North Dakota House lawmakers. (Kyle Martin/For the North Dakota Monitor)
(North Dakota Monitor) – A special session of the North Dakota Legislature is still up in the air as the attorney general reviews options to fix an error with a line-item veto.
Meanwhile, legislative leaders this week directed staff to do legal research on possible scenarios that
would prompt the Legislature to come back into session, including a recent appeals court ruling that affects legislative districts.
Gov. Kelly Armstrong’s general counsel has asked for an attorney general’s opinion on his line-item veto of Senate Bill 2014. Armstrong’s veto message only indicated he objected to a $150,000 grant, but the message was accompanied by red lines crossing out a section of the bill that also included $35 million for the Housing Incentive Fund.
Attorney Chris Joseph wrote in his request for an opinion that the red marking “merely serves as a color-coded visual aid.” He asked for an opinion on whether the governor’s written veto message or the visual pen marks on the bill satisfy the constitutional requirements of a line-item veto.
Mike Nowatzki, spokesman for the governor, said the opinion will determine the next steps.
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