North Dakota State Capitol Building
The once-common end-of-year legislative practice in North Dakota of passing the so-called Christmas Tree bill is now likely a relic of the past, due to a state Supreme Court ruling.
The state legislature had traditionally used the budget bill for the Office of Management and Budget as an avenue to pass many unrelated items, including trying to revive already-defeated bills. The bill became known as the ‘Christmas Tree’ bill because so many amendments would become attached.
However, the North Dakota Supreme Court ruled the practice unconstitutional in 2023. Now, the legislature must adhere to the law that says no unrelated items may be attached to the OMB budget bill just because it is typically the last-in-session.
That has left some lawmakers grappling with how to fix typos and other administrative items that would generally be a part of this bill too. This year, those fixes won’t come in a ‘Christmas Tree’ bill.
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