Dozens of Bills Submitted By Legislators For Special Session

In addition to fixing the problems created by the Supreme Court invalidating SB 2015, dozens of bills have been submitted. Some of worth looking at.

In his call for a special session, Governor Burgum attempted to set the scope of the session as “addressing the OMB budget, enacting other components of SB 2015 and making strategic investments in areas such as tax relief and infrastructure.” Back in August, it was reported that revenues came in $170 million ahead of projections at the close of the previous biennium.

Because this special session will not count against their 80-day constitutional limit, many are submitting bills for consideration. Here’s an overview of the highlights of what is being proposed beyond the SB 2015 fixes discussed previously.

Tax Cuts

Representative Larry Bellow of Minot is proposing that the definition of “income” for state tax purposes be changed by removing the following income sources from taxable income: “any county, state, or federal public assistance benefits, social security, or other retirement benefits, but excluding any federal rent subsidy, any amount excluded from income by federal or state …