BISMARCK, N.D. (KFYR) - The controversial state commerce budget bill is moving to Governor Kelly Armstrong’s desk.
House lawmakers passed the legislation Friday morning in a 66-to-22 vote. The bill reduced several provisions from when it previously passed the House last week.
Lawmakers removed all funding for the Theodore Roosevelt Presidential Library. Representatives made the cuts after negotiating with senators who called it non-negotiable.
“We decided to go with the Senate, and we’ll take this up next session. When we come back, the library will have been open for about five months. We can take a look at it at a little bit more of a leisurely pace and take our time to delve into this,” said Rep. Mike Nathe, R-Bismarck.
While not the result they were looking for, officials with the library say it won’t affect their opening plans.
“We know there was a lot of competing interests, and the library will continue to go about its mission. We look forward to welcoming the world to North Dakota when we open in 2026,” said Matt Briney, Chief Communications Officer with the library.
The bill still maintains $9 million towards replacing state-owned, Chinese-built drones with those created in the US or allied countries. Nathe says it’s a matter of national security to have them replaced as soon as possible.
We need to refer to the commerce budget bill as to what it really is...money laundering and nothing more.
As far as nathe and his dislike of Chinese / DJI drones, tossing $9 million at something he clearly does not understand is just business as usual in the legislature. ND would have likely purchased American made drones originally except for the fact that they didn't come close to what the DJI's were capable of doing back then and still don't compare today. But what the hell, allocate $9 Million and hope for the best!