What's a Doug To Do?

Although this time  he's not alone, can't nobody break into the billion dollar piggy bank.

The North Dakota Legislature took the keys to the car and went on a two year vacation.  They must have felt vacation mode just settling in, when all of a sudden...their phones blow up!

All the kids were calling with the same message- We're gonna need those keys, because...

We just got a billion dollars of federal cash!

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Cash to burn!

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But we need the keys!

Let's start with the billion dollar federal direct deposit...if you'd take a minute, I do a take on our new Biden Bucks earlier this week here.

North Dakota's cut of the federal coronavirus nationwide financial relief fund was a little over a billion dollars.  Like many of our private bank accounts, North Dakota's federal stimulus checks were direct deposited in our state owned Bank of North Dakota checking account.

Except, the Legislature took the checkbook too!

What?

Oh, sure they left us enough budget for a can of spaghetti a day (couldn't resist), but they proclaimed through veto, they would all have to be seated back in Bismarck before we can REALLY open those purse strings.

Ya can't blame them, last time Doug fell into a billion dollars he kinda went on a spree without really consulting with mom and dad. So mom and dad voted that NOBODY (talking to you Doug), can spend more than $50 million in any two year period without mom and dad first having a conversation about it.

The Associated Press explains it in a much more fact based way right here.

So Burgum tried to veto the $50 million dollar limit but the legislature over rode the veto easily.  Recently, Doug had this to say to them...

Burgum has said the $50 million “trigger” that would force the governor to call a special session would risk violating the state constitution by having the Legislature meet for more than the 80 days it’s allowed every two years.

North Dakota Attorney General Wayne Stenehjem has said the new law may not survive a court challenge. Stenehjem said the governor was “well within his constitutional authority“ to veto the bill and that he thought the new law would be difficult to defend “from a constitutional aspect.”

Burgum declined to say Wednesday if he would challenge the law in court

Seems like the Legislature already overstayed their welcome for 76 days while in session this year...so they can only come back in full session for FOUR days and give us our billion dollars!!

Come on back!  You can keep the keys...but, we're gonna need that checkbook.

thanks


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