April 7, 2023
NDSGA | Legislative Report
April 7, 2023
Conference Committee deliberation is underway at the North Dakota Legislature. North Dakota Grain Growers Association Executive Director Dan Wogsland discusses HB 1020.
April 4, 2023
Murphy’s Law Blog 2023 | #25
Update - NDSU Research and Extension Budget
For obvious reasons, your NDSGA supports the NDSU Research and Extension budgets each and every year. Yesterday, the Senate Appropriations division (there are three) termed Government Operations went through a very large budget for the final time. Today, it appeared before the full Appropriations Committee and sailed through. Overall, I believe it was stated that they cut...
April 1, 2023
NDSGA | Legislative Report
March 31, 2023
Senate Bill 2183 would help costs associated with snow removal in rural townships. North Dakota Senator Terry Wanzek says he’s gotten calls about townships paying four to five times their budget on snow removal this year.
March 31, 2023
Murphy’s Law Blog 2023 | #24
Getting Close on Policy Bills
The Senate Ag committee is closing up with some tweaks to a water bill and another on rural grocery stores.
House Ag is going to be extending its work into next week as they wait on information for a foreign adversary land ownership bill. This issue has tentacles that extend into federal laws, so it needs extra care to avoid unintended consequences (SB 2371).
Work will...
March 29, 2023
Murphy’s Law 2023 Blog | #23
Waldron Hall (NDSU Research and Extension)
Also known as the Ag Field Lab, Waldron Hall is the number one priority item identified by SBARE (State Board of Agricultural Research and Education) for this legislative session. The bill it is found within is HB 1020, which contains all manner of funding for Research and Extension efforts. The building would replace four aging structures, I believe, with the central focus...
March 24, 2023
NDSGA | Legislative Report
March 24, 2023
House Bill 1515, which would allow dairy farms to sell raw milk, is in the Senate at committee. North Dakota Senate Ag Committee Chair Larry Luick says there’s been a lot of interest in the bill.
March 23, 2023
Murphy’s Law Blog 2023 | #22
Animal Ag Development Bills
We had good action on two animal ag development bills today. After a positive hearing last week on HB 1437, the Senate Agriculture Committee passed it out with a 6-0 Do Pass recommendation. This bill uses regional planning grants to help counties and townships update their zoning and utilize other technologies and skill sets to choose sites adequate for housing animal ag...
March 20, 2023
Murphy’s Law Blog 2023 | #21
Snow Removal Relief
Got any snow? SB 2183 just passed on the House floor and should be able to become law upon the Governor signing it within a few days. It allows tribal governments, cities, counties and townships to apply to the Adjutant General (of the North Dakota National Guard) for grants to help with the cost of excessive snow removal. Up to 60% of any cost over 150% of your lowest...
March 17, 2023
Murphy’s Law Blog 2023 | #20
Zoning, Roads and Bridges
A Happy St. Patrick’s Day to you, especially if you don’t need to travel. One of the benefits of being in the Capitol building is that from time to time, you can get some good fresh information. The example today is that I bumped into the Director of the North Dakota Department of Transportation (NDDOT) who told me that the weather was so bad around Jamestown and east...
March 17, 2023
NDSGA | Legislative Report
March 17, 2023
The Fufeng project in Grand Forks prompted the introduction of SB 2371. North Dakota Farm Bureau Director of Public Policy Pete Hanebutt discusses the implications of foreign ownership of land.
March 14, 2023
Murphy’s Law Blog 2023 | #19
Revenue Forecast and Township Roads
The morning started out early with a joint hearing of both Appropriations committees listening to Moody’s look ahead at what is in store for dollars coming into our state. The word is that it will remain much the same as previously expected with a slight touch of decline. Nothing major. The other entity retained to look into the crystal ball is Standard and Poors which...
March 10, 2023
NDSGA | Legislative Report
March 10, 2023
North Dakota Corn Growers Association Legislative Liaison Samantha Vangsness talks about several bills including NDSU Extension and Research budget, establishing livestock-friendly county designations and sales tax use and exemption for grain bins receiving a do pass.
March 9, 2023
Murphy’s Law Blog 2023 | #18
Grain Bins, Research and Extension
On Wednesday afternoon during committee work in Senate Finance and Tax, the decision to recommend a Do Pass on HB 1370 got a 5 to 1 vote. That bill gives a sales tax exemption to those who would purchase grain bins for the next two years. The purpose of bringing the bill is to provide an incentive for on-farm storage given the demand for year-round soybeans serving the...
March 7, 2023
Murphy’s Law Blog 2023 | #17
Auditor Bill
SB 2259 has passed both houses. It sets North Dakota State agency commodity group fees for the State Auditor. North Dakota Soybean Council (NDSC) was set at $6,000 dollars and most other groups at $4,000. NDSC’s latest fee was around $17,200 and unlike other commodities, is audited every year due to its status as a federal checkoff entity. Most other commodities are...
March 3, 2023
NDSGA | Legislative Report
March 3, 2023
North Dakota Soybean Growers Association Legislative Liaison Phil Murphy talks about several bills that are directed at expanding and supporting animal agriculture in North Dakota.
March 2, 2023
Murphy’s Law Blog 2023 | #16
Back to Hearings
Today started with the weekly Thursday Ag Coalition Zoom call at 7:00 a.m. Then the hearings started with most legislators back after a few had been delayed by the latest blizzard. These are the eight hearings I have attended today, all in person, most with written testimony submitted online and many standing up at the podium:
8:30 a.m. – SB 2259 – which...
February 28, 2023
Murphy’s Law Blog 2023 | #15
Some Key Points
Now that the second period starts this week here are a few things we know about the legislature and agricultural issues: There are a lot of opportunities for extra funding for county and township roads and bridges that are still alive. Some bills have been rolled into the North Dakota Department of Transportation (NDDOT) budget and some survived intact. While there are...
February 24, 2023
NDSGA | Legislative Report
February 24, 2023
The North Dakota Legislature is in recess until Wednesday when the second half of the session begins. House Agriculture Committee Vice Chair Mike Beltz recaps the work done over the past two months.
February 23, 2023
NDSGA Supports Corporate Farming Bill
The North Dakota Soybean Growers Association supports the current version of the corporate farming bill as it passed out of the House of Representatives.
Should this bill pass, it would protect family farmer and rancher control of livestock production, while allowing for the infusion of capital that many say would energize animal agriculture in our state.
HB 1371 limits any...
February 21, 2023
Murphy’s Law Blog 2023 | #14
Crossover Crunch
Crossover Crunch, huh? Sounds like I just invented a new snack food or something. I am referring to the long hours legislators are putting in so that they get a break late this week and early next week as House bills go to the Senate and vice-versa. While many road and bridge infrastructure bills are still alive, SB 2275 died on the Senate floor yesterday. This is the one...
February 17, 2023
NDSGA | Legislative Report
February 17, 2023
North Dakota Farmers Union Government Relations Director Matt Perdue says agricultural interests are hard at work as the crossover break approaches.
February 16, 2023
Murphy’s Law 2023 | #13
Zoning, Transportation, NDSU Research and Extension
The day started by attending two full House Appropriations final budget hearings on HB 1012 (DOT), and NDSU Research and Extension HB 1020. One interesting facet of the $2.4 billion DOT bill is a new $115 million in flexible funding whereby the department can spend that on projects off the state system (such as county or township roads or bridges they deem of importance)....
February 16, 2023
Murphy’s Law Blog 2023 | #12
Legislative Day 30 of ??
In a week or so we will be up against Crossover, the time when bills originating in one house go to the other signifying the end of the first period. If they survived, of course. Most of the bills have been heard in policy committees so they need now to get them to the floor for voting. The committees that are backlogged are usually Appropriations because they deal with...
February 10, 2023
NDSGA | Legislative Report
February 10, 2023
North Dakota Grain Growers Association Executive Director Dan Wogsland explains that the North Dakota Legislature is quickly nearing crossover. He also highlighted the Ag Research and Extension bill.
February 9, 2023
Murphy’s Law Blog 2023 | #11
Prairie Dog or SIIF
Today saw a hearing for SB 2367 which discusses how the state allocates its share of oil and gas taxes. In 2019, Upper Great Plains Transportation Institute (UGPTI – the authority in transportation research) estimated North Dakota needed $440 million per year for 20 years to maintain our roads and bridges. This year the study says the need per year is $525 million....
February 7, 2023
Murphy’s Law 2023 | #10
Architects, Bioscience, Drainage, Zoning
Good afternoon. The title of the blog shows a few of the topics and bills of yesterday and today. Architects and engineers need to look at and sign off on public buildings that are built in North Dakota. This includes buildings built for NDSU Research and Extension such as machine sheds and the like at their stations. SB 2347 is the number and had a hearing today....