On this episode of Plain Talk, Sen. Josh Boschee, a Democrat from Fargo, characterized the just-completed legislative session as marked by crucial victories but also "too many missed opportunities" and numerous "close calls on bad Republican bills."

He emphasized how Republicans and Democrats worked together to achieve both.

Among the victories? Passing Gov. Kelly Armstrong's property tax plan, which implements $1,600 primary residence property tax credits and 3% caps on growth in property tax bills. Noting his day job in real estate, Boschee extolled "how much this is going to help make housing more affordable throughout our state."

He highlighted that the reform could potentially "completely wipe out" property taxes for lower-priced or rural homes or those in smaller communities, allowing residents to invest that money in home repairs, buy a larger home, or open up more affordable housing stock for others.

And the bad bills? Boschee said those included "book bans, what teachers are teaching in the classroom, which bathrooms people are using," and issues related to "abortion and gay marriage."

Most of those initiatives failed, and Boschee said that's because "a faction of the Republican party worked with Democrats to defeat a lot of those bills."

Boschee also praised former Rep. Cynthia Schreiber Beck, who passed away recently. She was someone who "got things done for Richland County or District 25," he said. "Someone that we could all depend on and trust" and who "told you like it was."

"If she wasn't going to support your idea, you knew it," he said, but if she liked your idea, she "would work with you to make it better or to get it across the finish line."

Also on this episode, co-host Chad Oban and I discuss the impact the property tax cap may have on the ways North Dakota communities develop, and how the state's new ban on cell phones in schools will play out.

This episode is presented by Lignite Energy Council, an organization dedicated to protecting and enhancing the development of North Dakota's abundant lignite resouces. Their goal is to maintain a viable lignite coal industry and support the generation of electrcity, syntheitc natural gas, and valuable byproducts. Visit www.Lignite.com/Podcast to connect and learn more.

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