General News

Members of the Legislature’s Procedures and Arrangements Committee are on board with plans to make Legislative committee rooms compliant with the Americans with Disabilities Act.

State facilities management director John Boyle told the Committee doors need to be replaced on all but the newest committee rooms, as well as the House and Senate chambers.

"Each of the doors coming into a double-door committee room is 30 inches, and the ADA requires 36 inches," Boyle said. "One of the doors would have to become larger."

North Dakota law enforcement agencies will be participating in a “Click It or Ticket” event, from July 1 through August 13.

The event is to encourage people to buckle up.

"It is part of our 'HEAT' strategy, which is 'Highway Enforcement of Aggressive Traffic," said North Dakota Department of Transportation Safety Public Information Manager Lauren Bjork. "We're running the HEAT strategy throughout the summer, encouraging people to wear their seat belts, drive sober and distraction free, and follow all posted speed limits."

Gov. Doug Burgum has signed an executive order extending the renewal date for driver’s licenses and vehicle registrations that expire on or after March 1 until August 31.

In March, Burgum signed the original order for licenses and registrations because of the COVID-19 pandemic.

"This executive order simply adds an end date, compared to what we had before, which was open-ended," Burgum said. "That means on September 1, all North Dakota driver's license and motor vehicle registrations will need to be up to date."

North Dakota’s crime rate dropped slightly in 2019, compared with 2018.

Attorney General Wayne Stenehjem said notable among those is a reduction in DUI arrests, as well as a drop in drug arrests.

"I can tell you, our narcotics task force is working as hard as they ever have," Stenehjem told reporters.

North Dakota’s Budget Director said the state is still projected to end the current two year period with money in the bank.

Joe Morrissette told the Legislature’s interim Government Finance Committee, earlier projections had the bank balance at around $200 million on June 30, 2021 – the end of the biennium. But Morrissette said the numbers reported in May were not looking good.

"For the month of May, we saw sales tax that was short of the original Legislative forecast by 35%, or $27 million," Morrissette said. "That's the worst month that we've seen."

It’s been two years since North Dakota has been collecting sales taxes from Internet retailers.

That was made possible in the "Wayfair v. South Dakota" court case, which overturned the earlier "Quill v. North Dakota" decision.

"We've collected almost $60 million in state and local taxes from that decision in just two short years," North Dakota Tax Commissioner Ryan Rauschenberger said.

Former University of Mary president Sister Thomas Welder has died at the age of 80.

She was named president of what was then Mary College in 1978. She served until 2009.

Sister Thomas had recently been diagnosed with kidney cancer. She passed away early Monday morning.

Her successor – Monsignor James Shea – attributes the growth at U-Mary to Sister Thomas’ vision and tenacity. Shea said she can be described as having “grace and grit.”