North Dakota Senate kills bill proposing annual legislative sessions

Image courtesy of State of North Dakota

The North Dakota Senate defeated House Bill 1408 on Monday, maintaining the state’s biennial legislative meeting schedule. The bill proposed shorter, annual sessions, with advocates arguing it would increase government responsiveness and broaden legislative participation, especially with expected turnover from term limits. Sen. Robert Erbele opposed the change, suggesting legislators were overreacting to the 2022 term limits law, saying, “Let’s see how it plays out.” Senate Appropriations Chair Brad Bekkedahl supported annual sessions, noting they would allow quicker responses to fluctuations in the state’s commodity-dependent tax revenue. North Dakota remains one of only four states without annual legislative sessions. The House had previously passed the bill in February.