North Dakota lawmakers must take ‘painful way’ as they try to fix budget wiped out by court

By JACK DURA
Associated Press

BISMARCK, N.D. (AP) — North Dakota lawmakers are scrambling to fill a giant hole in state government operations left by a surprising state Supreme Court ruling that voided a major budget bill, leaving uncertainty until a resolution is reached. Lawmakers might be back at the state Capitol as soon as the week of Oct. 23 for a three- to five-day session. That is according to Republican Senate Majority Leader David Hogue. The court’s Sept. 28 decision put funding for parts of the state government in jeopardy, with a session likely to pull Republican Gov. Doug Burgum off the campaign trail to focus on the legislation. Burgum is running for president.