North Dakota Senate Advances Budget Bill

Sen. Janne Myrdal, R-Edinburg.  (Kyle Martin/For the North Dakota Monitor)

(By: Mary Steurer. North Dakota Monitor) – North Dakota senators rejected a proposal to add $1 million for a “life education committee” in the Office of Management and Budget budget to teach people about abortion alternatives.

The amendment was brought by Sen. Janne Myrdal, R-Edinburg, who pitched the program as a way to help pregnant women.

The committee established by the amendment would have administered a campaign to teach the public about state abortion laws, policies “supporting life and family values,” and resources available for pregnant mothers, families and children. The campaign would have been carried out by a third party contractor.

The amendment was added by the Senate Appropriations Committee, but split from the rest of the budget bill so the Senate could vote on it separately.