Military Gallery fix among special proposals

By Jeff Beach | Deputy editor

By Jack Dura

Top North Dakota Republican lawmakers are proposing tens of millions of dollars in a line of credit for restarting construction of the Military Gallery that has been paused for more than a month due to a fundraising shortfall. 

Their proposal also gives “final decision-making authority” and approval of donor naming rights to boards that lawmakers lead or sit on. 

The bill draft made public Friday is for a $35 million line of credit through the state-owned Bank of North Dakota, to be repaid by the State Historical Society via donations.

By Michael Achterling, Jack Dura and Jeff Beach

North Dakota lawmakers have four proposals for restricting kratom and more than a dozen on other topics for a special session beginning next month, according to draft legislation made public on Friday.

A top legislative panel meets Monday to decide which bill drafts from 20 proposals to advance to the special session, which begins Sept. 2. The proposals include kratom restrictions, a funding fix for the stalled Military Gallery project, data center restrictions and other topics.

The panel will weigh whether topics must be addressed immediately or can wait until next year, said Senate Majority Leader David Hogue, R-Minot, who chairs Legislative Management. 

An organization that helps people confront housing discrimination across the Dakotas is facing an uncertain future.
The Grand Forks-based High Plains Fair Housing Center is waiting on a federal grant that was expected in May. If the funding doesn’t arrive by September, the nonprofit will be forced to furlough half of its eight staff members.
Reporter Jack Dura joins host Craig Blumenshine to talk about the impact the cuts could have for people seeking help with housing issues.
A Closer Look with the Monitor is a partnership with Prairie Public's Main Street.

By Jack Dura

North Dakota lawmakers are grappling with how to restrict kratom and related products after a stream of testimony Wednesday from people including a concerned mother, a smoke shop owner, medical professionals and others with varying views on the substance the governor recently banned. 

The Legislature’s Kratom Working Group heard the testimony as it works on legislation for a September special session Gov. Kelly Armstrong has called for the Legislature to enact kratom restrictions.

By Jacob Orledge

A Democratic lawmaker in North Dakota is calling for the Legislature to address data centers while legislators are gathered for a special session next month.

But a top legislative leader is skeptical that a three-day special session, focused on regulating kratom, is the right time to debate data centers.

Sen. Tim Mathern of Fargo plans to propose a bill draft that would prohibit public officials from signing non-disclosure agreements with data center developers. He also plans to propose a temporary data center moratorium, though acknowledged that is unlikely to be embraced by other legislators.

By Michael Achterling and Jack Dura

A North Dakota lawmaker is proposing legislation to ask President Donald Trump to grant clemency for two men convicted in connection with the infamous 1983 Medina shootout that left two federal officers dead.

Sen. Jeff Magrum, R-Hazelton, said he plans to present a resolution to a key legislative panel on Monday regarding convicted killers Scott Faul and Yorie Kahl.

By Jeff Beach

North Dakota’s abundant supply of lignite coal has been touted as a domestic source for critical minerals needed in magnets and electronics. But research at the University of North Dakota shows the potential for another lignite byproduct — fertilizer. 

UND is negotiating a contract with the U.S. Department of Energy to expand its critical mineral refining to the first commercial-scale test site at the Falkirk coal mine near Underwood. 

Dan Laudal, executive director and research professor with the UND College of Engineering and Mines, in a presentation last month to legislators, said a key to making the pilot project work is its ability to make enough money so that it can survive beyond the five-year Department of Energy contract. 

By Jacob Orledge

Preliminary estimates project North Dakota lawmakers will be able to spend nearly $900 million from Legacy Fund earnings during the 2027 legislative session. 

The $894 million is a preliminary estimate presented to lawmakers Wednesday would represent a roughly 30% increase from what was received for the 2025-2027 biennium. 

By Ceilidh Kern

For years, most of Shahin Azizi’s clients at Global Refuge in Fargo participated in the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program to help them cover the cost of food while they got settled and looked for work. Some stayed on the program even after they found jobs to help them provide for their larger families.

But a 2025 federal budget bill known as the One Big Beautiful Bill Act made sweeping changes to SNAP, including restricting noncitizens’ access to the program.

That included refugees, who make up the bulk of Global Refuge’s clients. The nonprofit organization works with the U.S. government to help resettle refugees and other newcomers to the U.S.

The North Dakota Department of Health and Human Services, which administers the state’s SNAP program, estimated that around 1,000 noncitizens would lose food benefits under the new law. Another estimated 5,600 North Dakotans are expected to lose SNAP due to stricter work requirements. 

By Jack Dura

The only fair housing organization in the Dakotas is holding on until Sept. 1 for a key federal grant to arrive or it will furlough some of its staff.

The North Dakota-based High Plains Fair Housing Center has been awaiting the $425,000 Fair Housing Initiatives Program grant since May. The U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development awarded the three-year grant in 2023, but the third installment hasn’t shown up.

By Jeffrey Anvari-Clarke

I think it’s fair to say that North Dakota has a long history of maintaining policies and running companies and other institutions that could be considered socialist. And that can hold true no matter how you define socialism or whether you think it’s a good thing.

Consider the state-owned Bank of North Dakota, the only financial institution of its kind in the United States. Founded in 1919, it offers numerous education, business, agriculture and infrastructure loan programs to support the economic development of the state and its citizens.

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