Those Bad Bills of Session

With the 67th Legislative Session coming to a close it is easy to forget about all actions and works that have been accomplished to this date. To GNDC, much of the early successes are bills that have failed to become law. Yes, defending the current business climate and ensuring business is not burdened by unnecessary costs or regulations is a win and a success that we celebrate. Specific to the arena of business climate policies, two of GNDC’s main policy objectives are:

• Support pro-business policies that improve the legal and regulatory environment, maintain consistency, promote growth, and lowers business costs.
• Oppose general regulatory changes and mandates that would increase business burdens and costs.

These two statements appear contrasting in nature but complement common sense, pro-business approaches that have allowed our members, businesses of North Dakota, to be successful. It seems obvious to support good ideas that come from legislature action but equally important is opposing bad policy proposals. GNDC’s vision is to create the best business climate in the nation in North Dakota and the main part of this is protecting the current pro-business climate in the state.

Like the legislature, GNDC examines every piece of legislation – some receive multiple views and mullings. When a bill is submitted by the legislature, GNDC’s legislative team reviews language and evaluates impacts in relation to our policy positions. One thing to keep in mind is words and language matters and legislative intent should match legal authority. A legislator can have a bill drafted with a goal in mind, but that does not mean the bill in final form will accomplish the objectives or satisfy a solution. Unintended consequences are a reality with legislation. What gets voted on and passed by both chambers and signed by the governor becomes North Dakota law and is, and should be, taken seriously. This is why GNDC gives a detailed look at business-related bills and crosschecks potential issues across all industries. GNDC’s diverse membership is a true asset, all legislation gets scrutinized for how it can potentially affect all businesses in our state, not a select few.
 
Turning back to those bad bills, we have no problems combating legislation we dislike. We work diligently to ensure bad bills are killed or at the very least, amended to a version that is no longer destructive to the state’s business climate. During this session, GNDC is 100% at killing or amending bills that were bad for business. That’s not a shabby bragging record. This type of effort may go unnoticed by many because it’s what our association has been doing for almost 100 years, positively affecting the bottom line for business.