Gov. Doug Burgum will be meeting with state Legislative leaders and Appropriations Committee chairmen Monday, to discuss a special Legislative session to deal with the state Supreme Court ruling that found the Office of Management and Budget spending bill to be unconstitutional.
The OMB bill is traditionally one of the last – if not the last – bill the Legislature passes. It ends up being a “catch-all” measure that goes beyond the OMB office budget. The bill the 2023 Legislature passed has nearly 70 sections.
House Appropriations Committee chairman Don Vigesaa (R-Cooperstown) said there’s no doubt lawmakers will have to come back to Bismarck.
"I understand that right now, it's a 30-day stay, so we'll have to do something within that time period," Vigesaa said in an interview. "That is, unless we would ask for an extension of that, to give us a little more time."
Vigesaa said it takes some time to get organized for a special session.
Will that mean individual bills for each of the sections of SB 2015? Vigesaa said he expects the Legislative Council staff will clarify that.
"We may have to do individual bills to address each section," Vigesaa said. "Some could be combined into a bill."
Vigesaa said at the end, SB 2015 was overwhelmingly approved by lawmakers in both chambers. And he hopes the high court will give the Legislature a little more time.
"We don't want to rush into doing what's right," Vigesaa said.