North Dakota lawmakers to organize for 2023 Legislature

BISMARCK, N.D. (AP) — North Dakota lawmakers will return to Bismarck next week to prepare for the 2023 Legislature, where they will lobby for prime committee assignments and get briefings on legislative procedures and ethics.

The three-day organizational session that begins Monday also includes such mundane work for lawmakers as filling out paperwork and desk selection, where seats are assigned mostly by seniority.

Lawmakers fill out surveys to list their preferred committee assignments, and legislative leaders attempt to match up each legislator’s preferences to the spots available on committees.

The organizational session also is a time for lawmakers to renew acquaintances, trade political gossip, and confer with colleagues on proposed legislation.

The session concludes Wednesday, shortly after Gov. Doug Burgum presents his two-year budget recommendations to a joint session of the House and Senate.

The Legislative session begins Jan. 3.

The 2021 Legislature adjourned after 76 days, just short of the 80-day maximum set by the North Dakota Constitution.