North Dakota Governor Kelly Armstrong inadvertently vetoed $35 million from the state’s housing budget while attempting to remove specific line items from an agency budget bill. This unprecedented mistake highlights an unusual situation, as noted by John Bjornson, director of the legislative council. Armstrong intended to veto a $150,000 grant for a Native American homelessness liaison but mistakenly vetoed a larger housing budget. The incident follows another potential veto error by Nebraska Governor Jim Pillen, who announced cuts totaling $47 million but faced a deadline issue regarding the proper filing of his vetoes.
In North Dakota, Armstrong’s staff labeled the veto a “markup error” and expressed their intention to rectify it. As a new governor, having recently completed his first legislative session, he emphasized the need to fix this “honest mistake.” The veto will take effect on July 1, requiring the state to devise a plan to address the budgetary shortfall.
Moving forward, the legislature may need to reconvene in Bismarck for a special session. The governor’s office indicated they would call a special session if necessary, although they hope to avoid the costs associated with it. Should the legislature opt to override the veto, the funding for the grant Armstrong sought to eliminate would remain intact. Alternatively, if lawmakers only wish to restore the housing budget, they would need to pass a new bill, which could take up to three days. The legislature has six days left within its 80-day session limit, and a special session could also provide the opportunity to address Armstrong’s other vetoes from the session, which includes parts of four bills.
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