Weekly Legislative Update #14
We want to provide you with our most recent update on what happened at the Capitol this past week, each bill’s current status, and what to expect next week. As mentioned before, if you ever have questions about a particular bill, feel free to email us at mark@ndfamilyalliance.org or call 701-355-6425.
Last Week
This past week was a busy one! We sent out several CTA's and would like to thank each of you who responded and let the legislature and the Governor know your values on these crucial issues. You made your voice heard, and the legislators responded. You've effected positive change for our values on some key bills!
SB 2307, making sexually explicit material inaccessible to minors in libraries, passed 49-45 in the House and resisted a motion to overturn the vote the next day! HB 1540, regarding the development of an Education Savings Account for private school students, passed the Senate by a vote of 27-20. Those of you who responded to our CTA's contributed to each of these bills passing! Keep up the good work!
Some other bills that passed this week were SB 2224, related to the regulation of gaming, and SB 2230, regarding the distribution of information related to ballot measures. HB 1511, continuing education for our OBGYNs on abortion law, HB 1479, creating a ND Constitution Day, and HB 1410, providing for a Legislative Management study on criminal conduct against children, were all signed by the Governor earlier this week as well. Finally, HCR 3028, relating to a legislative study on the re-entry of human trafficking victims into society, was filed with the Secretary of State, meaning it has fully passed.
We spent much of this week taking part in discussions on several bills related to human trafficking education, and at this point, SB 2330 has been restored to its original purpose of requiring annual education for certain grade levels in schools relating to human trafficking prevention and awareness. Be sure to be on the lookout for a few CTA's on this subject in the near future.
Next Week
Formal testimony is over for our 62 bills, but we nevertheless are still engaging on them. We sit in on committee meetings as they discuss the bills, and at times are asked for our opinions and input on the bill being discussed. We also work behind the scenes trying to advance bills and ensure legislators will commit to voting with your values on important legislation.
We do not know which bills are coming up for floor votes next week and/or which will be sent to Governor Armstrong for his signature – these are constant unknowns at this point in the session. However, you can count on us emailing Call-to-Action (CTA) Alerts next week on key bills we need to make into law. We ask that you take a few minutes out of your day and respond to our Call-to-Action emails as soon as possible. YOU can make the difference on whether or not legislation based on biblical values makes it into law!
Current Status
The most recent status for each bill that is still alive after crossover is shown in the following table. The table is current as of the end of this week, but things can change quickly. To double-check the most current status of any bill, you can go to this page, type the bill number into the upper right box (just the number, not the HB or SB), and click the search button. Once you are on the bill’s page, click on the tab entitled “Actions”. If you have a question, you are always welcome to reach out to us (mark@ndfamilyalliance.org), and we’ll get back to you as soon as we can.
How to Take Action
1.) If the bill hearing is over, but it still needs to be voted on in a chamber, you can contact your appropriate legislator(s) and give them feedback. If you do not know who your legislators are or how to contact them, click here and then go to the top right corner and click on “Find my legislator.” Type your house number and zip code into the boxes and click the search button. From there, you should be able to find your Senator and Representatives and all their contact information, such as phone numbers and email addresses.
2.) If the bill has passed both chambers and has been sent to Gov. Armstrong, you can contact the Governor via this link and provide input on the bill. Contact Governor Armstrong
Please remember to be respectful in all communications to our legislators and the Governor, and feel free to contact us with any legislative questions.
