701-566-9300January Special Session Update
January 21 through 23, I attended the 69th Legislative Assembly – Special Session. The Legislature introduced and held hearings on 12 bills in total and approved or enacted ten of those bills.
The special session was called by the Governor for the purpose of eligibility for receipt of one hundred ninety-nine million dollars from the federal Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services...
Parrell’s Perspectives 2026 #1: January 21st Special Session Gearing Up
On January 13-14, I attended the hearings for the Legislative Rural Health Transformative Interim Committee. However, Legislative Management also met to lay out the rules and procedures for the Special Session commencing on January 21 and likely concluding January 23.
The Governor called this special session to address the grant award of $199 million dollars from the federal Centers for...
Parrell’s Perspectives 2025 #14 — Annual Commodity Councils and Agriculture Associations Joint Meeting
I was pleased to attend the North Dakota Department of Agriculture’s meeting on November 17. The morning session featured reports from all fourteen commodity councils and groups, each highlighting strong productivity and positive developments across their respective crops and agricultural sectors.
Despite the overall optimism, several important concerns were raised. Attendees discussed the...
Parrell’s Perspectives 2025 #13 — Agriculture and Water Management Interim Committee Holds First Meeting
The committee held its first meeting September 11 at the Capitol. The agenda and meeting were divided between presentations related to the wetland regulations and the tax treatment of inundated agricultural lands study and the agricultural insurance discount program study. In the morning, Legislative Council Staff first provided a background memorandum on the wetlands regulations and taxation...
Parrell’s Perspectives 2025 #12 — Legislative Task Force on Government Efficiency (DOGE)
The Legislative Task Force on Government Efficiency (sometimes referred to as the “North Dakota DOGE”) held its initial meeting on July 30 and followed its agenda closely. The categories or members are specified in the new statute. All members attended either in person or remotely via video. The Committee’s studies and assignments capture a broad mandate including, but not limited to:...
Parrell’s Perspectives 2025 #11 — Legislative Management Committee Selects Interim Studies
Upon completion of the 69th Legislative Assembly, the legislative management committee met in Fargo on May 28 to confirm the required interim studies and to select those studies not required but suggested by the legislature. The committee has 17 members including the Chairman, Sen. David Hogue, and Vice-Chairman Rep. Mike Lefor, and a wide variety of legislative leaders.
At the meeting, it was...
Parrell’s Perspectives 2025 #10 — Great Plains Food Bank “A Generous Appropriation”
The Great Plains Food Bank, located in Fargo, is the state’s only food bank and a leading hunger-relief organization. Established in 1983, it serves communities across North Dakota and Clay County, Minnesota, by recovering surplus food and distributing it through a network of over 200 partner agencies, including food pantries, shelters, and soup kitchens. In 2023, the Great Plains Food...
Parrell’s Perspectives 2025 #9 — SBARE Priorities Update
Senate Bill 2020, the legislation that includes SBARE Priorities, passed by the Senate, has now been referred by the House Appropriations Committee to the full House chamber for approval. Dr. Greg Lardy, vice president for Agriculture, NDSU and his staff, along with the support of the Soybean Growers Association and others, have been working to restore budget cuts by the Senate, and further...
Parrell’s Perspectives #8 — Term Limits and Annual Sessions for Legislators
Currently, Section 1 of Article XV of the North Dakota Constitution provides that an individual shall not serve as a member of the house of representatives or senate for a cumulative period of time amounting to more than eight years. HB 1300 would further define these legislative term limits. It introduces a new section to the law, specifying that the calculation of years of service for...