Legislative Management approves prioritized list of interim studies and confirms committee appointments

Senator David Hogue, chairman of the Legislative Management, called the meeting to order in Fargo on May 28, 2025, and the panel approved a prioritized table of study directives for the 2025–26 interim after a series of motions addressing specific bill sections and committee appointments.

The committee, meeting at North Dakota State University, reviewed 67 study directives — 20 required studies and 47 discretionary studies — and moved to pare and prioritize the discretionary items. The body authorized multiple interim committee appointments and reappointments by voice vote, including the reappointment of Representative Karen M. Rohr to the State Hospital Governing Board and the appointment of Representative Don Vigesaa as chairman and Senator Brad Bekkedahl as vice chairman of the Budget Section. Senator Hogue noted the Legislative Assembly historically studies 40–50 items and that the group must narrow the optional list.

The meeting’s business was dominated by motions to approve or reject specific sections of bills for study. Several motions passed on voice vote; a subset were decided by roll-call votes and recorded in the minutes. Notable roll-call outcomes included the rejection of Section 47 of House Bill No. 1012 (vote recorded in the minutes), the approval by roll call of Section 7 of House Bill No. 1417, Section 5 of House Bill No. 1425, and Section 6 of House Bill No. 1549, and other sections that were either approved for study or declined to be studied as standalone items. In one instance the committee rejected a proposal to approve Section 1 of House Bill No. 1530 as a standalone study but then approved incorporating that section into the mandatory Special Education Funding Committee study under Section 1 of House Bill No. 1547.

Legislative Council staff presented the prioritized table of bills and resolutions to be studied under the authority of North Dakota Century Code Section 54-35-02; the table spans topics including agriculture, education, emergency services, energy development and transmission, government finance, health care, higher education, human services, judiciary, taxation, and water. The committee carried a final motion to approve the list and the set of actions taken. Senator Kathy Hogan moved the final approval, which was recorded as carried with the members present voting in favor according to the minutes.

Chairman Hogue asked Legislative Council staff to provide an update at the next meeting about a recent redistricting ruling, the Governor’s veto error question, and other triggers that might require the Legislative Assembly to reconvene, such as a large budget deviation, a federal funding withdrawal, or a court action affecting the Dakota Access Pipeline. The meeting adjourned at 1:34 p.m.

The minutes and the approved table of prioritized studies are on file with the North Dakota Legislative Council.