News

Gov. Doug Burgum is encouraging school, community and church bands, orchestras and choirs across North Dakota to apply to serve as the Governor’s Official State Band/Orchestra Program and Choral Program for the 2023-2024 school year.

The oil and gas industry in North Dakota remains a powerhouse for the state’s economy, accounting for more than $42.6 billion in gross business volume, nearly 50,000 jobs and $3.8 billion in state and local tax revenues in 2021, according to two studies highlighted by Gov. Doug Burgum, researchers from North Dakota State University and industry officials.

Due to poor road conditions, the North Dakota Capitol and state offices in the Bismarck-Mandan area will open at 10 a.m. March 1. All committee meetings of the Legislative Assembly scheduled for the morning will be postponed. Legislative leaders anticipate hearings scheduled for Wednesday afternoon to be held as planned if weather conditions improve.

Gov. Doug Burgum issued a statement regarding a lawsuit filed in North Dakota challenging the Biden administration’s new Waters of the United States (WOTUS) rule.

Gov. Doug Burgum met with U.S. Deputy Secretary of the Interior Tommy Beaudreau and National Parks Service (NPS) Director Charles Sams to discuss a variety of North Dakota-related issues including the Theodore Roosevelt Presidential Library, Painted Canyon, water supply project funding, oil and gas development on federal lands and the state’s recent offer to help the NPS manage the herd of wild horses in Theodore Roosevelt National Park.

Gov. Doug Burgum released a statement regarding President Joe Biden’s State of the Union address tonight.   

Gov. Doug Burgum signed House Bill 1279 to expand workers' compensation coverage for full-time firefighters and law enforcement officers, providing greater support and helping to address the state’s workforce shortage by making North Dakota more attractive for those considering relocating from other states.

President Joe Biden has approved Gov. Doug Burgum’s request for a presidential major disaster declaration for a severe winter storm in November that brought record-breaking snowfall to central North Dakota and ice accumulations in the southeast that impacted transportation and severely damaged electrical infrastructure, costing more than $1.7 million. 

Gov. Doug Burgum signed his first bill of the 2023 legislative session, providing a $68 million line of credit to help finance the construction of 13 planned career academies across the state where students can pursue high-demand careers in the trades, health care, technology and other sectors to help meet workforce needs. In his State of the State address on Jan. 3, Burgum called for this to be one of the first bills to reach his desk this session, and he expressed his gratitude for the decisive action by the 68^th Legislative Assembly that ensures career academy construction can begin this spring.

In a phone call, Gov. Doug Burgum urged National Park Service (NPS) Director Charles Sams to allow wild horses to remain at Theodore Roosevelt National Park (TRNP), stressing their importance to the state’s tourism industry and their deep historical and cultural connections to the park and Roosevelt himself.