Your monthly support provides voters the knowledge they need to make confident decisions at the polls. Donate today.
2021 North Dakota legislative session
|
← 2020
2022 →
|
| 2021 North Dakota legislative session |
|---|
|
| General information |
| Session start: January 5, 2021 Session end: April 29, 2021 |
| Leadership |
| Senate President Brent Sanford (R) House Speaker |
| Elections |
| Next Election: November 8, 2022 Last Election: November 3, 2020 |
| Previous legislative sessions |
| 2020 • 2019 • 2018 |
| Other 2021 legislative sessions |
In 2021, the North Dakota Legislative Assembly was scheduled to convene on January 5 and adjourn on April 29.
The legislators serving in this session took office following the 2020 elections. Republicans won a 40-7 majority in the Senate and a 80-14 majority in the House. The party also controlled the governorship, creating a Republican state government trifecta. At the start of the 2021 session, North Dakota was one of 22 state legislatures where one party had a veto-proof supermajority in both chambers.
The North Dakota Legislative Assembly is responsible for redistricting following each census. Legislators were expected to address redistricting as part of the 2021 legislative session. As of the 2020 Census, North Dakota was one of 37 states where legislators were responsible for redistricting.
Leadership in 2021
North Dakota State Senate
- Senate president: Brent Sanford
- Majority leader: TBD
- Minority leader: Joan Heckaman
North Dakota House of Representatives
- Speaker of the House: Kim Koppelman
- Majority leader: Chet Pollert
- Minority leader: TBD
Partisan control in 2021
- See also: State government trifectas
North Dakota was one of 22 Republican state government trifectas at the start of 2021 legislative sessions. A state government trifecta occurs when one political party holds the governor's office, a majority in the state Senate, and a majority in the state House. For more information about state government trifectas, click here.
North Dakota was also one of 22 state legislatures where one party had a veto-proof supermajority in both chambers. Veto overrides occur when a legislature votes to reverse a veto issued by an executive such as a governor or the president. If one party has a majority in a state legislature that is large enough to override a gubernatorial veto without any votes from members of the minority party, it is called a veto-proof majority or, sometimes, a supermajority. To read more about veto-proof supermajorities in state legislatures, click here.
The following tables show the partisan breakdown of the North Dakota Legislative Assembly in the 2021 legislative session.
North Dakota State Senate
| Party | As of January 2021 | |
|---|---|---|
| Democratic Party | 7 | |
| Republican Party | 40 | |
| Total | 47 | |
North Dakota House of Representatives
| Party | As of January 2021 | |
|---|---|---|
| Democratic Party | 14 | |
| Republican Party | 80 | |
| Total | 94 | |
Regular session
The following widget shows up to 25 pieces of legislation in the 2021 legislative session that most recently passed both chambers of the legislature, were signed by the governor, or were approved by the legislature in a veto override. If no bills are displayed below, no legislation met these criteria in 2021. This information is provided by BillTrack50.
Redistricting
Redistricting is the process of enacting new district boundaries for elected offices, particularly for offices in the U.S. House of Representatives and state legislatures.
To learn more about the redistricting process in North Dakota after the 2020 census, click here.
Standing legislative committees
A standing committee of a state legislature is a committee that exists on a more-or-less permanent basis, from legislative session to session, that considers and refines legislative bills that fall under the committee's subject matter.
At the beginning of the 2021 legislative session, there were 22 standing committees in North Dakota's state government, including 11 state Senate committees and 11 state House committees.
Senate committees
- Agriculture Committee, North Dakota State Senate
- Appropriations Committee, North Dakota State Senate
- Education Committee, North Dakota State Senate
- Energy and Natural Resources Committee, North Dakota State Senate
- Finance and Taxation Committee, North Dakota State Senate
- Government and Veterans Affairs Committee, North Dakota State Senate
- Human Services Committee, North Dakota State Senate
- Industry, Business and Labor Committee, North Dakota State Senate
- Judiciary Committee, North Dakota State Senate
- Political Subdivisions Committee, North Dakota State Senate
- Transportation Committee, North Dakota State Senate
House committees
- Agriculture Committee, North Dakota House of Representatives
- Appropriations Committee, North Dakota House of Representatives
- Education Committee, North Dakota House of Representatives
- Energy and Natural Resources Committee, North Dakota House of Representatives
- Finance and Taxation Committee, North Dakota House of Representatives
- Government and Veterans Affairs Committee, North Dakota House of Representatives
- Human Services Committee, North Dakota House of Representatives
- Industry, Business and Labor Committee, North Dakota House of Representatives
- Judiciary Committee, North Dakota House of Representatives
- Political Subdivisions Committee, North Dakota House of Representatives
- Transportation Committee, North Dakota House of Representatives
Legislatively referred constitutional amendments
In every state but Delaware, voter approval is required to enact a constitutional amendment. In each state, the legislature has a process for referring constitutional amendments before voters. In 18 states, initiated constitutional amendments can be put on the ballot through a signature petition drive. There are also many other types of statewide measures.
The methods by which the North Dakota Constitution can be amended:
The North Dakota Constitution provides three mechanisms for amending the state's constitution—a citizen-initiated process, a legislative process, and a state constitutional convention. North Dakota requires a simple majority vote (50% plus 1) for voters to approve constitutional amendments.
Initiative
- See also: Initiated constitutional amendment
An initiated constitutional amendment is a citizen-initiated ballot measure that amends a state's constitution. Eighteen (18) states allow citizens to initiate constitutional amendments.
In North Dakota, the number of signatures required for an initiated constitutional amendment is equal to 4% of the state's population reported by the last decennial census. Each initiative has its own unique deadline of one year after it was approved to circulate. The completed petition must be submitted at least 120 days prior to the election.
Legislature
A simple majority vote is required during one legislative session for the North Dakota State Legislature to place a constitutional amendment on the ballot. That amounts to a minimum of 48 votes in the North Dakota House of Representatives and 24 votes in the North Dakota State Senate, assuming no vacancies. Amendments do not require the governor's signature to be referred to the ballot.
Convention
According to Section 1 of Article III of the North Dakota Constitution, the state's initiative petition process is used to call a constitutional convention.
Historical partisan control
The table below depicts the historical trifecta status of North Dakota.
North Dakota Party Control: 1992-2024
No Democratic trifectas • Thirty-one years of Republican trifectas
Scroll left and right on the table below to view more years.
| Year | 92 | 93 | 94 | 95 | 96 | 97 | 98 | 99 | 00 | 01 | 02 | 03 | 04 | 05 | 06 | 07 | 08 | 09 | 10 | 11 | 12 | 13 | 14 | 15 | 16 | 17 | 18 | 19 | 20 | 21 | 22 | 23 | 24 | 25 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Governor | D | R | R | R | R | R | R | R | R | R | R | R | R | R | R | R | R | R | R | R | R | R | R | R | R | R | R | R | R | R | R | R | R | R |
| Senate | D | D | D | R | R | R | R | R | R | R | R | R | R | R | R | R | R | R | R | R | R | R | R | R | R | R | R | R | R | R | R | R | R | R |
| House | R | R | R | R | R | R | R | R | R | R | R | R | R | R | R | R | R | R | R | R | R | R | R | R | R | R | R | R | R | R | R | R | R | R |
Historical Senate control
Between 1992 and 2020, partisan control of the North Dakota State Senate shifted in favor of the Republican Party. After the 1992 elections, Democrats held a 25-24 majority in the state Senate. Republicans would gain control of the chamber in 1994 elections and would continue to grow their majority to the point where, as a result of the 2020 elections, Republicans maintained a 40-7 majority. The table below shows the partisan history of the North Dakota State Senate following every general election from 1992 to 2020. All data from 2006 or earlier comes from Michael Dubin's Party Affiliations in the State Legislatures (McFarland Press, 2007). Data after 2006 was compiled by Ballotpedia staff.
North Dakota State Senate election results: 1992-2020
| Year | '92 | '94 | '96 | '98 | '00 | '02 | '04 | '06 | '08 | '10 | '12 | '14 | '16 | '18 | '20 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Democrats | 25 | 20 | 19 | 18 | 18 | 16 | 15 | 21 | 21 | 12 | 13 | 15 | 9 | 10 | 7 |
| Republicans | 24 | 29 | 30 | 31 | 31 | 31 | 32 | 26 | 26 | 35 | 33 | 32 | 38 | 37 | 40 |
There were three major changes to the partisan balance of the state Senate between 1992 and 2020. The first was in 1994, when Republicans gained five seats and took control of the chamber. In 2006, Democrats gained six seats, moving the balance to 26-21 in favor of Republicans. That balance would stand until 2010, when Republicans would gain nine seats and increase their majority to 35-12.
Democrats then gained three seats between the two elections in 2012 and 2014. In 2016, Republicans gained six seats and increased their majority to 38-9 but lost one seat in 2018. They gained three seats in 2020, increasing their majority to 40-7.
Historical House control
Between 1992 and 2020, partisan control of the North Dakota House of Representatives shifted to further the advantage of the Republican Party. The 2010 redistricting process reduced the number of seats in the chamber from 98 to 94. As such, it can be helpful to compare partisan control in terms of percentages. In 1992, Republicans controlled 66 percent of the chamber. After the 2020 elections, Republicans held 80 seats, or 85 percent of the chamber. The table below shows the partisan history of the North Dakota House of Representatives following every general election from 1992 to 2020. All data from 2006 or earlier comes from Michael Dubin's Party Affiliations in the State Legislatures (McFarland Press, 2007). Data after 2006 was compiled by Ballotpedia staff.
North Dakota House of Representatives election results: 1992-2020
| Year | '92 | '94 | '96 | '98 | '00 | '02 | '04 | '06 | '08 | '10 | '12 | '14 | '16 | '18 | '20 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Democrats | 33 | 23 | 26 | 34 | 29 | 28 | 26 | 33 | 36 | 25 | 23 | 23 | 13 | 15 | 14 |
| Republicans | 65 | 75 | 72 | 64 | 69 | 66 | 68 | 61 | 58 | 69 | 71 | 71 | 81 | 79 | 80 |
The 10 seats gained by Republicans in the 2016 elections represented that party's most significant gains between 1992 and 2020. The shift favoring Democrats more than any other occurred as a result of the 1998 elections, when Democrats gained eight seats.
Republican majorities in the state House have increased since 2008. The partisan balance of the chamber as a result of the 2008 elections was 58-36 in favor of Republicans. The Republican majority grew to 80-14 after the 2020 elections.
See also
| Elections | North Dakota State Government | State Legislatures | State Politics |
|---|---|---|---|
 |
 |
 |
 |
External links
Footnotes
