Murphy’s Law Blog 2023 | #27
Conference Committees

This is the time in a session when one is busy and then idle for long stretches. Almost all committees, other than Appropriations, have kicked their bills to the floor or are in conference committees that meet to finalize language into an agreement and enforceable form. I believe this is Day 67, and we have about two weeks left unless it takes three. Unofficial pools for picking the date and hour it ends do occur in various places around the Capitol.

Yesterday I sat in on the conference committee for NDSU Research and Extension (HB 1020) as conferees discussed what the House had done compared to the Senate with their budget. There is another conference committee scheduled for today on HB 1020. 

Another big budget item that is in conference committee today is HB 1012, the North Dakota Department of Transportation budget, where we are working to increase funding for county and township roads.