Hoeven Calls Legislature Back Into Session

Gov. John Hoeven today issued the following statement:

"We worked with the Legislature this session to craft a prudent budget - one that saves taxpayer dollars and cuts the rate of spending growth in half, to just over 2 percent, about the rate of inflation.

"At the same time, we made real progress on new economic development initiatives that will target higher paying jobs, our number one priority. These initiatives include Centers of Excellence at our universities; new venture capital funds for our entrepreneurs; a simplified corporate income tax; a new ethanol incentive program; ConnectND; and programs that will stimulate tourism and new energy development. The Legislature worked with us to enact these new initiatives.

"But there is more work that needs to be done. Today, I vetoed the following bills:

Senate Bill 2154, the K-12 education funding bill

"Senate Bill 2154 does not commit any increase in education funding to teacher compensation in order to continue the progress that we initiated in the last legislative session. I offered increasing teacher compensation payments or earmarking state aid for education for compensation increases. There may be other ways to do it, but we must continue forward.

"We have made progress over the past two years in our effort to lift North Dakota from 50th in the nation in teacher salaries. We cannot simply go back to the old way of doing things. I have therefore vetoed this bill.

House Bill 1022, Information Technology Department (ITD) funding bill

"North Dakota has developed one of the finest statewide high speed data networks in the country. It is a cost-effective public-sector, private-sector partnership that supports education and government, and creates opportunity for business.

"At the heart of the system is ITD, the state's information technology department. This funding legislation for ITD creates a bureaucratic maze that will cost taxpayers more and will certainly slow down technology-based services throughout state government. It transfers funds back and forth between ITD and almost every other agency in state government, which will not work and which will leave ITD underfunded.

"I can support the 5 percent reduction in each agency's technology budget, but this additional legislation for ITD will increase the cost of services to the people of North Dakota, so I have vetoed it.

House Bill 1016, Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation funding bill

"North Dakota has real challenges with crime, such as the growing methamphetamine scourge and other drug related crimes. We must have adequate resources to house and treat this growing inmate population.

"The Legislature has chosen to place inmates at a converted school in New England, and at county jails throughout the state. While this plan may create some liability issues, we will try to make it work. The immediate problem is that it does not adequately fund the Corrections Department.

"The funds allocated for contracting with the counties do not take into account our projected inmate population. Furthermore, $3 million was taken out of the prison budget, which will result in unacceptable reduction in the number of corrections officers. The result of reduced treatment will be a larger prison population and more repeat offenders.

"This is a basic public safety issue, and I have therefore vetoed this bill.

Legislature Called Back Into Session

"These issues remain unresolved and must be addressed. I am consequently forced to call a special session of the Legislature and have contacted legislative leadership to make the necessary arrangements for them to return on Wednesday, April 30, 2003, or as soon as reasonably possible.

"While members of the Legislature will need to resolve these deficiencies, I encourage them to reconsider other areas of the budget that could also be significantly improved. Among them are adequate human services funding for home and community based services for our seniors and higher education funding sufficient to prevent a double digit tuition increase for our college students. These, and other areas of the budget, could be well addressed with a reasonable increase in the tobacco tax, a smaller increase than any being made by states across the country.

"As legislators have said, much good has come out of the 58th Legislative session, but the work remains unfinished. I look forward to working with lawmakers to ensure that we produce the best possible plan for the future of North Dakota."