A group is working to get enough signatures to refer the bill dealing with a proposed Theodore Roosevelt Presidential Library and Museum to voters.
That facility would be built in Medora.
The 2019 Legislature passed a bill to appropriate $15 million from the state’s General Fund, plus allow for a $35 million loan from the Bank of North Dakota to create an endowment fund – if $100 million can be raised privately. The $50 million would go toward maintenance and operation.
The bill was one of Gov. Doug Burgum's priorities in the 2019 Legislature.
"I have a sense that the $100 million will be raised by next June," Burgum said. "So, if it were on the ballot, and voters said we will turn down $100 million of private capital coming into North Dakota, that would be an odd vote, with a low chance of passing."
Burgum said he believes the voters would not turn away from the opportunity.
"This will create one of the greatest tourism attractions the state's ever had," Burgum said. "It has the highest return on investment for taxpayers, and seems like a fantastic investment."
