2023 North Dakota legislative session
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| 2023 North Dakota legislative session |
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| General information |
| Session start: January 3, 2023 Session end: April 29, 2023 |
| Leadership |
| Senate President Tammy Miller House Speaker |
| Elections |
| Next Election: November 8, 2022 Last Election: November 5, 2024 |
| Previous legislative sessions |
| 2022 • 2021 • 2020 • 2019 • 2018 |
| Other 2023 legislative sessions |
In 2023, the North Dakota Legislative Assembly was scheduled to convene on January 3 and adjourn on April 29.
The legislators serving in this session took office following the 2022 elections. Republicans won a 43-4 majority in the Senate and a 82-12 majority in the House. The party also controlled the governorship, creating a Republican state government trifecta. At the start of the 2023 session, North Dakota was one of 18 state legislatures where the Republican Party had a veto-proof supermajority in both chambers.
Leadership in 2023
North Dakota State Senate
- Senate president: Tammy Miller (R)
- Majority leader: David Hogue (R)
- Minority leader: Kathy Hogan (D)
North Dakota House of Representatives
- Speaker of the House: Dennis Johnson (R)
- Majority leader: Mike Lefor (R)
- Minority leader: Joshua Boschee (D)
Partisan control in 2023
- See also: State government trifectas
North Dakota was one of 22 Republican state government trifectas at the start of 2023 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 27 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 State Legislature in the 2023 legislative session.
North Dakota State Senate
| Party | As of January 2023 | |
|---|---|---|
| Democratic Party | 4 | |
| Republican Party | 43 | |
| Total | 47 | |
North Dakota House of Representatives
| Party | As of January 2023 | |
|---|---|---|
| Democratic Party | 12 | |
| Republican Party | 82 | |
| Total | 94 | |
Regular session
The list below shows up to 25 pieces of legislation in the 2023 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 2023. This information is provided by BillTrack50.
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 2023 legislative session, there were 25 standing committees in North Dakota's state government, including 11 state Senate committees and 14 state House committees.
Senate committees
- Senate Agriculture Committee
- Senate Appropriations Committee
- Senate Education Committee
- Senate Energy and Natural Resources Committee
- Senate Finance and Taxation Committee
- Senate Government and Veterans Affairs Committee
- Senate Human Services Committee
- Senate Industry, Business and Labor Committee
- Senate Judiciary Committee
- Senate Political Subdivisions Committee
- Senate Transportation Committee
House committees
- Appropriations - Education and Environment Committee
- Appropriations - Government Operations Division Committee
- Appropriations - Human Resources Division Committee
- House Agriculture Committee
- House Appropriations Committee
- House Education Committee
- House Energy and Natural Resources Committee
- House Finance and Taxation Committee
- House Government and Veterans Affairs Committee
- House Human Services Committee
- House Industry, Business and Labor Committee
- House Judiciary Committee
- House Political Subdivisions Committee
- House Transportation Committee
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 2022, 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 2022 elections, Republicans maintained a 43-4 majority. The table below shows the partisan history of the North Dakota State Senate following every general election from 1992 to 2022. 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: 1992-2022
| Year | '92 | '94 | '96 | '98 | '00 | '02 | '04 | '06 | '08 | '10 | '12 | '14 | '16 | '18 | '20 | '22 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Democrats | 25 | 20 | 19 | 18 | 18 | 16 | 15 | 21 | 21 | 12 | 13 | 15 | 9 | 10 | 7 | 4 |
| Republicans | 24 | 29 | 30 | 31 | 31 | 31 | 32 | 26 | 26 | 35 | 33 | 32 | 38 | 37 | 40 | 43 |
There were three major changes to the partisan balance of the state Senate between 1992 and 2022. 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. By 2022, Republicans had increased their majority to 43-4.
Historical House control
Between 1992 and 2022, partisan control of the North Dakota House of Representatives shifted to further the advantage of the Republican Party. The table below shows the partisan history of the North Dakota House of Representatives following every general election from 1992 to 2022. 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: 1992-2022
| Year | '92 | '94 | '96 | '98 | '00 | '02 | '04 | '06 | '08 | '10 | '12 | '14 | '16 | '18 | '20 | '22 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Democrats | 33 | 23 | 26 | 34 | 29 | 28 | 26 | 33 | 36 | 25 | 23 | 23 | 13 | 15 | 14 | 12 |
| Republicans | 65 | 75 | 72 | 64 | 69 | 66 | 68 | 61 | 58 | 69 | 71 | 71 | 81 | 79 | 80 | 82 |
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 82-12 after the 2022 elections.
Ballotpedia's Election Administration Legislation Tracker
State election laws are changing. Keeping track of the latest developments in all 50 states can seem like an impossible job.
Here's the solution: Ballotpedia's Election Administration Legislation Tracker.
Ballotpedia's Election Administration Tracker sets the industry standard for ease of use, flexibility, and raw power. But that's just the beginning of what it can do:
- Ballotpedia's election experts provide daily updates on bills and other relevant political developments
- We translate complex bill text into easy-to-understand summaries written in everyday language
- And because it's from Ballotpedia, our Tracker is guaranteed to be neutral, unbiased, and nonpartisan
See also
| Elections | North Dakota State Government | State Legislatures | State Politics |
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External links
Footnotes
