From three boards, to two boards, to an expanded single board.

The Republican and Democratic floor leaders in the North Dakota Senate are the sponsors of a Constitutional measure to expand the state Board of Higher education by three members, making it an 11-member board.

The state Senate has approved the Secretary of State’s budget – including money for new voting machines.

That budget includes $8.2 million to replace the voting devices, which Secretary of State Al Jaeger has said are outdated, and use a no-longer-supported operating system.

"We heard from a county organization that suggested if we didn't take this step, we could quite possibly see a serious malfunction or problem in our future elections," said Sen. John Grabinger (D-Jamestown). "In fact, I heard from my own county leaders, and they would concur."

The state Senate has voted to spend up to $45 million from the earnings of the state Legacy Fund for research at NDSU and UND.

The two institutions had earlier suggested $100 million over the next two year period. But the Senate bill caps the fund at 15 percent of Legacy Fund earnings.

The House overwhelmingly rejected a bill to create two boards of higher education.

The single board system in place now would be replaced with one board for the two research universities and one board to govern the other 9 campuses.

The House Education Committee recommended a “do-not-pass” on the bill. The committee’s chairman –  Representative Mark Owens (R-Grand Forks) – said this bill seems to be premature, because it will require a vote of the people.

The House has rejected a bill that supporters say would make it easier for women to breastfeed their infants in public.

The bill was introduced after a woman who was breastfeeding an infant was asked to leave a Fargo restaurant.

The bill would take the phrase “in a discrete and modest manner” out of the law, and it would make it an infraction for a business owner to prevent a woman from breastfeeding.

Rep. Karen Karls (R-Bismarck) said an infraction could carry a penalty of up to $1000 – and she found that troubling. She said it is often a customer who complains.

The North Dakota House has rejected a bill to allow trained dental hygienists to perform some of the functions dentists perform.

That would include simple extractions, fillings and exams.

The bill’s main sponsor – Rep. Bill Devlin (R-Finley) – argued that allowing dental hygienists to work on these needs under the supervision of a dentist will provide more access to dental care, especially in areas where there is a shortage of dentists.

In 2015, the University of Mary launched its “Vision 2030” campaign.

It had an ambitious goal – to raise $272 million. The first phase goal was $96 million.

Tuesday, the University announced it had met -- and surpassed -- that goal.

"We raised almost $101 million," announced U-Mary Vice President for Public Affairs Jerome Richter at a ceremony on campus.

That was the first of three phases.

U-Mary President Msgr. James Shea said the campaign will now take a short pause to regroup.