North Dakota is facing an unusual dilemma after Governor Kelly Armstrong unintentionally vetoed $35 million allocated for the state’s housing budget while reviewing an agency budget bill approved by the legislature. This accidental veto has prompted the state to seek solutions to rectify the mistake.
John Bjornson, legislative council director, expressed that such an incident is extraordinary, having never encountered anything like this in his 37-year tenure. Apparently, Governor Armstrong aimed to veto specific line items but didn’t foresee eliminating the entire housing budget.
This unusual occurrence wasn’t isolated to North Dakota. Nebraska Governor Jim Pillen also encountered trouble with a line-item veto earlier this week. Intending to cut approximately $47 million from the state’s budget, which included $12 million for the Nebraska Supreme Court, he missed the deadline to properly file these vetoes, as explained by the Speaker of the Legislature, John Arch. The Nebraska Legislature now considers the disputed line items as law, leading to further discussions between Governor Pillen’s office and the state attorney general for possible resolutions.
Back in North Dakota, Governor Armstrong’s office referred to the housing budget veto in Senate Bill 2014 as a mere markup error. Both his staff and the legislative council have been working together to explore potential remedies. Governor Armstrong, who assumed office in 2024 after serving three congressional terms, acknowledged the error and pledged to address it appropriately.
The mistake particularly centered on a $150,000 grant earmarked for establishing a Native American homelessness liaison position, which the governor initially intended to veto. His team is evaluating whether a special legislative session in Bismarck is necessary to correct the issue before the budget’s July 1 implementation. Transportation costs are a concern, and the administration hopes to avoid the expense of a special session.
Should the North Dakota legislature opt to reverse the veto, it would simultaneously reinstate the grant funding the governor sought to revoke. Without the legislature’s intervention, a new bill would be required, a process potentially consuming up to three days. With six legislative days remaining under its 80-day session cap, the legislature could seize the opportunity to address other vetoes Governor Armstrong enacted on various bills.