597: 'We're at the point where we're ready to throw fists here'

"Everybody's frustrated with everybody right now," Rep. Jeremy Olson said on this episode of Plain Talk.

Olson is a Republican from Arnegard, and serves as the Majority Caucus Leader, and is well known as a "gentle giant" of North Dakota politics. Which is to say that his comment about fist fights was tongue-in-cheek, but he was expressing a real sense of frustration as lawmakers reach the hectic end of their session.

Lawmakers are locked in tough debates over things like property taxes, budget bills, and school choice, though the last of those bills failed earlier this week.

In particular, Olson spoke about the incessant division of complicated budget bills, such as the appropriation for the Commerce Department, which saw its amendments divided, and then the final bill amended, with most of that action being led by Rep. Ben Koppelman, a Republican from West Fargo.

"When some people get up or when some divisions happen, you can kind of hear an audible groan in the room," Olson told us. "I'll leave it at that."

Olson also spoke of legislation he's championed to incentivize oil exploration. Specifically, House Bill 1483 and Senate Bill 2397 which would lower tax burdens for oil exploration outside of the hottest areas of the Bakken and Three Forks formations.

"They could find the next big boom in the Williston Basin," he said. "So, in order to help them offset that cost, that risk, we're giving them a financial incentive."

Also on this episode, co-host Chad Oban and I talk about the bitter and surprising way this sessions debate over school choice bills ended, and analyze who has the strongest hand to play in the final fight over property tax reform.

This episode is presented by Bakken Backers. Bakken Backers is a coalition of businesses, leaders, workers, and citizens who support energy production from the Bakken formation and its many benefits for North Dakota. Learn more at www.BackTheBakken.org.

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