The last day of North Dakota’s legislative sessions brings ceremonies and celebration. There are traditions such as leaders’ speeches and the House singing “Auld Lang Syne,” but that comes after the work gets done.
North Dakota’s Legislature has 80 days every two years to write new laws and budgets. On this date in 1993, after a 16-hour day, the Senate adjourned sine die at 11:45 p.m., 15 minutes after the House. That ended a session of 77 days, three days short of the limit. It was the longest legislative session for North Dakota up to that point.
The 1993 session was notable for another reason. There hasn’t been a regular session since where the House was controlled by one party, and the Senate by the other. In this case, Republicans controlled the House 65-33, and Democrats controlled the Senate 25-24. It also was Republican Governor Ed Schafer’s first legislative session.
The last day of the session wasn’t easy. After starting at eight in morning, lawmakers by noon had acted on only two of the 15 bills that still needed attention. House and Senate majority leaders urged conference committees to reach agreements.
One of the last bills involved a fight over whether the state should have two or three state veterinarians. Senate Democrats and House Republicans also fought over State Fair funding, but the House won in the end. Another fight was over letting county residents vote on opening new landfills.
The day saw some downtime. Lawmakers had a parking-lot cookout, packed belongings, and later joined in a singalong with a representative on piano playing “Battle Hymn of the Republic” and “Old McDonald Had a Farm.”
After the ‘93 session, the lawmakers were called back for a special session in 1994 -- the last session to date when the House and Senate were controlled by different parties. In the fall of ‘94, Republicans took control of the Senate and have held majorities in both houses since then.
Dakota Datebook by Jack Dura
Sources:
The Bismarck Tribune, 1986, Dec. 31. Page 18.
The Bismarck Tribune, 1993, April 25. Page 1. Page 10.
The Bismarck Tribune, 1994, Nov. 9. Page 1.
The Bismarck Tribune, 1994, Dec. 12. Page 31.
https://www.legis.nd.gov/research-center/library/special-sessions-north-dakota-legislative-assembly
