Happy Monday!
Dear Fellow Republicans,
We wanted to provide you with a roundup of everything you might have missed from North Dakota’s great Republican leaders this past week. Please share with family and friends!
Perrie Schafer, NDGOP Chairman
Photo of the Week
Burgum congratulates Bismarck on sesquicentennial
“Thank you, Bismarck residents, for your perseverance, initiative and agility as you support new endeavors and strengthen historical ties,” added Burgum, whose grandmother, Jessamine Slaughter Burgum, was among the first children born in Bismarck in 1873. “Whether in famine and flood or abundance and joy, you are an independent, innovative and inclusive collection of individuals and your city reflects this. As you embark on the grand adventures of the next 150 years, we applaud your many achievements and look forward to the many others yet to come.”
NDGOP
Please join the North Dakota Republican Party for a Dinner Reception with RNC Chair Ronna McDaniel & Governor Doug Burgum.
Wednesday, June 8th – Sponsor-Only Roundtable 5:00 – 5:30 PM. Dinner Reception 5:30 – 7:00 PM. Live Music by Classic Rhythm.
International Bank & Trust Rooftop – 1601 N 12th Street, Bismarck, ND 58501.
Attendee: $100
Sponsor: $1,500
Sponsorship includes: Admission for 2 at the Sponsor-Only Roundtable w/ Chair McDaniel & Governor Burgum, Admission for 10 to Dinner Reception, Name/Logo displayed at the Event w/ Option to Distribute Branded Items.
Please visit https://ndgop.org/ronna-mcdaniel-event to make your contribution and RSVP.
Contact Lisa Spies at Lisa@theLSgroup.com for questions.
NDGOP New Hire
Bismarck native Skyler Strand, a student at the University of North Dakota has been hired by the NDGOP as Field Organizer for the 2022 cycle. Skyler begins May 16 remotely from Grand Forks, June-August he will be at NDGOP HQ in Bismarck and in the fall back in Grand Forks working the east side of the state.
“Skyler worked for the party in 2020 and was a great asset to our team and I’m very pleased that’s he’s back with us this cycle,” Corby Kemmer Executive Director.
North Dakota
Help Serve ND Schools – Apply For The Family Engagement Cabinet
The Valley City Times Record
State School Superintendent Kirsten Baesler is inviting North Dakota parents and family members of students to consider joining her Family Engagement Cabinet, a group that advises her about how the state’s schools can strengthen their educational efforts and community ties. “When parents and families are active and involved in the education of their children, both the student and the school benefit,” Baesler said. “The Family Engagement Cabinet provides valuable perspectives from across the state about what’s going on in our schools, and about how they can get better.”
North Dakota AG: Stark County Commission violated open meetings law
The Bismarck Tribune
The Stark County Commission violated North Dakota open meetings law when the board didn’t detail its legal authority for closing a meeting to the public. Attorney General Drew Wrigley on Friday released his opinion in response to a citizen’s request. Wrigley concluded “the commission violated open meetings law when it failed to more precisely cite its legal authority to the public for holding the executive session” during a regular meeting. The session was related to a human resources/auditor hiring process. Wrigley’s remedy is for the board to amend its minutes to state the specific legal authority for the March 2 executive session.
Agencies encourage procedures to prevent spread of invasive species
The Jamestown Sun
The Department of Water Resources, North Dakota Game and Fish Department and Gov. Doug Burgum are encouraging the public to help monitor, control and prevent the spread of invasive species in the state during aquatic invasive species awareness week May 15-21. Over the past decade, North Dakota has seen a rise in aquatic invasive species, which are not native to state ecosystems. Aquatic invasive species can cause harm to established habitats, endanger recreational fisheries, destroy infrastructure and negatively impact communities that rely on lakes and rivers for their water supplies.
Secretary of State denies ballot spot for term limits
Minot Daily News
Arguments by term limit supporters have failed to persuade Secretary of State Al Jaeger to reverse his decision to keep their initiated measure off the ballot. In a letter to the North Dakota for Term Limits sponsoring committee Thursday, Jaeger said claims made by the committee do not change his decision that the petitions submitted contained insufficient signatures for placement on the November general election ballot.
Gustafson to be honored with name on North Dakota Peace Officer Memorial
KX News
Flags across the state are flying at half-staff Thursday by order of Gov. Doug Burgum in honor of the North Dakota Peace Officer Memorial Service. The annual state Law Enforcement Memorial Service is being held tonight at 7. North Dakota’s 66 fallen peace officers will be honored at the ceremony, which will include guest speakers Lt. Gov. Brent Sanford, Attorney General Drew Wrigley and Chief Denis Otterness of the West Fargo Police Department.
Flags at half-staff for COVID victims
The Bismarck Tribune
Gov. Doug Burgum has directed government agencies to fly the U.S. and North Dakota flags at half-staff from Friday until sunset Monday to remember the 1 million Americans who died with COVID-19.
North Dakota educators to begin drafting new Math, English learning standards
AM 1100 The Flag
North Dakota School Superintendent Kirsten Baesler and educators from across the state are set to begin drafting new math and English language arts and literacy learning standards. The standards would apply to grades Kindergarten through 12th. Educators can apply to take part in the process by visiting the K-12 Education Content Standards page on the North Dakota Department of Public Instruction website. The standards provide a framework for what students should know and be able to do by set points in their primary and secondary education process. The standards were last updated in 2017.
JHS Choir’s ‘hard work’ earns selection as Governor’s Choir
The Jamestown Sun
Gov. Doug Burgum announced on Tuesday, May 10, that the Bismarck Century High School Wind Ensemble and Jamestown High School Choir were selected as the 2022-2023 Governor’s Official State Band and Choral programs, respectively.
Community comes together to honor nurses; Connell is Health Care Hero of the Year
The Bismarck Tribune
Gov. Doug Burgum, who spoke at the luncheon, said it is important for the state to continue funding and educating students interested in nursing so that they have the opportunity to one day care for communities. “It is not just the years of training, the skills and knowledge that you nurses bring — the difference maker can also be your compassion, empathy and caring that you bring to your roles every day,” Burgum said. “And we’re grateful for all of that.”
BURGUM WAIVES SERVICE HOURS AS SPRING PLANTING BEGINS
AG News 890
“Due to late snowfalls, extended cold, historic flooding and extreme weather events, our North Dakota farmers are facing a challenging and compressed planting season in addition to global supply chain disruptions and labor and facility shortages,” Burgum said. “Waiving hours of service for these commercial drivers will help ensure that sufficient planting and fertilizer resources are available during this delayed and shortened planting season.”The 30-day waiver, requested by state Agriculture Commissioner Doug Goehring, is effective today. All road safety and vehicle compliance regulations still apply.
With rolling blackouts possible this summer, ND PSC discusses power grid reliability
KFYR-TV
Public Service Commission Chair Julie Fedorchak spoke to the committee, sharing her perspective as a member of MISO. She warned them of the potential of rolling outages this summer due to power generation being short of projections. While North Dakota utilities met their capacity needs, she says some customers on the grid could still be affected. “When system operators do not have enough power to meet the demand, rolling outages impact everyone, even those served by utilities who had enough to cover their own needs,” said Fedorchak. A similar issue occurred last year when a winter storm in Texas caused some parts of the Southern Power Pool to shut down. Commissioner Randy Christmann spoke to the committee about what the organization is doing to prevent that from happening again, including adding transmission…Both Christmann and Fedorchak tell the committee they will continue to work to help solve some of these challenges. Fedorchak will be meeting with utilities soon to relay their thoughts to the rest of MISO.
Burgum meets with Northeastern state leaders on flooding
AM 1100 The Flag
Burgum met with leaders at the Cavalier American Legion Monday to discuss the impact of ongoing flood and the response in the Tongue River Watershed. North Dakota and Minnesota National Guard troops had been working to shore up the Bourbanis Dam last week. Burgum also met with leaders in Grafton and visited the Renwick Dam, west of Cavalier.
Washington, D.C.
Senators ask Fish and Wildlife Service not to restrict lead ammo, tackle on federal lands
The Jamestown Sun
North Dakota Sens. John Hoeven and Kevin Cramer were among the Republican U.S. senators urging U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service Director Martha Williams not to restrict the use of lead ammo and tackle on U.S. public lands. “Policies or actions that reduce or limit sportsmen activities necessarily implicate wildlife conservation programs by affecting state agencies’ revenue,” the senators wrote in a letter to the federal agency. “Such policies or actions also handcuff wildlife managers by removing a critical conservation tool while needlessly alienating one of our original conservationists, sportsmen. Phasing-out lead ammo and tackle on wildlife refuges would disproportionately affect lower-income households and those that depend on hunting and fishing for their subsistence as lead alternatives are often more expensive. The impact of such a policy would be devastating to the sportsmen heritage in our states.”
Sen. Cramer staff to hold mobile office hours in Fort Yates, Linton
The Bismarck Tribune
Staff of U.S. Sen. Kevin Cramer, R-N.D., will hold mobile office hours later this month in Fort Yates and Linton. The hours are 9-10 a.m. May 25 at the Sioux County Courthouse in Fort Yates, and 2-3 p.m. May 25 in the Jury Meeting Room of the Emmons County Courthouse in Linton. Area residents can visit for help with veterans and Social Security benefits, Medicare difficulties, immigration issues, military records or medals, or assistance with federal agencies.
Abortion rights rally to be held at Bismarck Capitol on Saturday
KFYR-TV
Earlier this week, the United States Senate failed to codify Roe v. Wade as federal law. North Dakota’s senators John Hoeven and Kevin Cramer both opposed it. On the vote, Senator Cramer said, “the sanctity of life is not a political fight, but a fight for humanity itself.” The rally at the state Capitol begins at 10 a.m. on Saturday.
HOEVEN: DISASTER AID DETAILS EXPECTED LATER THIS MONTH, PAYMENTS IN JUNE
NewsDakota
At a hearing of the Senate Agriculture Appropriations Committee he co-chaired this week, Ranking Member Senator John Hoeven again urged U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) Secretary Tom Vilsack to ensure the Livestock Indemnity Program (LIP) national payment rates reflect actual market rates and cover losses due to eligible diseases. This follows a roundtable discussion that Hoeven held with North Dakota livestock producers last month, where he gathered feedback on the available federal assistance, including under LIP and the Emergency Livestock Relief Program (ELRP).
Senators Request More Money to Fight Avian Flu
Newsmax
Led by Sens. Chuck Grassley, R-Iowa, and Amy Klobuchar, D-Minn., a bipartisan group of senators is pushing for additional funding to help battle an outbreak of avian flu. They made their request in a letter to Sen. Tammy Baldwin, D-Wis., who chairs the Appropriations Subcommittee on Agriculture and to the subcommittee’s ranking member Sen. John Hoeven, R-N.D…They wrote that the highly pathogenic avian influenza “has been detected in 32 states across the country and has killed over 36 million birds. Although the virus poses minimal risk to human health, it has serious implications for U.S. poultry producers, rural communities, and our agricultural economy.
