Weekly Legislative Update #1

This is the first of many weekly updates we will be providing to you, our ministry partners, about what’s going on in the halls of Bismarck during the 2025 Legislative Session, and how we are defending your deeply held values every day. If you ever have questions about a particular bill, feel free to email us at mark@ndfamilyalliance.org or call 701-355-6425. It may take a bit before you hear back from us, but we promise to get back to you. Now on to the good stuff.

The first full week of the session is over. What a week it was! Last week started a bit slowly, with Legislative Council (the State agency that drafts the final bills) releasing bills in groups, instead of doing a “dump” of 1,000 bills all at once, which usually happens. As I write this, they have released roughly 700 bills, and the bills are being assigned to committees. If some behind- the-scenes discussions are correct, there could be as many as 1,200 bills this session – definitely higher than the 986 bills last session.

The first thing we do when a group of bills is released into the wild is review them 3 times to spot any possible pro-life or pro-family bills. We don’t want to miss anything! We then read every bill and determine whether we should engage on it in some way. This can be everything from formal testimony at a hearing, to simply written testimony, or even just talking to legislators before a floor vote. Or all of these, and more. Of the 700 bills released so far, we’ve identified about 30 on which we will engage in some manner.

This week, our work started with providing supporting testimony for the Attorney General’s office in their critical work of enforcing our laws. This was followed by bills related to sports betting, blue laws, military appreciation month, and a number of other topics. In all, we provided testimony on 7 bills and resolutions during the week. Next week looks pretty busy with testimony planned for as many as 15 bills, as well as hosting our 2025 Pro-Life Conference on Wednesday, so please keep us in your prayers.

Below is the list of bills on which we will engage and their current status, as of COB today. This list will undoubtedly grow as more bills are released. If you are interested in more information any of these bills, go to ndlegis.gov and type the 4-digit bill number in the search bar in the top right corner, and you will be taken to the menu for that particular bill.

Announcing North Dakota's 2025 Annual Pro-Life Conference!

Please mark your calendars for Wed. January 22nd, 2025, and join us at 9am at the Heritage Center in Bismarck as we celebrate North Dakota’s annual Right-To-Life Day! We’ll have life-affirming messages from several speakers, a delicious lunch, and fellowship as we give thanks for God’s precious gift of life! You can purchase tickets for $25 here.
 
We’re excited to welcome Melissa Ohden as our keynote speaker this year. She is the Founder and Director of The Abortion Survivors Network, the only healing and advocacy organization for abortion survivors and their families. She will share her profound experiences as an abortion survivor.

Melissa Ohden is the survivor of a failed saline infusion abortion. Despite the initial concerns regarding Melissa’s future after surviving the attempt to end her life at approximately seven months gestation, she has not only survived but thrived. She is a Master’s level prepared Social Worker and the author of two books: You Carried Me: A Daughter’s Memoir and Abortion Survivors Break Their Silence. Melissa speaks at events around the world, inspiring audiences with her powerful life story, and she is a sought-after expert on abortion survivors.

We’ll also be privileged to hear from several other impactful speakers including:

Dr. Patti Giebink, MD, is an OB/GYN physician who has over 30 years’ experience delivering babies here and in hospitals overseas.  While working in her private practice in Sioux Falls, SD, she began working part-time performing abortions at Planned Parenthood, the only abortion clinic in South Dakota.  After shifting to full-time at Planned Parenthood she eventually left September 1997 and has not performed any abortions since. Her book, Unexpected Choice – An Abortion Doctor’s Journey To Pro-Life chronicles her career, and her transformation, and gives readers insight into both sides of this divisive issue.

*Bridget Turbide, Executive Director of North Dakota Right To Life
*Dr. David Tamisiea, Executive Director of North Dakota Catholic Conference
*Nadia Smetana, RN, BSN, Clinic Director at Dakota Hope Clinics
*Senator Janne Myrdal, Chair of the ND Legislative Pro-Life Caucus
 
Tickets will be $25 and can be purchased here or they can be purchased at a group rate by calling 701-355-6425. We hope to see you on Wed. January 22nd as we seek to reaffirm the dignity and value of every human being!

Legislative Organizational Session Highlights

The halls of the Capitol are relatively quiet today, but earlier this week it was quite different. The first three days of this week, excitement permeated the Capitol as legislators gathered to prepare for the 2025 session. North Dakota Family Alliance Legislative Action was right there with them, on the ground doing prep work before session started. It was a bit like returning to school after a long summer. Old friends reconnected, new friendships began, seats and tasks were assigned, and a foundation was laid for the important work that officially begins in January. One thing was quite obvious – we are blessed to have many strong Christian legislators and many nonprofit allies who will stand with us on critical issues relating to faith, family, and freedom.

 
We had the opportunity this week to discuss some upcoming legislation and strategize with our allies. Several significant topics will be on the agenda for us including human trafficking, life, school choice, pornography, and protecting our God-given freedoms. We participated in a Pro-Life Caucus meeting and are extremely thankful for the passionate support for life that exists within our North Dakota government. We’ll continue to fight for those precious lives who don’t yet have a voice themselves! 
 
Finally, I’m happy to report that we plan to have three staff working as lobbyists at the Capitol and doing background research this session! With the addition of a third staff member, we can provide more support to legislators and increase our influence in defending your deeply held beliefs. Thank you for any financial support you may be able to contribute to underwrite our growing presence during the legislative session.
 
Please be in prayer for the upcoming session and our legislators. May we all glorify God in our legislative work, and always seek to do what is best for North Dakota.

Construction Paper Trees

Thanksgiving is here and it officially kicks off the holiday season. It’s a time of excitement, long “to do” lists, and family gatherings. I love Thanksgiving and the fact that it is front and center as we begin our holidays.
 
Many years ago, my wife proposed a “thankfulness tree” for our family. Call me a grinch, but I’m not a big fan of homemade construction paper decorations adorning our walls during the holidays or frankly any time of year. Nevertheless, the thankfulness tree idea was implemented, and I had to deal with it (this should provide a life lesson for all you husbands out there).
 
A construction paper tree was created and pinned to our kitchen wall. It was supplemented by a pile of multicolored leaves on which each of us needed to write things for which we were thankful and then pin them to the tree. I was more concerned about all the pinholes in the wall I’d have to spackle after Thanksgiving. Don’t get me wrong, I’m thankful for many things, but really wasn’t into the spirit of the whole thing.
 
Days went by and my wife and kids started populating the tree with leaves. They pinned up leaves that said “family”, “warm home”, “friends”, and many other wonderful things. I sat. I watched. I started to feel guilty.
 
It was a few days before Thanksgiving and I finally filled out my first leaf and pinned it to the tree. Do you know what happened next? A second leaf went up, then a third, and before I knew it, I was on a roll. Like the grinch, my heart began growing “three sizes” larger. I became happier with each new leaf and started to focus more on how blessed I and my family were. While still not a fan of construction paper art, I finally got it.
 
We are entering a season that focuses on thanking God for his blessings and sharing those with others. I have lots of ideas for leaves. I am thankful for Godly men and women who serve us in the state legislature and Congress. I am thankful for our Legislative Academy that helps train new legislators on how to best integrate their faith and values into their political life. I am thankful for a loving wife, amazing kids, and even our questionably useful dog Annie. They are the best family I could ever ask for.
 
However, this year I’m also going to pin a leaf up there for you, our ministry partners. You are the foundation of everything we do. You represent North Dakotans who value life, family, religious liberty, and other biblical values. You are the source of the “biblical citizenship” to which we often refer. You support NDFA in many ways: voting, prayers, responding to our Call to Action Alerts, and financial support. Thank you for all you do for us at NDFA, and we hope you have a wonderful Thanksgiving with friends and loved ones.