North Dakota special session resolves budget mess in three days

By JACK DURA
Associated Press

BISMARCK, N.D. (AP) — North Dakota’s Republican-controlled Legislature has adjourned after rewriting a major budget bill that was voided by the state Supreme Court, resolving a mess that had threatened to stymie government operations. North Dakota lawmakers completed their three-day special session Wednesday, less than a month after the Supreme Court voided the law as unconstitutional. The Senate also rejected an unrelated, expanded income tax cut pressed by Republican Gov. Doug Burgum, who was off his presidential campaign trail during the special session. Burgum called the situation a “missed opportunity” for tax relief amid recent years’ inflation. The next regular session in Bismarck is scheduled for January 2025.