By Amy Dalrymple | Editor
Members of Legislative Management meet Aug. 17, 2026, to hear proposals for the upcoming special legislative session. (Photo by Michael Achterling/North Dakota Monitor)
By Jacob Orledge and Michael Achterling
North Dakota lawmakers will consider a temporary ban on non-disclosure agreements for data centers and other industrial developments during a September special session.
Legislative leaders also voted Monday to consider a line of credit for a stalled Military Gallery project, advance a technical correction to a property tax credit and debate two bills related to regulating kratom, the reason the governor called the special session.
An overall moratorium on data center development did not advance. Nor did a proposal to add funding to state childcare assistance, which has nearly 1,900 households on a waitlist.
No members of the committee voiced support for a controversial resolution to urge President Donald Trump to grant clemency for the men convicted of killing two federal officers in the 1983 Medina shootout.
Sen. Michelle Axtman, R-Bismarck, speaks during a meeting of Legislative Management on Aug. 17, 2026. (Photo by Michael Achterling/North Dakota Monitor)
By Jacob Orledge
North Dakota lawmakers on Monday advanced two complementary proposals to regulate kratom and ban synthetic substances.
The bill drafts, the result of a Kratom Working Group, will be considered in September during a special session called by Gov. Kelly Armstrong to address the substance’s lack of regulation in North Dakota.
A bill draft proposed by Rep. Pat Heinert, R-Bismarck, would adopt regulations for natural kratom products that mimic existing laws for tobacco products like cigarettes.
Sen. Michelle Axtman, R-Bismarck, proposes a ban on synthetic derivatives of kratom such as 7-OH and any other derivatives that hit the market in the future. The bill also includes criminal penalties for use and possession of synthetic derivatives of kratom.
A truck delivers corn to the Tharaldson Ethanol plant near Casselton, North Dakota, on May 15, 2024. (Jeff Beach/North Dakota Monitor)
By Jeff Beach
Consumers would have more opportunity to save money on gasoline with higher levels of ethanol if Congress can remove a long-standing restriction, members of an ethanol industry roundtable said Monday.
The U.S. House has passed a bill to allow year-round sales of gasoline with 15% ethanol, known as E15. Current rules do not allow E15 sales during the summer, though the federal Environmental Protection Agency granted a waiver this year.
The roundtable, hosted by Rep. Julie Fedorchak, R-N.D., mostly consisted of members connected to agriculture, which would benefit from easier access to corn-based ethanol.
EARLIER ND MONITOR NEWS AND COMMENTARY
North Dakota families, childcare providers frustrated by growing waitlist for assistance | Mary Steurer and Michael Achterling
Data centers, vapes, childcare aid emerge for North Dakota special session consideration | Michael Achterling, Jack Dura and Jeff Beach
Line of credit, more oversight proposed for stalled North Dakota Military Gallery project | Jack Dura
AROUND THE REGION FROM STATES NEWSROOM
(Photo by Getty Images)
By Max Nesterak
New minimum wages for Minnesota nursing home workers received final federal approval and will take effect on Sept. 10, more than three years after the state Legislature created a nation-leading labor standards board to set pay and working standards for some of the state’s lowest-paid workers.
Thousands of workers will receive raises with the new hourly wage floors across four job categories: $22.50 for certified nursing assistants, $23.50 for trained medication aides, $27 for licensed practical nurses, and $19 for all other nursing home workers. The hourly wages will increase another $1.50 per hour across all job categories on Jan. 1.
Medical marijuana home cultivation licenses surge in South Dakota | South Dakota Searchlight
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