District 26 Legislators: Week four of 2025 session
Jeremy Olson
District 26 Representative
Your District 26 legislators have completed the fourth week of the 69th legislative session. All bills in the House and Senate have been submitted and scheduled for committee hearings. This session, there are 648 House bills (103 more than last session) and 421 Senate bills (five more than last session). This is the highest number of House bills since 1991. Jeremy and Roger have a lot of work ahead in the N.D. House of Representatives!
This week, the House and Senate reviewed legislation that proposes repealing existing policies on carbon capture, storage, and utilization. These bills aim to change how carbon management would operate in North Dakota by potentially revoking authorization and oversight or even prohibiting the process entirely. House Majority Leader Mike Lefor stated, “Our oil and gas industry requires more CO2 for enhanced oil recovery to achieve its full potential. The legislature has spent decades balancing and refining laws concerning property rights, pore space, tax policy, regulatory processes, state primacy over the EPA, among others. These laws are functioning as we intended.” This topic garners significant interest and differing opinions from various stakeholders. Over the next couple of weeks, the House and Senate Energy and Natural Resources Committees (of which Senator Patten and Representative Olson are committee members) will consider these proposals and make recommendations to their respective chambers. This is a contentious issue, with lots of opinions and passion on both sides. Your legislators will make recommendations based and balanced on all aspects of this issue.
Next week, there will be further committee work on property taxes. Several bills have been reviewed, with various ideas on how to reduce property taxes for North Dakotans. Legislators in the Finance and Taxation committees will now examine the details of these proposed bills to bring recommendations to the floor for a comprehensive property tax bill. This process is complex.
This Saturday, Feb. 8, the American Legion will host its monthly “Coffee with a Vet” at the American Legion Post located across from the airport, commencing at 9 a.m. Your legislators will be in attendance to engage with you, address your concerns, and discuss forthcoming bills that may be of interest to you. This event also presents an excellent opportunity to connect with veterans within the community. We encourage you to attend and participate in “Coffee with a Vet.”
We want your input. Please contact us with any questions or concerns.
Contact Information for District 26 Legislators: Senator Dale Patten: dpatten@ndlegis.gov; Representative Jeremy Olson: jolson@ndlegis.gov; Representative Roger Maki: rmaki@ndlegis.gov; Official website: www.ndlegis.gov; Facebook: “North Dakota House Republican Caucus” & “North Dakota Senate Republicans”
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