23.3026.02000
Sixty-eighth
Legislative Assembly HOUSE CONCURRENT RESOLUTION NO. 3020
of North Dakota
Introduced by
Representatives Kasper, Headland, Kempenich, Koppelman, Lefor, Louser, Rohr, D. Ruby
Senators Larsen, Paulson, Vedaa
1 A concurrent resolution to amend and reenact sections 7 and 13 of article IV of the Constitution
2 of North Dakota, relating to annual sessions of the legislative assembly; and to provide an
3 effective date.
4 STATEMENT OF INTENT
5 This measure would require the legislative assembly to meet in a regular session each year for
6 at least fifty days and a maximum of sixty days and authorize the legislative assembly to
7 reconvene for additional days to override a veto. The amendment would become effective
8 January 1, 2025.
9 BE IT RESOLVED BY THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES OF NORTH DAKOTA, THE
10 SENATE CONCURRING THEREIN:
11 That the following proposed amendments to sections 7 and 13 of article IV of the
12 Constitution of North Dakota are agreed to and must be submitted to the qualified electors of
13 North Dakota at the general election to be held in 2024, in accordance with section 16 of
14 article IV of the Constitution of North Dakota.
15 SECTION 1. AMENDMENT. Section 7 of article IV of the Constitution of North Dakota is
16 amended and reenacted as follows:
17 Section 7. The terms of members of the legislative assembly begin on the first day of
18 December following their election.
19 The legislative assembly shall meet at the seat of government in the month of December
20 following the election of the members thereof for organizational and orientation purposes as
21 provided by law and shall thereafter recess until twelve noon on the first Tuesday after the third
22 day in January or at such other time as may be prescribed by law but not later than the eleventh
23 day of January.
24 No regular session of the legislative assembly may exceed eighty naturalThe legislative
25 assembly shall meet for up to fifty business days during the bienniumeach calendar year. Upon
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1 a two-thirds vote of each house, a regular session may be extended by up to ten additional
2 days each year. The organizational meeting of the legislative assembly may not be counted as
3 part of those eighty naturalfifty business days, nor may days spent in session at the call of the
4 governor or, while engaged in impeachment proceedings, or when called by the legislative
5 management to reconvene to reconsider a veto, be counted. Days spent in regular session
6 need not be consecutive, and the legislative assembly may authorize its committees to meet at
7 any time during the bienniumyear. As used in this section, a "naturalbusiness day" means a
8 period of twenty-four consecutive hours on Monday through Friday of each week.
9 Neither house may recess nor adjourn for more than three days without consent of the
10 other house.
11 SECTION 2. AMENDMENT. Section 13 of article IV of the Constitution of North Dakota is
12 amended and reenacted as follows:
13 Section 13. Each house shall keep a journal of its proceedings, and a recorded vote on any
14 question shall be taken at the request of one-sixth of those members present. No bill may
15 become law except by a recorded vote of a majority of the members elected to each house, and
16 the lieutenant governor is considered a member-elect of the senate when the lieutenant
17 governor votes.
18 No law may be enacted except by a bill passed by both houses, and no bill may be
19 amended on its passage through either house in a manner which changes its general subject
20 matter. No bill may embrace more than one subject, which must be expressed in its title; but a
21 law violating this provision is invalid only to the extent the subject is not so expressed.
22 Every bill must be read on two separate naturalbusiness days, and the readings may be by
23 title only unless a reading at length is demanded by one-fifth of the members present.
24 No bill may be amended, extended, or incorporated in any other bill by reference to its title
25 only, except in the case of definitions and procedural provisions.
26 The presiding officer of each house shall sign all bills passed and resolutions adopted by
27 the legislative assembly, and the fact of signing shall be entered at once in the journal.
28 Every law, except as otherwise provided in this section, enacted by the legislative assembly
29 during its eighty natural meeting days takes effect on August first after its filing with the
30 secretary of state, or if filed on or after August first and before January first of the following year
31 ninety days after its filing, or on a subsequent date if specified in the law unless, by a vote of
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1 two-thirds of the members elected to each house, the legislative assembly declares it an
2 emergency measure and includes the declaration in the Act. Every appropriation measure for
3 support and maintenance of state departments and institutions and every tax measure that
4 changes tax rates enacted by the legislative assembly take effect on July first after its filing with
5 the secretary of state or on a subsequent date if specified in the law unless, by a vote of
6 two-thirds of the members elected to each house, the legislative assembly declares it an
7 emergency measure and includes the declaration in the Act. An emergency measure takes
8 effect upon its filing with the secretary of state or on a date specified in the measure. Every law
9 enacted by a special session of the legislative assembly takes effect on a date specified in the
10 Act.
11 The legislative assembly shall enact all laws necessary to carry into effect the provisions of
12 this constitution. Except as otherwise provided in this constitution, no local or special laws may
13 be enacted, nor may the legislative assembly indirectly enact special or local laws by the partial
14 repeal of a general law but laws repealing local or special laws may be enacted.
15 SECTION 3. EFFECTIVE DATE. If approved by the electors, this measure becomes
16 effective on January 1, 2025.
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