The North Dakota Legislative Assembly From a Student’s Perspective
Kylie Schroeder is one of our student interns here at FHND and has been observing the inner workings of the legislative process during her time with us. She’s also been supporting our work around the exploration of paid family and medical leave in North Dakota. Kylie is a current MPH student at the University of North Dakota focused on finding effective solutions that promote better health outcomes for all communities.
The 69th Legislative Assembly here in North Dakota began on Tuesday, January 7, 2025. It’s been a busy session and is scheduled to conclude on May 9, 2025.
As a student intern at the Foundation for a Healthy North Dakota, I’ve been tracking bills, reviewing testimony, and assessing other legislative procedures, and I’ve acquired a wealth of new information that will help inform my future career and appreciation of the role of policy in all of our lives.
One of the first noticeable aspects of the legislature is the size of the legislature itself. The North Dakota Legislative Assembly consists of a Senate of 47 senators and a House of Representatives with 94 representatives. These lawmakers come from 47 constituent districts, which has two representatives and one senator from each district. The size is impressive and represents a large range of interests and needs from around the state.
Committees play a large role in North Dakota’s legislative assembly. They specialize in specific areas relating to each bill, such as education, health and human services, transportation, etc. Committees are where the most detailed legislative work is crafted, and they help to filter out certain bills and send others to the full legislative body. Committees review and revise bills, gather testimony, and discuss thoroughly to ensure each bill that reaches the legislative body is strong and ready to be discussed.
Another significant step in the legislative process is testimony, which helps to provide input to legislators and give valuable insights from community members, business owners, or anyone who has certain knowledge relating to a certain bill. The opportunity for the public to share their voice ensures that a large range of perspectives are considered with each bill. By providing testimony, it reminds us of the significant impact that citizens can have on creating change in their communities when they speak up.
Looking back at these past several months, I am grateful to have had the opportunity to learn more about the legislative process at the state level. Not only will this information help me in my future career, it will also help me to understand policy and how it relates to my own personal life.
As part of her work with the Foundation, Kylie helped produce a resource on PFML and FMLA for North Dakotans. Read more about the differences between PFML and FMLA here.