Bill aims to make North Dakota Legislature meet annually

The North Dakota Legislature has held its regular sessions every other year since statehood, but backers of a bipartisan bill say it's time to change that.

Lawmakers for decades have consistently rebuffed attempts to hold annual regular sessions, arguing that doing so would grow government and turn lawmaking into a full-time job. But advocates for the bill say they need to meet more often due to bigger budgets and pressing issues such as the coronavirus pandemic that hit during an off-year in the Legislature.

“Times have changed,” said Republican Sen. Brad Bekkedahl, the primary sponsor of Senate Bill 2218.

“If mistakes are made in legislation that require correction, we live with that mistake or suffer its consequences for as much as 20 months before the next biennium,” said Bekkedahl, a Williston dentist.

Read more: https://bismarcktribune.com/news/state-and-regional/govt-and-politics/bill-aims-to-make-north-dakota-legislature-meet-annually/article_fb9bbb2a-2cbb-5ba6-9bfa-34a6fcb735c0.html