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House Judiciary amends ethics advisory-opinion authority, votes do-not-pass on bill
Summary
Lawmakers debated House Bill 1046, which would let the North Dakota Ethics Commission initiate written advisory opinions without a requester; the committee amended the vote threshold to require at least four commissioners and ultimately voted that the bill should not pass.
The House Judiciary Committee debated House Bill 1046 on advisory opinions for the North Dakota Ethics Commission and voted to recommend the bill not pass after amending how the commission could initiate opinions.
The bill, introduced at the commission's request, would have amended Section 546604.2 of the North Dakota Century Code to let the Ethics Commission issue written advisory opinions on its own initiative rather than only when a public official, candidate or lobbyist asked for one. Rebecca Binstock, executive director of the North Dakota Ethics Commission, told the committee the change was sought to give the commission a way to resolve recurring questions when those who raise them did not follow through with a formal request. "Sometimes we have multiple individuals who are asking the same or a very related question," Binstock said, and the commission wants a way to provide…
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