ND governor admits $35M veto was ‘an honest mistake’
North Dakota Gov. Kelly Armstrong said Thursday, May 22, he mistakenly vetoed part of a state budget bill. The part he accidentally vetoed was supposed to allocate $35 million to housing-related efforts.
Armstrong meant to veto only specific parts of Senate Bill 2014, but due to a “staff markup error,” he mistakenly vetoed $25 million for housing projects and programs and $10 million for combating homelessness. In total, $35 million in housing funding was unintentionally cut from the final bill.
The governor used a line-item veto, which allows him to reject specific parts of a bill without vetoing the entire thing.
Governor promises correction
Armstrong said he met with the Legislative Council Thursday morning to discuss options for correcting the error.
“If necessary, we will call the legislature back to ensure the appropriate funding is delivered, but we hope to avoid the expense of a special session. This was an honest mistake, and we will fix it,” Gov. Armstrong said in a statement.
Veto aimed at specific funding
Armstrong sent a letter on Monday, May 19, to Senate President Michelle Strinden officially vetoing Sections 7 and 31 of Senate Bill 2014.
Armstrong clarified Thursday that he did not intend to veto the entire $35 million. Instead, he meant to veto only a specific part of the funding — $150,000 — the portion that would have gone to a Native American organization to help with homelessness.
Special session may be needed
The Legislative Council director, John Bjornson, told The Associated Press that the accidental veto of $35 million in housing funds could cause the legislature to return to Bismarck for a special session to correct the mistake.
The governor’s office said they’ll call a special session if necessary, but they’re trying to avoid it because it costs money to bring all the legislators and staff back together.
Ella Rae Greene, Editor In Chief
