Reply to thread

Message: <blockquote data-quote="tikkalover" data-source="post: 451316" data-attributes="member: 600">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.</blockquote>