Category: Gov. Burgum

BISMARCK, N.D. (MAY 20, 2022) – Gov. Doug Burgum today appointed University of North Dakota student Sadie Hanson to a one-year term as the student representative on the state Board of Higher Education.

Burgum today appointed Capital Electric Cooperative Inc. board chairwoman Sheri Haugen-Hoffart of Bismarck to an open seat on the three-member North Dakota Public Service Commission (PSC), effective immediately.

BISMARCK, N.D. (FEB. 8, 2022) – Gov. Doug Burgum today appointed former U.S. attorney and lieutenant governor Drew Wrigley to serve out the remainder of Attorney General Wayne Stenehjem’s term after his sudden passing on Jan. 28. The four-year term ends Dec. 31. Wrigley plans to take the oath of office at 9 a.m. Wednesday at the Capitol.

Wrigley served as North Dakota’s U.S. attorney from 2001 to 2009, having been appointed by President George W. Bush, and again from 2019 to 2021 after being appointed by President Donald Trump. Wrigley served as lieutenant governor for six years under former Gov. Jack Dalrymple, having been appointed to the role in 2010 and winning election to a four-year term with Dalrymple in 2012.

“Having twice served as North Dakota’s chief federal law enforcement officer leading the U.S. attorney’s offices in Bismarck and Fargo, and six years as lieutenant governor, Drew Wrigley brings highly relevant state and federal experience to the role of North Dakota Attorney General. He has a deep knowledge of the law, extensive background in public safety and broad experience with the intersections of local, state and federal law enforcement. His knowledge of the federal government is especially valuable at this time, with federal overreach a frequent threat to states’ rights. Our state will be extremely well-served by Drew’s legal skills and steadfast commitment to ensuring the safety and well-being of North Dakota citizens,” Burgum said. “We also continue to mourn the loss and honor the legacy of Attorney General Wayne Stenehjem, a dedicated public servant who served the State of North Dakota with integrity for more than 45 years, leaving an indelible mark on the Attorney General’s Office.”

Wrigley was born in Bismarck and grew up in Fargo. He earned bachelor’s degrees in economics and philosophy from the University of North Dakota in 1988 and his law degree from American University’s Washington College of Law in 1991. He completed a year-long judicial clerkship in Delaware and served for five years as an assistant district attorney in Philadelphia, prosecuting a variety of crimes. After moving back to Bismarck in 1998, Wrigley served as deputy chief of staff for then-Gov. John Hoeven in 2000-2001. Most recently, he worked as counsel with his family’s Fargo contracting firms, Wrigley Mechanical Inc. and BDT Mechanical LLC.

“I am deeply humbled by the faith that Governor Burgum has placed in me, and I pledge to work tirelessly on behalf of the citizens of North Dakota,” Wrigley said. “During my service, I will always be mindful of the outstanding work of my friend Wayne Stenehjem, and I will keep his memory near as we all navigate the path ahead.”

The Attorney General’s Office consists of 13 divisions: Administration, Bureau of Criminal Investigation (BCI), Civil Litigation and Natural Resources & Indian Affairs, Consumer Protection and Antitrust (CPAT), Crime Laboratory (Crime Lab), Criminal and Regulatory, Criminal Justice Information Sharing (CJIS) and Information Technology (IT), Finance, Fire Marshal, Gaming, Lottery, Medicaid Fraud Control Unit (MFCU), and State and Local Government.

The Attorney General represents the state in all legal matters where the state is named as a party or the state may have an interest in the outcome of the litigation. The Office of Attorney General also enforces the state’s open meetings and open records laws and issues opinions in response to complaints that a public entity has violated those laws. The office is authorized for 253 full-time team members and has a budget of $91.8 million for the 2021-2023 biennium.

BISMARCK, N.D. (JAN. 21, 2022) – Gov. Doug Burgum announced today that he will deliver his rescheduled 2022 State of the State Address at 10 a.m. Feb. 16 at the Fargo Theatre in Fargo.

The address was initially scheduled for this week but was postponed due to the governor having laryngitis. The venue has changed to the Fargo Theatre due to a scheduling conflict with the previously scheduled venue at North Dakota State University. Additional information about the rescheduled address, including electronic media setup, will be provided in the coming weeks.

The address will also be livestreamed from the Governor’s Office website at www.governor.nd.gov.

BISMARCK, N.D. (DEC. 21, 2021) – Gov. Doug Burgum today appointed Brian Kroshus to serve as North Dakota’s next tax commissioner, citing his experience as a business leader and his background in defending the public interest as a member of the state’s Public Service Commission (PSC) for approximately five years. 

Kroshus was appointed to the PSC by Burgum on Feb. 28, 2017. He was elected by voters in 2018 and then re-elected in 2020. He previously was a division leader and executive team member for Lee Enterprises, including serving as group publisher for Mandan-based Lee Agri-Media, the nation’s largest network of agricultural newspapers across a 15-state region, and as publisher of the Bismarck Tribune from 2005 to 2015.

 “With his combination of private sector experience in leading a complex business operation and public sector experience in looking out for the best interests of consumers, Brian Kroshus is well-suited to fairly and effectively administer the tax laws of North Dakota,” Burgum said. “We are deeply grateful for his outstanding service to our citizens as a public service commissioner and look forward to his continued commitment to taxpayers as state tax commissioner.”

Kroshus will begin leading the Office of State Tax Commissioner Jan. 4. The agency currently has budgetary authority for 118 permanent team members and hires about 25 additional team members on a temporary basis for each income tax filing season.

Kroshus will serve out the remaining year of the unexpired four-year term of current Tax Commissioner Ryan Rauschenberger, who is resigning effective Jan. 3 

“I’m grateful for the opportunity to lead the highly capable team in the Office of State Tax Commissioner and look forward to serving North Dakota citizens in this new capacity,” Kroshus said. “Treating taxpayers with fairness, transparency and efficiency will be my top priority, understanding that this office and its duties are administered with the people’s money. We’ll also continue to work across state government and with our tribal and private sector partners to create and maintain a stable tax and regulatory environment that will support economic growth and prosperity for all.”

Kroshus, a Fargo native, earned a bachelor’s degree in animal science and economics from North Dakota State University in 1987. He spent 10 years with Forum Communications in Fargo before joining the Bismarck Tribune in 1997. He was promoted to group publisher for Lee Agri-Media in 2004.   

Kroshus has served on the board of directors of the Bismarck-Mandan Chamber of Commerce, Bismarck-Mandan Development Association and the United Way, and on the board of trustees for the Bismarck State College Foundation, Sanford Health Foundation and Lewis and Clark Fort Mandan Foundation.

NEAR THE RIO GRANDE, TEXAS (DEC. 15, 2021) – Gov. Doug Burgum and the North Dakota National Guard’s adjutant general, Maj. Gen. Al Dohrmann, today visited the 125 soldiers from the Bismarck-based 957th Engineer Company serving along the U.S.-Mexico border in Texas, getting a first-hand look at their border mission and thanking them for their service in support of U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP).

Governor Burgum’s weekly newsletter for the week of November 14, 2021 can be found here: https://spark.adobe.com/page/JH8lSQx6HO4Jq/

BISMARCK, N.D. (NOV. 10, 2021) – Gov. Doug Burgum today joined Attorney General Wayne Stenehjem in announcing that North Dakota has joined nine other states in a lawsuit challenging the Biden administration’s mandate that employers who receive funding through Medicare or Medicaid programs must require their employees to be vaccinated for COVID-19.

The U.S. Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS), which is named as a defendant in the lawsuit, estimates that its “emergency regulation” will affect roughly 76,000 providers and 17 million health care workers across the country. The agency has given affected workers until Jan. 4 to be fully vaccinated, with exemptions for recognized medical conditions or religious beliefs.

“The federal government is overstepping its authority by trying to impose a vaccine mandate on state team members in certain agencies just because they receive funding from two federal programs. Likewise, North Dakota hospitals and long-term care facilities also should be allowed to make their own vaccine decisions as private employers and shouldn’t be held hostage by CMS funding,” Burgum said. “This isn’t about whether COVID-19 vaccines work – they do – or whether they’re important in health care settings – they are. Rather, this misguided CMS mandate is yet another example of blatant federal overreach by the Biden administration that violates our state’s sovereign right to enact and enforce laws and will only breed additional vaccine resistance and workforce challenges. We fully support the attorney general joining this lawsuit and urge the court to immediately block this intrusive and illegal mandate.”

In the last two weeks, Burgum also has backed North Dakota joining legal challenges to the Biden administration’s vaccine mandates on federal contractors and private businesses with 100 or more employees.

North Dakotans who haven’t been vaccinated are encouraged to visit with their trusted medical provider about the vaccine. Vaccine information and locations can be found on the North Dakota Department of Health’s website at www.health.nd.gov/protect.

Governor Burgum’s weekly newsletter for the week of November 8, 2021 can be found here: https://spark.adobe.com/page/fiVqaeOUytCw5/