of which result in long-term costs for our communities.”    

“Deep cuts to higher education mean the loss of 600 or more positions in North Dakota’s university system,” said Rep. Kathy Hogan (D-21, Fargo). “But these cuts have even farther-reaching consequences, like reductions to entire programs, increases in tuition, more student debt, and fewer opportunities for cutting-edge research, which helps diversify and power our state’s economy.” 

“Rural communities could be especially hard hit by the closure of Department of Transportation ‘station shops,’ which help ensure roads are properly maintained and cleared of snow, ice and other obstructions during inclement weather,” said Senate Dem-NPL Leader Joan Heckaman (D-23, New Rockford). North Dakota has over 7,400 miles of state highways, nearly 20,000 miles of county roads, 56,000 miles of township roads, and 5,000 bridges, all of which must be maintained in safe and acceptable condition. Reductions in state funding mean less frequent maintenance and fewer dollars for upkeep of this infrastructure, added Heckaman.

Reduced Revenues & Property Taxes:

Senator Jim Dotzenrod (D-26, Wyndmere) emphasized the policies enacted by the Republican legislature during previous sessions, which substantially lowered revenue collections and contributed to North Dakota’s budget mess.  

“Over the last several sessions, our legislative leaders pushed through tax cuts for oil companies and reduced corporate taxes in a very large way,” said Dotzenrod. “Most of the benefits from these tax cuts went to individuals and corporations that are doing quite well and don’t need help from the government. Now that commodity prices and sales tax collections are down, we should be in an environment of shared sacrifice, which is a term we’re hearing very frequently in the halls of the Capitol. But those who have benefited the most from these earlier tax cuts are not being asked to give up any of the advantages or gains they’ve been given by the legislature. Instead, the legislature is talking about enacting cuts that primarily affect those on the lower end of the economic scale.”   

House Dem-NPL Leader Corey Mock (D-18, Grand Forks) discussed how the Republican supermajority is attempting to balance the budget and the long-term implications of their approach.

“As difficult as this budget is, future budgets will be even more challenging because we don’t have the ongoing revenue to support this approach – it’s just not sustainable,” said Mock. “Right now, we’re balancing our budget by draining all of our savings accounts, which are funded by the same oil taxes that have been slashed. We’re not going to have these savings accounts to draw on in future years. This approach will come back to haunt us, and we’re highly concerned that the next item on the chopping block is the property tax relief that’s been promised to our citizens. North Dakotans may see higher property taxes by next year, and that would be a clear violation of the promises this legislature has made.”

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 HB 1153 limits excessive bonuses for state employees

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE:
Wednesday, March 29 

(BISMARCK, N.D.) – Speaking on the House floor today, House Democratic-NPL leader Corey Mock (Grand Forks) urged lawmakers to override Governor Burgum’s veto of HB 1153, a bill limiting excessive bonuses for the governor’s staff and appointees:

“If we allow this veto to stand, and if the governor feels the need to give bonuses in excess of $5,000 per year, we will be doing this at a time when this very legislative body is eliminating approximately 1,400 full-time employees (FTEs) across the state. There’s no pay increases for any public employee, and there’s even a request from Governor Burgum for public employees to pay 5 percent of their health insurance premiums, a change public employees are simply not prepared for.

“So when you look at this, if we do not override this veto, we will have eliminated nearly 8 percent of public employee positions, given no pay raises – and you can even argue there’s a pay decrease – and yet we will be allowing the governor to pay bonuses in excess of $5,000 to his staff and appointees.

“So, Mr. Speaker, we all have to make some sacrifices. This is a difficult budget. But is it fair for the snowplow drivers, the teachers, the public employees, the nurses – who also work tirelessly for the people of North Dakota – to sacrifice their pay and then be treated differently than the governor’s own staff, who receive excessive bonuses?”  

HB 1153 sets limits on the dollar amount the governor is allowed to give his staff in retention bonuses, as well as bonuses he is allowed to offer other political appointees. The bill was a response to bonuses offered by former Governor Dalrymple to his staff, including bonuses between $20,000 and $32,000. Several of the staff in Gov. Dalrymple’s office who received bonuses were also retained by the Burgum administration. 

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