Who are they and what do they do?

The North Dakota Legislature is in session. During the next 80 days your elected representatives will study bills and make decisions on the future of ND. One of main reasons for this blog is to reach out to the people I represent and to encourage them to be part of the process. In North Dakota one person can make a difference and it's easy to do.

There are 47 political districts in ND. Each district has two representatives and one senator. The term of office is four years. Since our legislature only meets every other year that is two sessions. Every two years half of the districts are up for election. Once the session starts each member is assigned to an A & a B committee. The A committees meet Monday through Wednesday- they are: Education; Human Services; Industry, Business, & Labor; Finance & Tax; and Judiciary. The B committees meet on Thursday and Friday-they are: Government & Veteran Affairs; Political Subdivisions; Natural Resources; Agriculture; and Transportation. Each chamber also has an Appropriations committee that meets every day.
Bills that are submitted by individual legislators, interim committees or agencies are assigned to an appropriate committee for a hearing. ND is unique in that all bills get a hearing. In many states the committee chairman can decide not to hear a bill. One way to get involved is to testify at a hearing. While this sounds a little scary it is really very easy and I find that the best testimony comes from the people who will be directly affected by the out come of the proposed legislation. The committee then votes to send the bill to the floor with a Do Pass or Do Not Pass recommendation. The bill is put on the calendar and after discussion a vote is taken. If the bill passes it is sent to the other chamber and the process starts all over. If the bill passes the other chamber but there are differences, a conference committee meets to find a solution that is agreed upon by both houses. It then goes to the Governor for his signature or veto. If it is signed it then will become the law in North Dakota.

So what can you do to make a difference?

1. Call, write or e-mail your Senator or Representative; e-mail and the legislative phone number are on the Discover ND web site.
2. Attend local forums and express your opinions
3. Testify at a hearing

We do listen to the citizens of ND. You can be a part of this process. Please help us make ND a better place to live.

Future postings will deal with legislative issues. If there is something special you would like to hear about just e-mail to khawken@nd.gov