BISMARCK, ND —  In the middle of the covid-19 pandemic and with cases rising in many parts of the country, the Justice Department sent a late-night brief to the Supreme Court asking to eliminate the entire Affordable Care Act. Without the ACA, thousands of North Dakotans would lose protections for preexisting conditions and our struggling rural hospitals would lose funding that kept them running even before covid-19 strained the healthcare system further. 

An additional 10,000 North Dakotans lost healthcare coverage during the pandemic that is far from over. About 35,000 North Dakotans would lose coverage in total, according to a Center for American Progress report published this week. Medicaid expansion, which the ACA made possible, has helped stabilize rural hospitals that have faced financial struggles for years, and are necessary infrastructure in their communities. 

Insurance Commissioner Jon Godfread and Attorney General Wayne Stenehjem support the lawsuit.

The Democratic-NPL Party Executive Director Michael Taylor said: 

“Even amid one of the greatest public health and economic crises the country has ever faced, Godfread and Stenehjem remain committed to a lawsuit that would strip protections for preexisting conditions and doom rural hospitals that provide invaluable critical access care. Whether we see another covid-19 wave or not, this lawsuit puts access to healthcare in jeopardy for thousands of North Dakotans.”

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BISMARCK, ND — Last week Travisia Martin, Dem-NPL candidate for Insurance Commissioner, returned a letter and materials to the Secretary of State, including testimony from her partner that attest to her residency in North Dakota since 2015. The materials also include a rental agreement that shows Martin’s home in Nevada was rented and occupied by someone else.

On Tuesday evening, the North Dakota Republican Party put out a blatantly false press release claiming she had not responded. Martin received an email from Secretary Al Jaeger confirming receipt of her letter.

Communications Director Alex Rohr said:

“The NDGOP kicked off what they’re calling a ‘truth-finding mission’ by either failing to check a basic fact or by blatantly lying about Travisia’s response. That’s despicable. They owe her and North Dakota voters an apology for making this misleading accusation. Jon Godfread has a lot of questions to answer about his involvement.”

Rohr continued:

“Since moving to North Dakota in 2015, Travisia has spent countless hours in hospitals all across the state as a traveling respiratory therapist, and has continued to serve during the pandemic. As a frontline healthcare worker, she knows what it looks like when politics are placed ahead of good policy. In this case, the NDGOP makes it clear, they’d rather make stuff up than defend their fight to eliminate protections for pre-existing conditions.”

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BISMARCK, ND — The Dem-NPL House and Senate Caucuses called today for a special session to ensure that the remainder of $1.25 billion in CARES Act funding is allocated fairly across North Dakota and to address the pandemic economy. Four Dem-NPL Legislators presented a $1 billion transportation bonding bill that would ensure counties, townships, and cities get the $230 million Prairie Dog funding they had planned on while freeing up $770 million for infrastructure projects statewide. The bonding infrastructure plan also frees up money for priority needs that cannot be bonded for, like education, human services, and other government functions as the state faces likely budget cuts.

The North Dakota Emergency Commission is expected to vote on spending $400 million of the $1.25 billion federal CARES Act funding on Thursday with a Legislative Budget Section meeting following next week. The Budget Section only has an up or down vote, which means six members of the same party are determining how to spend $1.25 billion, compared to the state’s $4.8 billion general fund spending. Fourteen districts have no representative in this process.

Sen. Tim Mathern said:

“No formal process for public input exists for spending $1.25 billion in federal money, compared to our general fund appropriation of $4.8 billion. Fourteen districts are completely left out of the process. Citizens deserve to be involved in how we spend this money to recover from the pandemic. Legislators have a responsibility to do our job in restarting our faltering economy.”

Sen. Larry Robinson said:

“The depressed ag economy is being compounded by serious road conditions throughout the state. In our particular area of the state we have road conditions that are in such disrepair that our farmers can’t get to their fields to harvest the 2019 crop so they can put in the 2020 crop. This is a high, high priority, and our farmers are asking for help. They need it now.”

Rep. Marvin Nelson said:

“We have to smooth out the boom and the bust. The state needs to have construction going when the rest of the economy is down, like now. We are behind the times and we’re building up this need for construction. This boom and bust is killing contractors, it’s cheating the public out of getting good value for their money. We need to do this bonding now to be responsible.”

House Minority Leader Josh Boschee said:

“The bonding bill is a way for us to save cash, to use smart investments when interest rates are low and to benefit our cities, our townships and our counties that were counting on Prairie Dog funding. It’s the right time, it’s the right opportunity. North Dakota has the tools to do this to make sure we make this money work best for our communities and for our citizens.”

Participants

Sen. Tim Mathern represents Senate District 11 in Fargo. Mathern is a member of the Budget Section and Appropriations Committee. He is Director of Public Policy at Prairie St. John’s. 

Rep. Marvin Nelson represents House District 9 and lives in Rolla. Nelson is a member of the Industry, Business, and Labor Committee and Transportation Committee. He is an agricultural consultant. 

Sen. Larry Robinson represents Senate District 24 and lives in Valley City. He is a member of the Budget Section and Appropriations Committee. Robinson is Executive Director of University Advancement at Valley State City University. 

House Minority Leader Josh Boschee represents District 44 in Fargo. He is a member of the Budget Section, Legacy Fund Earnings Committee, and Legislative Revenue Advisory Committee. He is a Broker at Hatch Realty.

Recording of press conference

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BISMARCK, ND — An Ad Hoc Committee on Food Access in North Dakota called today for $53 million in federal CARES Act funding to address ongoing food insecurity made worse by the covid-19 pandemic. Members of the group presented a three-pronged approach that included extending SNAP program benefits needed immediately while investing in local infrastructure and supply chains that support family farmers and our economy. 

The North Dakota Emergency Commission and Legislative Budget Section are expected to vote on spending a large portion of the state’s $1.25 billion federal CARES Act funding this month. As reported in multiple media outlets, Great Plains Food Bank has estimated a 44% increase in need network-wide. The virtual press conference Thursday followed a memo proposing a three-pronged approach to Assuring Access to Food sent by Sen. Kathy Hogan to Superintendent Kirsten Baesler, Agriculture Commissioner Doug Goehring, and Department of Human Services Executive Director Chris Jones. 

Assuring Access to Food

• Enhance and strengthen the SNAP program for people with low incomes in North Dakota
• Address food supply/distribution disruptions that are impacting many communities
• Strengthen emergency food networks throughout North Dakota

Sen. Kathy Hogan said:
“North Dakota has an amazing State Mill and Elevator. We have strong cooperatives that process sugar and grains. Based on these models, we need to look at the entire food chain to help our farmers and other partners produce the foods we need and the whole world will need.”

Karen K. Ehrens said: 
“North Dakotans have a long history of neighbor helping neighbor. What if we can use this time and resources available to meet the need for food now, and also use those resources so they will also be of help in the future?’

Jacqueline Lormé:
“The hunger is enough to break your heart when you hear a child say ‘I’m hungry,’ but it’s also affecting the health of my neighbors. It’s a full circle. If you don’t have access to food, you can’t be healthy. If you can’t be healthy, you can’t work productively.” 

Rep. Ruth Buffalo said: 
“Some of our tribal nations are already short-staffed and underfunded. They were already operating in crisis mode, but when the pandemic hit, it crippled many tribal programs. We have an opportunity to strengthen food sovereignty and partnerships among Tribal Nations. Many communities within tribal nations across North Dakota have started a record number of gardens. Partnerships are so important with local and tribal entities to help improve food access, transportation, and the quality and affordability of food.”

Participants 

Sen. Kathy Hogan represents District 21 in Fargo. She worked in human services for more than 40 years, including with a range of food security programs. She is a former director of Cass County Social Services.  

Karen K. Ehrens, RD, LRD is a food, nutrition, and health consultant and advocate who works with The Creating a Hunger Free ND Coalition. 

Jacqueline Lormé lives in the Madison neighborhood in North Fargo and has personally experienced the food crisis and sees how it affects her own neighborhood. She is a graduate of the Culinary Institute of America. 

Rep. Ruth Buffalo represents District 27 in Fargo, is an enrolled member of the M.H.A. Nation, and is originally from Mandaree. She is a public health professional and educator.

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BISMARCK, ND — Zach Raknerud secured the Democratic-NPL nomination for North Dakota’s congressional district tonight with a resounding victory. Raknerud was endorsed as the Democratic-NPL candidate for Congress at the virtual state convention in March. 

Democratic-NPL Chairwoman Kylie Oversen said:

“As a working class, lifelong North Dakotan, Zach knows the struggles working families face every day with access to healthcare and opportunity. He will be a present, active, and vocal representative who stands up for justice and accountability. He will go to Washington with your interests and your goals in mind in contrast to our current representative who has been all-but silent during the national crisis and unrest.” 

The election results also confirm the nomination of the Dem-NPL’s other six statewide candidates and 55 legislative candidates who will be on the ballot on November 3.

Oversen continued:

“Our candidates are incredibly excited and have been preparing for the run-up to November for months. During the covid-19 crisis, they have found new and creative ways to connect with voters who are ready for representatives dedicated to an economy and state government that work for all North Dakotans.” 

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BISMARCK, ND — The Emergency Commission held a specially scheduled meeting Tuesday to make recommendations on more than $524 million in CARES Act money to the Office of Management and Budget as well as millions in other federal money and expenditures. The Legislative Budget Section committee will vote on the allocation on Friday. North Dakota is receiving more than $1.25 billion in federal covid-19 relief funding.

House Minority Leader Josh Boschee and Senate Minority Leader Joan Heckaman, both members of the Budget Section, released the following statements:

House Minority Leader Josh Boschee said:

“We support the commission’s recommendation because we know public employees need funding now and we support the work they’re doing to manage the crisis. But when North Dakota spends hundreds of millions of dollars, we need to ensure the public is able to provide input as part of the process, so we can have a relief plan that works for all North Dakotans. We need to take care of our small businesses and employers, but workers and families are the foundation of our communities and economy.”

Senate Minority Leader Joan Heckaman said:

“The reason we have three branches of government is to hold each other accountable. The reason we have local representatives from every county, town, and city is because each one has different needs and deserves a voice speaking on their behalf. Many small and regional nonprofits and agencies are doing a lot of work they wouldn’t normally do, and they also should be at the table. More than a billion dollars in federal money requires greater and earlier input and transparency, so it’s allocated equitably.”

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