North Dakota

8/5/2008: North Dakota's swelling budget surplus is expected to soar above $1.2 billion by June, new estimates of state tax collections say. The news touched off a round of proposals about what the Legislature should do with the money, with Gov. John Hoeven suggesting he may support cutting the state income tax.

Democratic governor candidate Tim Mathern, who is opposing the Republican incumbent's bid for re-election, said Monday the bulging surplus was a sign of mismanagement by the Legislature's majority Republicans.

Rather than allowing money "to accumulate in a bank vault," the state could be putting it toward education, health care and public works along with tax reductions, he said. ^[1]

On July 21st, supporters of North Dakota Income Tax Cut (2008) to reduce North Dakota’s personal income tax by 50% and corporate income tax by 15% submitted 15,667 signatures to the office of the North Dakota Secretary of State for signature verification.

If placed on the November 4th general election ballot and approved by voters, the changes to the tax code would take effect on January 1st, 2009.^[2]

Former North Dakota Attorney General Heidi Heitkamp is leading a campaign to change the way the state is spending part of its tobacco settlement money.^[3]

Heitkamp says her group plans to begin collecting petition signatures for an initiated measure that would establish a new tobacco prevention and control fund. She says the state has spent an average of $2.2 million a year on tobacco control, which she says is not enough.^[3]

Most of North Dakota's money from the 1998 settlement is allocated for education and water development. Heitkamp says those areas should not be hurt by the proposed change.^[3]

Supporters of six voter initiatives being circulated for North Dakota's ballot are planning to bypass June's primary election and with hopes on getting them on November ballot.^[4]

The deadline for submitting petition signatures to put an initiative on the June 10 primary ballot is midnight on March 1, 2008.

A proposal to cut North Dakota's income taxes on individuals and corporations must submit its signatures by July 21 to make the November ballot. The other five measures must submit signatures by August 5, the final deadline for turning in petitions to put an initiative on the November general election ballot. Initiative supporters have one year after the secretary of state certifies their petitions to get the required number of names, but no later than August 5.^[4]

Duane Sand of Bismarck, chairman of the tax measure, which would reduce North Dakota's individual income tax rates by 50% and corporate rates by 15%, said the proposal is close to getting the 12,844 signatures needed.^[4]

• North Dakota 2008 ballot measures
• North Dakota 2008 citizen initiatives
• List of North Dakota ballot measures

• information coming soon

• Procedures for qualifying an initiative in North Dakota
• North Dakota signature requirements
• North Dakota campaign finance requirements
• Laws governing the initiative process in North Dakota
• Laws governing citizen grand juries in North Dakota
• History of Initiative & Referendum in North Dakota
• North Dakota Initiatives Law and Practice
• North Dakota challenged ballot laws
• List of North Dakota Cities

• North Dakota vote fraud

• Bismarck Tribune
• North Dakota media

• About North Dakota
• Official North Dakota's official website
• Secretary of State's web site

Key government officials

• Governor - John Hoeven
• Lieutenant Governor - Jack Dalrymple
• North Dakota Secretary of State
• North Dakota Attorney General

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