Despite Gov. Burgum’s plea to pass his proposal for income tax relief, the
special session of the North Dakota Legislature ended today (Wed) with the Senate rejecting the bill.
The vote was 31-to-16, one day after the measure passed in the House, 71-to-19.
Burgum says the bill would have effectively eliminated the state income tax
for an additional 50,000 filers and saved taxpayers $46 million in tax year 2024.
This (Wed) afternoon, Burgum expressed frustration with the outcome.
“We had 16 Republican senators that voted for the tax relief, and we had 27
that voted with four Democrats to vote it down, and I say on behalf of the citizens
that could have certainly used those dollars, that’s disappointing to me,” Burgum said.
During the Senate debate, several lawmakers said extra time was needed
to see how tax breaks that were adopted during the regular session will work.
Burgum said, “Waiting is not the answer.”
The three-day special session addressed components of the appropriations
bill for the state Office of Management and Budget that was recently voided
as unconstitutional by the North Dakota Supreme Court.
Senate Majority Leader David Hogue said: “We were efficient and thorough.
We addressed the necessary appropriations and avoided a disruption in services.
We kept focused on the task at hand and put the state in a good position for the
remaining interim. We couldn’t be more thankful to the committee chairs, legislative council, and staff.”