The View from the Balcony
Dear Friends,
As a member of the public, you can view floor sessions (when a chamber votes on bills) online for both the Senate and House, which is really convenient. You can also be there in person and sit in the back of the chamber floor as they debate and vote on bills and resolutions. However, sitting in the balcony is different.
Sitting in the balcony allows you to see everything happening on the floor, whether they are in a floor session or simply working. You may not know this, but North Dakota legislators do not get offices like members of Congress or legislators in some other states – their floor desk is their office. As a result, sitting in the balcony provides a bird’s eye view of the political process in action.
When not in floor session, you can watch them talking, discussing the merits of various bills, trying to garner support for their bills, strategizing about amendments and other changes that may make their sponsored and co-sponsored bills more likely to pass, and I suppose even occasionally talking about NDSU’s football team. They are still human.
These men and women take four months out of their year and spend it full time on crafting laws for you and me. And these are not 9-5 days. They start before the sun comes up and then work until late into the night. They need to study and understand the many bills that will come before their committees daily, every bill that will be up for a floor vote the next day, work on their own bills, etc. Honestly, I don’t know how they do it, but I do know why they do it.
When I look from the balconies, I see 141 people like you and me who are committed to making North Dakota a better place for us, our children, grandchildren, and generations to come. I see many viewpoints, from far liberal to far conservative, and honestly, while NDFALA may vociferously disagree with some of them, I still respect their commitment to their principles. I can personally attest to the fact that these legislators work very hard, so please don’t ever underestimate what they do.
The view from the balcony shows a hive of activity, and some may say it’s inefficient. I don’t see it that way. I see a living organism composed of many different parts that are working together. Some parts are like the heart, some more like an arm or foot, but all are needed and part of this body.
Please pray, support, and provide feedback to your legislators on bills. They actually want to hear from you! Bills are rarely black and white, so your call or email may help them decide which way to vote on a tough decision they’re wrestling with.
When NDFALA loses on a particular bill we backed (rarely, thanks to your support), I like to go up to the balcony. It puts things in perspective. It makes me realize that we’re all part of something larger than ourselves; in fact, we’re all part of something designed by God. That helps make those long days and nights all worthwhile.
Blessings,
...and here we go
The 2023 Legislative Session started in full swing this past Tuesday, and we are once again honored to be at the Capitol representing you and your values.
Tuesday was an exciting day, with a number of presentations by various groups to the entire legislative body, including the Governor’s State of the State Address. All the presentations were informative and very positive about where North Dakota is headed. However, more than these presentations, Tuesday was about relationships.
Like most of life, including the work environment, it’s all about relationships. The start of the new session was the first time since the 2021 session that I had a chance to catch up with many legislators. This included both Democrats and Republicans, liberals and conservatives, those with perceived influence and those who “fly under the radar”. It also included many first-time “freshman” legislators, who I’m happy to report overwhelmingly support your and my values. However, regardless of where legislators stand on issues, they all have something important to add to the legislative process, and we’re more than happy to work with any of them, whenever we can agree on supporting pro-life or pro-family values.
I was also able to introduce our new Policy Analyst, Jacob Thomsen, to the legislators and others in state government. It gave us a chance to let them know that NDFA/NDFALA was going to be amongst them in an even more prominent way, advocating for your values.
Perhaps most importantly, Tuesday gave us a chance to connect with legislators and other like-minded organizations about specific bills. Hundreds of bills had been prefiled already by Tuesday, and hundreds more have been filed since that time. Tuesday gave us a chance to further talk with legislators about particular bills, strategize how best to move them through the legislative process, and determine how we can help support them.
Nearly everyone we spoke to commented that this session will have a higher-than-normal number of bills on social issues. That’s code for bills about your and my values. We have our work cut out for us, but we’re energized. With God blessing our efforts and with your support (e.g., financial, prayer, Call to Action Alert responses), we are optimistic that we can get much accomplished this session.
On a final note, if you’re reading this, you are already on our email list and will get legislative updates on a regular basis. If you know of someone who does not get our emails, but would like to stay updated on important bills and legislative news, feel free to direct them to our website (ndfamilyalliance.org), scroll to the bottom of the page, and enter their email. It’s that simple.
As we kick off this session, I want to thank each and every one of you for your faithful support of our organization. It’s only through your support that we can represent you in the halls of Bismarck. May God bless you and all our efforts to further His kingdom this legislative session.
Weekly Update - Jan 6
Dear Friends,
The 2023 Legislative Session started in full swing this past Tuesday, and we are once again honored to be at the Capitol representing you and your values.
Tuesday was an exciting day, with a number of presentations by various groups to the entire legislative body, including the Governor’s State of the State Address. All the presentations were informative and very positive about where North Dakota is headed. However, more than these presentations, Tuesday was about relationships.
Like most of life, including the work environment, it’s all about relationships. The start of the new session was the first time since the 2021 session that I had a chance to catch up with many legislators. This included both Democrats and Republicans, liberals and conservatives, those with perceived influence and those who “fly under the radar”. It also included many first-time “freshman” legislators, who I’m happy to report overwhelmingly support your and my values. However, regardless of where legislators stand on issues, they all have something important to add to the legislative process, and we’re more than happy to work with any of them, whenever we can agree on supporting pro-life or pro-family values.
I was also able to introduce our new Policy Analyst, Jacob Thomsen, to the legislators and others in state government. It gave us a chance to let them know that NDFA/NDFALA was going to be amongst them in an even more prominent way, advocating for your values.
Perhaps most importantly, Tuesday gave us a chance to connect with legislators and other like-minded organizations about specific bills. Hundreds of bills had been prefiled already by Tuesday, and hundreds more have been filed since that time. Tuesday gave us a chance to further talk with legislators about particular bills, strategize how best to move them through the legislative process, and determine how we can help support them.
Nearly everyone we spoke to commented that this session will have a higher-than-normal number of bills on social issues. That’s code for bills about your and my values. We have our work cut out for us, but we’re energized. With God blessing our efforts and with your support (e.g., financial, prayer, Call to Action Alert responses), we are optimistic that we can get much accomplished this session.
On a final note, if you’re reading this, you are already on our email list and will get legislative updates on a regular basis. If you know of someone who does not get our emails, but would like to stay updated on important bills and legislative news, feel free to direct them to our website (ndfamilyalliance.org), scroll to the bottom of the page, and enter their email. It’s that simple.
As we kick off this session, I want to thank each and every one of you for your faithful support of our organization. It’s only through your support that we can represent you in the halls of Bismarck. May God bless you and all our efforts to further His kingdom this legislative session.
Blessings,
Mark
David and Goliath
Guess which one we are. That’s right, we are once again getting the short end of the stick in a society that seems bent on eliminating -- or at the very least, suppressing -- our values. The latest assault comes from our sister state of South Dakota. The Goliath is Sanford Health.
Let me begin by saying I greatly appreciate Sanford Health and the care they provide. They are the provider of choice for many of us, and I daresay most of us have at least an acquaintance or perhaps family member who is part of their institution. They are effectively our friends in health care. However, sometimes it is our responsibility to speak up when friends are headed in the wrong direction.
Sanford Research Center, located in Sioux Falls, SD, has for the past couple of years, cohosted a conference on gender identity. Once again, on January 13th, they will cohost the 3rd Annual Midwest Gender Identity Summit at their headquarters. As explained by Sanford, “The purpose of this event is to review the needs of transgender patients in healthcare. This includes inter-personal communication, as well as physical and mental health needs.” The organization partnering with Sanford to host this event is called The Transformation Project. Here is the root of the problem.
The Transformation Project’s stated mission is to, “support and empower transgender individuals and their families while educating communities in SD and the surrounding region about gender identity and expression.” I have no issue with supporting and empowering individuals, but for what reason is the critical question, particularly for kids (yes, they are individuals too). I am happy to support and empower children to stay in school, not use illegal drugs, or attend their church youth group; not so much to buy into the concept that they need to decide whether to take hormone blockers, when that decision can permanently affect their entire life.
Second, Susan Williams, their Executive Director, helped her 10-year-old daughter transition into a boy. Yes, the same age where top recommended toys include mosaic and clay animal sets, snail habitats, string art kits, and plush toys. There are even certain NERF™ products that aren’t recommended for children this young. So, they shouldn’t play with certain NERF™ toys, but apparently, they can make life‑changing sexuality decisions? This makes me both sad and angry.
However, their agenda goes even further. Their Reformation Project is, “is a Bible-based, Christian organization that works to promote inclusion of LGBTQ people by reforming church teaching on sexual orientation and gender identity,” and another program called Q Christian Fellowship is intent on, “cultivating radical belonging for LGBTQ+ Christians and allies.” Hmmm.
Here are other choice items on their website and in their publications.
“We believe that transgender people know what is best for them and that they are experts in their own lives.” In their world, this applies to kids as well.
“Dead naming is the act of using a transgender person’s birth name (or dead name) rather than their current chosen name, either to their face or without them present.” [Oct, 2019 issue of Transforming South Dakota, page 6.] Aside from the morbid overtones, note the phrase, “without them present.”
“Transgender and nonbinary youth who reported having pronouns respected by all or most people in their lives attempted suicide at half the rate of those who did not have their pronouns respected. [Jan, 2022 issue of Transforming South Dakota, page 40]. Seriously? You’re trying to tell me that I’m effectively killing some child by using the wrong pronoun? Passing off correlation as causation can often lead to ridiculous conclusions – in this case, nicely fitting into their narrative.
Book recommendations for kids:
Jacob’s New Dress, Sarah & Ian Hoffman
Sid Doesn’t Feel Like a Boy or a Girl!, Dylan Greenberg
The Gender Identity Workbook for Kids: A Guide to Exploring Who You Are, · Kelly Storck, Noah Grigni
Those certainly don’t sound like good things, but those are South Dakota’s problems, right? However, on the summit poster it states: “Sanford Health is an approved provider by the North Dakota Board of Social Work Examiners. 6.5 Social Work contact hours awarded (Approved Provider #56).” I guess they are our problem too.
Sanford Health has over 47,000 employees, 2,800 physicians, 5.2 million outpatient and clinic visits per year, and a presence in 8 states. They truly are a Goliath. We are kidding ourselves if even for a moment we think the impact of this will stay in South Dakota. Did you catch the word “region” in The Transformation Project’s mission statement, above?
Consider this. North Dakota has the highest number of Sanford locations, second only to South Dakota itself, and Fargo is the city with the second largest number of locations in the network. This will impact North Dakota, but the corollary is that we have influence.
We can’t leave South Dakota alone to fight this battle, but we must rise to the occasion. Please take a minute or two and contact Sanford about this conference. The conference may still take place, but let’s make sure Sanford knows that we don’t want them (or our dollars) to be part of it, and that teaming with a radical organization like The Transformation Project only promotes these dangerous and twisted procedures on children. Please ask them to just step away from their involvement in the event – that’s all we are asking.
Here is the contact information for a couple of key decision-makers within Sanford. Please remember to be respectful in all your communications, no matter how much of a lightning rod this topic may be.
Bill Gassen, President & CEO of Sanford Health
bill.gassen@sanfordhealth.org
605-333-1000
Corey Brown, Vice President of Government Relations
corey.brown@sanfordhealth.org
(605) 312-6540
Thank you for stepping up and protecting our children, not just in North Dakota, but in our family of states here in the Midwest. If we don’t try to make a difference in our own backyard, it will be a sad day indeed.
SAVE THE DATE: Mike Huckabee is Coming to North Dakota!
We are excited to announce that Governor Mike Huckabee will be the featured speaker at NDFA’s 2023 Faith, Family, and Freedom Dessert Banquet. The event will take place on Tuesday, May 16, 2023 at the Delta by Marriott Hotel in Fargo.
Table sponsorships are available now by calling 701-355-6425. Individual tickets will go on sale in February, based on availability.
About Governor Huckabee
Mike Huckabee is the host of the TV show "Huckabee" on TBN each weekend and is a Fox News contributor, NY Times best-selling author of 14 books, and a frequent speaker for corporate, civic, and non-profit groups all over the world. He also hosts the podcast "Huckabee" on Quake Media. He was the 44th Governor of Arkansas from 1996 until 2007, becoming one of the longest serving Governors in his state's history.
Governor Huckabee left a legacy of tax cuts, job creation, the reconstruction of his state's road system, K-16 education reform, and a nationally heralded and duplicated health initiative that focused on prevention. His administration fought long-standing corruption in the state's political machine, resulting in numerous indictments and convictions of powerful legislators and other elected officials. He ran in 2008 and 2016 for President, finishing 2nd in the Republican primary in 2008. He is also an ordained Baptist pastor and has been a frequent visitor to Israel since 1973, including leading groups to the Holy Land since 1981.
Governing Magazine named him as one of its "Public Officials of the Year" for 2005, and Time Magazine honored him as one of the five best governors in America. He served as the Chairman of the prestigious National Governors Association as well as the Education Commission of the States, the Southern Governors Association, and the Interstate Oil and Gas Commission.
Governor Huckabee, an avid musician since age 11, is a bass player and often joins guest artists on his weekly television show, having played with Willie Nelson, Lynyrd Skynyrd, Toby Keith, the late George Jones, and many others. He owns radio stations in Arkansas and Missouri and has been nationally recognized for his advocacy of the arts in education, including raising money to provide musical instruments for children. His other hobbies include hunting and fishing,
The former governor and his wife, Janet, spend time in Arkansas and have three grown children - John Mark Huckabee, David Huckabee and his wife Lauren, and Arkansas Governor Sarah Huckabee Sanders and her husband, Bryan – as well as seven grandchildren.
We look forward to welcoming Governor Huckabee to North Dakota, and hope you’ll make plans to join us!