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| Volume 19, Issue 1 | Summer 2007 |
2007 Legislative SessionFollowing are several highlights of the 60th North Dakota Legislative Session as they relate to transit. Senate Bill 2314 was introduced by Senators Nething, Andrist and Fiebiger and Representatives Delmore, Kelsch and Nelson. It called for an increase of $3 on motor vehicle registration fees, which would have meant a $4.7 million increase in transit funding. After many hearings, e-mails, and committee meetings, the bill was passed by the Senate. Following crossover, the fee mechanism became a problem for many, and much discussion was held on the issue of no fee increases for this session. The bill failed in the House. We tried another approach by asking for an amendment to HB 1012 (NDDOT funding) for a direct appropriation for public transportation in the amount of $2.35 million for each year of the next biennium. HB 1012 passed in the Senate, and senators added $14 million from the excise tax to the Department of Transportation budget, which then went to a conference committee. Senate Majority Leader Bob Stenehjem was not supportive of any funds for transit and removed those funding provisions from the bill. Finally, after the bill (which included money for roads and transit) was sent to conference committee for a third time, it passed and resulted in us receiving $1 million. This was a one-time appropriation to the fund, which means we will need to continue to work toward the next session to eventually secure additional funds for the future. This was a long road, and if not for the consistent work of Ken Tupa, our lobbyist, we may not have received any increase in funding. Senator David Nething is also to be commended. He is a great supporter of transit and truly is an ally in the Senate. Representative Robin Weisz also deserves much credit. He continued to work on the transit bill and went all out for us in the House. There are many individuals to thank for all the long hours and work. Please send a thank you letter to your legislators. The legislative committee sent letters thanking all the legislators that helped us throughout the session. I would like to thank all of you for your e-mails and phone calls to your legislators during the session. A special thank you to Ken Tupa and the committee that worked with him through e-mails, testimony, phone conferences, and all the contacts made. See you at the next session! 
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