District 26: Week 15 of the 2025 Legislative Session
Jeremy Olson
District 26 Representative
Your District 26 team and the North Dakota Legislative Assembly completed week 15 last Friday, and headed home for Easter. We are in conference committee season with just (hopefully) a couple of weeks remaining. The North Dakota Legislature is constitutionally limited to 80 legislative days every two years; however, it is always our goal to keep several days in reserve, in case we may need to come back for an emergency session. With the uncertainties of federal funding for state programs, we want to be sure that we can return if needed to react to these events or other unanticipated situations that may rise up.
The “big property tax bill” House Bill 1176, which initiated in the House, has made its way to and was significantly amended by the Senate. Since the House did not agree with all of the changes, they will now go into a conference committee. Three Representatives and three Senators are on the conference committee to debate the differences between the two chambers and ultimately compromise on a solution that both sides can agree to. Ultimately, the goal is to bring substantial property tax relief and reform to North Dakotans. How we get there and what the final numbers look like is what the debate is about. Stay tuned for more!
This week, your District 26 legislative team had the pleasure of hosting the Watford City FFA students and their advisors. They met with Governor Kelly Armstrong in his office, where he gave some great life advise and told some entertaining stories about how Watford City used to be before the boom while he was working in town. I don’t think they believed it was that small not too many years ago! After a group photo, the students split up and sat with legislators in both the House and Senate Chambers and saw firsthand how we go about debating and voting on bills. These students had a great experience that they will remember for a long time. It is a highlight of our week to host students who want to experience the legislative process.
Until next week, please reach out to us if you have any questions and let us know if you will be in Bismarck and would like to visit the Capitol.
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”
Visit www.watfordcitynd.com and subscribe to the McKenzie County Farmer today!