Ethics Commission – TheMinotVoice.com

North Dakota House removes new Ethics Commission position from budget, adds 6-month deadline

by: MinotVoice | April 15, 2025

North Dakota lawmakers are looking to speed up ethics investigations — and tighten the reins on the commission handling them. The House passed a bill Monday setting a 180-day deadline to resolve complaints and scrapping a new staff position focused on ethics education. Supporters say the move addresses a growing backlog and protects public officials

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Democratic ND senator proposes doubling Ethics Commission budget, citing Holmberg case

by: MinotVoice | April 3, 2025

When headlines about political misconduct start feeling routine, it raises a bigger question: are we doing enough to prevent the next one? That’s the concern Sen. Tim Mathern brought to the Capitol this week, calling for a major expansion of North Dakota’s Ethics Commission. His pitch follows the fallout from former Sen. Ray Holmberg’s criminal

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House defeats bill to streamline North Dakota Ethics Commission

by: MinotVoice | February 26, 2025

The North Dakota House sent a clear message on Monday, rejecting two bills that would have reshaped the state’s ethics oversight. Lawmakers overwhelmingly defeated House Bill 1360, a proposal to give the Ethics Commission greater control over its investigations, citing concerns about unchecked power. A separate bill, aimed at shielding legislators from criminal conflict-of-interest charges

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HB 1505 Addresses Lawmaker Immunity and Conflicts of Interest

by: MinotVoice | January 28, 2025

North Dakota state Rep. Jason Dockter recently faced a misdemeanor conviction linked to a conflict of interest regarding votes that financially benefited him. This situation has sparked conversations among lawmakers about the ethical boundaries within their ranks. In response, legislative leaders have proposed House Bill 1505, which aims to grant immunity to lawmakers from prosecution,

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Doug Burgum’s federal rise highlights weaknesses in North Dakota ethics rules

by: MinotVoice | January 17, 2025

Doug Burgum, the former governor of North Dakota, is making waves this week as he signs an ethics agreement to divest from oil and gas interests he holds in Western North Dakota. It’s an action he notably avoided during his gubernatorial term, where as Chair of the Industrial Commission, he had regulatory oversight over them.

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Ethics and the One-Party State: A Mission Not Yet Accepted

by: Jim Maxson | January 14, 2025

The reluctance of the North Dakota State legislature to accept the recommendations of the newly formed ethics commission should not be a surprise except to the most naive among us. Organizations historically have not been known to reform themselves. Elected officials having hubris is about as surprising as ducks having webbed feet. The relaxed conflict

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North Dakota Ethics Commission receives early pushback in legislative hearing

By: Mary Steurer, North Dakota Monitor | January 9, 2025

The North Dakota Ethics Commission received pushback from lawmakers Wednesday on one of its first bills, with a nearly unanimous recommendation to reject it. The Ethics Commission can issue advisory opinions to help officials under its jurisdiction understand how ethics laws and rules apply in certain circumstances. Currently, the commission may only publish opinions if

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Voters created an ethics commission in North Dakota. Then the Legislature limited its power.

by: MinotVoice | January 9, 2025

Fed up with politics as usual, a group known as the BadAss Grandmas rallied North Dakotans six years ago to establish a state Ethics Commission. Their mission? To curb unethical behavior among public officials. Yet, this watchdog has been less potent than hoped, hamstrung by the very lawmakers it’s supposed to oversee. With uninvestigated tips

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Why should elected officials care about ethics when we don’t?

by: MinotVoice | January 9, 2025

Ethics in North Dakota politics are raising eyebrows as lawmakers reconvene in Bismarck. Key figures like Rep. Jason Dockter, recently convicted of a misdemeanor over a questionable lease deal, continue to hold office despite calls for accountability. Similarly, other instances, such as lobbyist ties or ethical missteps at the University of North Dakota, emphasize the

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