Plain Talk

North Dakota's legislative session is ending, and that always means a flurry of bills getting signed into law, or occasionally vetoed, by the Governor. On this episode of Plain Talk Live, Governor Doug Burgum talks about the bills he's signed, and the bills he's yet to sign. Among the bills already signed is one protecting schools from lawsuits over 10 commandment displays and another providing health benefits for the family of fallen first responders. Burgum has also signed a "stand your ground" bill that removes the "duty to retreat" from the state's self-defense "castle doctrine," new protections for free speech on the state's campuses, and a massive infrastructure bonding package. Among the bills vetoed? One would have restricted the participation of transgendered athletes in K-12 sports, and the other would have stop the state government from implementing mask mandates in the future. Why did he make these decisions? I'll ask.

Derek Chauvin is guilty, and that's some justice for George Floyd, but are debate over the role of law enforcement in our society is far from over. Can cops accused of inappropriate activity get a fair trial in this environment? What can we do about militant attitudes in the ranks of law enforcement? Rob and podcast entrepreneur Jonah Lantto from the Good Talk Network, a production company that currently produces several podcasts and a late-night show, discuss. Send comments and feedback to rport@forumcomm.com. You can follow Jonah's work here: https://www.facebook.com/thegoodtalknetwork

#NorthDakota​ #FreeSpeech​ #HigherEducation​ Recently Governor Doug Burgum signed House Bill 1503 into law. It's aim? To protect free speech on North Dakota's campuses. At the national level, we've all heard many stories about students who, whether it's because of campus administration or harassment from other students, have difficulty expressing controversial points of view. Was that a problem in North Dakota? Was this bill necessary? Tyler Coward, an attorney for the Foundation for Individual Rights in Education, discusses the bill and the state of free speech rights on North Dakota's campuses. Send comments and feedback to rport@forumcomm.com.

Rob and Jay talk about COVID-19 vaccines, face masks, and more.

A new ballot measure campaign seeks to amend North Dakota's state constitution to make it harder to amend the constitution. Specifically, it would require a 60 percent supermajority for any constitutional amendment on the ballot to pass. It would also limit each proposed amendment to just one topic. Is this good reform? Or a power grab or, as the Forum of Fargo-Moorhead put it in an editorial, a "stunt" aimed at weakening the voices of voters? Rick Gion, head of North Dakota Voters First, a group responsible for multiple constitutional ballot measures in the past, believes it's the latter. He talks it over with me on this episode of Plain Talk Live.

The rollout of the Johnson & Johnson vaccine has been paused across the nation. North Dakota is possessed of some of the highest rates of hesitance in the nation when it comes to COVID-19 vaccinations in general. What does the pause mean for you? How do we persuade people who are skeptical of any of the vaccines? Molly Howell, the Immunization Program Manager at North Dakota Department of Health, joins Plain Talk Live at 2 p.m. central time to discuss these issues.

Chad Oban is a long-time activist in North Dakota politics. He served as the executive director of the North Dakota Democratic-NPL and his wife, Erin Oban, is a state Senator from Bismarck. On this episode of Plain Talk Live, Rob and Chad will talk about the rise of the Bastiat Caucus in North Dakota, the fight over mask mandates, campaign finance transparency, and legislative pay. Plus, whatever else might come to mind!

A group calling itself Protect North Dakota’s Constitution held a press conference today announcing a ballot measure campaign aimed at making changes to North Dakota's constitution a bit harder. Currently, outside of a greater number of signatures required on petitions for constitutional measures, it's as easy to amend the state constitution at the ballot box as it is to amend statute. This group wants that to change. "PNDC is proposing a constitutional measure proposed by the legislature or as an initiated measure should address a single issue and receive sixty percent or more of the votes cast in a statewide election for it to be approved," they state in a press release. The co-chairs of this campaign are Williston resident Jeff Zarling and retired North Dakota National Guard General Mike Haugen. Zarling will join me on this episode of Plain Talk Live at 1 p.m. to discuss the proposal.

Is North Dakota about to give the coal industry a handout? That's what critics of pro-coal legislation in Bismarck are saying, but there's another side of the story. Power sources like wind and solar have enjoyed decades of political favoritism. From heavy production subsidies to outright mandate for their use, the market has been skewed in their favor, to the detriment of baseload power like coal and even nuclear. But recent power outages and utility bill spikes show that we may have gone too far down that road. Now North Dakota lawmakers are considering a package of tax relief and subsidies aimed at helping keep our state's coal plants open, including the largest plant, Coal Creek Station near Underwood. For economic reasons, yes, but also for the sake of keeping our power supply in the region reliable and affordable. Sen. Jim Roers, a Republican from Fargo, joins this episode of Plain Talk Live at 3:30pm central standard time to discuss.

Rob and Jay talk about the officer-involved shooting in Brooklyn Park, Minnesota, and the resulting protests.