BISMARCK — The North Dakota Senate on Tuesday, April 11, overrode Gov. Doug Burgum's veto of a bill on lawmaker voting procedures, making the bill law.
The Senate voted 45-1 to override Burgum's Friday veto of House Bill 1463 by Rep. Todd Porter, R-Mandan. The state House of Representatives on Monday overrode the veto in a unanimous vote. It takes a two-thirds majority vote to override a veto.
Sen. Tim Mathern, D-Fargo, was the lone legislator who voted to sustain the veto.
The veto is the first one the Legislature has overridden this session of four bills Burgum has vetoed so far. The House has sustained two vetoes and overridden a third, which awaits a Senate vote.
House Bill 1463 will exempt the Legislature and its committees from holding recorded roll call votes on nonprocedural votes for consideration of amendments to legislation. It will take effect Aug. 1.
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Burgum on Friday said the bill "would allow the Legislature to adopt far-reaching amendments affecting the central policy or fiscal impact of a bill without affording the public the accountability of a recorded roll call vote."
A recorded roll call vote is visualized by the House and Senate tally boards that light up lawmakers' names green or red as to whether they voted for or against a question, respectively.
"This bill clarifies that what we currently do is allowable under the North Dakota Century Code and under our constitution," Sen. Sean Cleary, R-Bismarck, told the Senate.
He also cited the transparency of the Legislature livestreaming committee meetings and floor sessions, videos which are archived online, and how voice votes save time when lawmakers are dealing with nearly 1,000 bills and as many amendments.
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