BISMARCK (North Dakota Monitor) – North Dakota is one of just four states where the Legislature does not meet every year, but that could change starting in 2027 if the state Senate follows the lead of the House.
The House of Representatives on Friday voted 64-26 to pass House Bill 1408, to meet and pass a budget every year.
Bill sponsor Rep. Landon Bahl, R-Grand Forks, and other advocates of annual sessions said the change should lead to fewer, better quality bills, a bigger pool of legislative candidates and a more responsive and effective Legislature.
The state constitution limits the Legislature to being in session for 80 days over two years. The bill would comply with that, using annual 40-day sessions.
“Employees can now ask their employer for only two months of leave instead of a third of a year,” Bahl said.
Rep. Scott Louser, R-Minot, said committees of the Legislature could continue to meet year-round, giving lawmakers more time to collaborate and work on bills. He said it would allow for more public input from the public.
He said when the Legislature does meet, it could have bills ready to pass much earlier in the session.
Rep. Brandy Pyle, R-Casselton, noted that the House Appropriations Committee that she is on has been putting in 13-hour days this session trying to keep up with the number of bills being considered.
Some critics predicted there would not be fewer bills and it would not reduce the workload for part-time legislators.
Rep. Jeff Hoverson, R-Minot, said the change would grow government and would rob legislators from getting a break from state government in off years.
The fiscal note for the bill predicts a savings of nearly $3 million in the 2025-2027 biennium and an additional cost of $2.3 million in the biennium starting in 2027, when the annual session begins.
One reason why Bahl said the time is right to go to annual sessions is because of a term-limits measure passed in 2022. With more inexperienced lawmakers coming into the Legislature, he said more committee meetings outside of the session will help them get up to speed instead of trying to learn during a frantic 80-day session.
Bahl said the Legislature is dominated by three employment categories — farmer and rancher, self-employed and retirees. He said more people would be able to serve in shorter annual sessions, making for a more diverse Legislature.
The bill will go to the Senate for consideration.
If North Dakota approves annual legislative sessions, it would leave Montana, Nevada and Texas as the only states that meet every two years.
Comments