Legislative sausage looks good

Legislating often is likened to sausage-making: The process isn’t pretty, but the outcome can be satisfying.

The 2011 North Dakota Legislature was anything but pretty. Leaders of the majority did their best to muck up a session with pandering and over-the-top power grabbing. Most of their nonsensical initiatives were slapped down, which speaks well of most lawmakers in the Republican majority and Democratic minority. Nonetheless, the session was distinguished by enough foolishness to raise questions about the competence of majority leaders in both chambers. Those veteran lawmakers are Rep. Al Carlson, R-Fargo, and Sen. Bob Stenehjem, R-Bismarck.

That being said, the final outcome, despite leadership’s machinations, is good news for most North Dakotans. The state’s economy is strong. That single factor provided lawmakers with the latitude to do a lot of catch-up funding, add new appropriations for worthy causes, significantly cut income and property taxes, and leave the state with record biennial reserves of more than $1 billion — the projected total in all state funds.

Overall ongoing spending is up slightly, which should come as no surprise, given the state’s obvious needs for priorities such as oil patch roads, flood protection, rising campus enrollments and the demands of up-to-date K-12 education.

Gov. Jack Dalrymple, who probably understands the Legislature better than most recent governors (he served there for many years), said he was relatively pleased by the final legislative budget, which pretty much stuck with his budget priorities. He was especially pleased the Senate restored funding for the Centers of Excellence at the University of North Dakota and North Dakota State University after the House had foolishly stripped out most of the money.

Among the stunts and schemes (most from House leadership) that were voted down:

— Consolidating education from kindergarten through university under one bureaucracy while eliminating the state Board of Higher Education and the elected superintendent of public instruction.

— A “personhood” bill that would have made criminals of doctors who helped couples with fertility problems.

— A senseless and expensive revision of election laws that would have required polling sites in places where voting patterns show they are not needed.

At least one bad bill, the consequences of which will not be pretty, passed:

— A directive that the state higher education board and UND defy the NCAA and continue using the Fighting Sioux logo and nickname. Not smart.

In general, however, North Dakota lawmakers got the job done. The state is in good shape, and the body of legislation passed in 2011 will help sustain a strong and diversified economy.

Tags: north dakota legislature, opinion, editorial