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Interim committee chairman wants to report on the study of legal pot before the election

A Legislative interim committee is studying the potential effects of voters approving recreational marijuana.

Two separate measures will be on the November ballot.

The chairman of the interim Judiciary Committee – Rep. Larry Klemin (R-Bismarck) – is concerned that interim committee reports are due to the Legislative Management Committee, after the election is held.

"It doesn't make a whole lot of sense for us to give a report to Legislative Management in the middle of November, after the election is over," Klemin sais. "I think the report should be made available to the public before the election."

Klemin suggested the report could be given at the September meeting of Legislative Management.

But House Minority Leader Josh Boschee (D-Fargo) said he has a concern with that.

"I feel like we're trying to make an impact on an election," Boshee said. "We change our processes to sway one way or the other."

However, the Legislative Management Committee is to hold a hearing on the fiscal impact of initiated measures at least 30 days before the election. And Klemin said he will have a presentation ready for that meeting.

"There's a definite fiscal impact from the passage of the recreational marijuana provision," Klemin said. "There's also social impacts."

That meeting date is not yet set.

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