701 Civics

In this episode, we cover the final step in the process of following a bill to declare October 1st as 'North Dakota Constitution Day'.

In the first two installments, we followed the process of getting an idea turned into a bill, a committee meeting, and passage in the House of Representatives. Now, we see what takes place in the Senate, and discuss the outcome of the Senate vote.

In this podcast, the current North Dakota State Auditor, Josh Gallion, took time to sit down and discuss the state auditor's office and its role in state government, as well as what it can - and cannot - do.

Listeners will learn about the size of the office, recent efforts to make reports more accessible to citizens of the state, types of audits, how long audits can take, and helping to provide transparency for citizens.

Freshman legislator Sen. Sean Cleary sits down to discuss the role of a state senator in North Dakota. Senator Cleary represents District 35 in the North Dakota Senate, and is half-way through his first term.

On this episode, we discuss how bills are drafted and make their way through the legislative process. We also visit about keeping in touch with constituents, the role of lobbyists, and committee assignments.

On this podcast, I interview Mirabela Punga, a native of Moldova, and now, with her husband and children, a resident of Bismarck, North Dakota for over a decade.

With all of the talk surrounding immigration, particularly in the past decade, I thought it would be good to hear from someone who immigrated to the United States and went through the process of becoming an American citizen.

We get to hear of the challenges faced after arriving in Lakota, North Dakota speaking limited English, with little more than three suitcases, and a determination to succeed. Mirabela and her husband have succeeded, and are now small business owners in Bismarck, operating the Little Odessa Eastern European Market.

Little Odessa Eastern European Market Website:
https://www.little-odessa.com/

Little Odessa Eastern European Market:
https://www.instagram.com/littleodessand/

On this episode, I chat with Representative Corey Mock, a Democrat who served in the house of representatives from 2009 and, as of this interview, is wrapping up his time in the House, having decided to not run for re-election in 2024.  In fact, Mr. Mock will be taking up the position of Chief information officer in the administration of the new governor of North Dakota, Republican Kelly Armstrong.

This episode dives into the role of a minority party, in this case Democrats, in a state like North Dakota, in which the party in power, the Republicans, has a super-majority. We look at the ability of minor parties to impact legislation and how they work to get their issues heard.

Towards the end of the podcast, Representative Mock and I discuss the potential impact of the term limits initiative that was passed by North Dakota voters in 2022. Does he believe it will lead to more Democrats in the North Dakota legislature?

Former Governor Ed Schafer was elected governor of North Dakota in 1992 and served for two terms. He was a popular governor that could have probably been elected to a third term, but he walked away from the office, followed by service in 2008 as the U.S. Secretary of Agriculture under President George W. Bush.

On this episode, the governor talks about why he decided to run for office in 1992, his favorite thing about campaigning for the statewide office, and the most difficult decisions he had to make as governor.

Unlike many former office holders, he has not written a book on his time in office, but he has been generous with his time and speaks frequently on podcasts and a variety of other platforms.

On this episode, we provide an update about making October 1 'North Dakota Constitution Day'. The big news is that the idea to celebrate the state constitution has gone from an idea, to an actual bill, to a bill that has passed the North Dakota House! Follow along as we discuss what has happened since Part 1 was created.

In our continuing series on state government, North Dakota Insurance Commissioner Jon Godfread explains the role of the insurance department for the consumer and the state.

Commissioner Godfread noted that the Insurance Department is one of the best kept secrets in the state, and he wants to change that so consumers are more aware of what the department can do for them.

We discuss how the rural nature of North Dakota can affect insurance, the role and services provided by the insurance department, and the role of the insurance commissioner.

North Dakota Insurance Department: https://www.insurance.nd.gov/

North Dakota Insurance Department Facebook Page: https://www.facebook.com/NDInsuranceDepartment

Did you know that North Dakota even has a constitution? Do you know what it says? Or that its more than triple the length of the U.S. Constitution? If you answered 'no', then the intent of a proposed bill before the North Dakota Legislature is for you!

Join host Bryan Pechtl and special guest host Samantha Pechtl as they dive into the process of getting a bill submitted to the North Dakota Legislature during the 69th Legislative Session, and the processes of getting the bill through committee, and onto the North Dakota House for a vote. But that is only half of the process to get a bill passed.

This is the first of a short series of episodes that will focus on getting 'North Dakota Constitution Day' recognized and passed into law in order to raise awareness about the North Dakota Constitution and its contents.




Links:

North Dakota Constitution: https://ndlegis.gov/constitution
North Dakota Legislature: https://ndlegis.gov/ 
N.D. Bills and Resolutions Index: https://ndlegis.gov/assembly/69-2025/bill-index.html? 
N.D. Find Your Legislator: https://ndlegis.gov/legend/constituent/districts/public/find_my_legislator/ 
N.D. Legislative Calendar: https://ndlegis.gov/calendar 
N.D. Legislative Video Broadcast: https://video.ndlegis.gov/

The North Dakota Secretary of State Michael Howe is charged with ensuring secure elections, registering lobbyists, business registrations, and also acts as the Commissioner of Combative Sports, among the many hats that he and his staff wear.

The office itself is one of the most consequential offices in the state, especially as it relates to elections. Secretary Howe discusses the role that the office of Secretary of State plays in the lives of North Dakotans.