One of our responsibilities during an election is to bring the listeners the latest numbers — who won, who lost, and where there may be a recount. We did that for North Dakota, and NPR kept tabs on the makeup of Congress.
I saw a few surprises, mainly on the Legislative side in North Dakota. But what surprised me the most was the low turnout for the election. I thought the two Constitutional measures would have sent people to the polls, but I was wrong. Still, we had a fair election, and that’s what democracy is all about.
Now comes the Legislative session. First will be the organizational session from December 1-3. The Governor will give his budget address at that time, and we could learn who the floor leaders will be. And we’ll know the makeup of the standing committees. Then we’ll see bills being introduced. I’m looking forward to it.
What I expect from the Legislative session
Here’s what I expect to be discussed during the upcoming Legislative session (and I could be wrong):
- Further discussion on kratom
- A proposal to build a new Legislative wing on the Capitol
- A proposal to solve parking around the Capitol
- A proposal to provide meals to every student at school – but this would be a statute, rather than a Constitutional measure
- Some discussion of the funding formula for higher education
- What to do with data centers
- Possibly some further discussion of oil and gas issues, such as “stripper well” taxation and using CO2 for enhanced oil recovery.
I’m more than sure there will be other issues, discussions, and debates. Stay tuned.
