701 Civics

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/

We know who makes the laws, but who enforces them, and how?

On this episode, we get to hear from Colonel Daniel Haugen and Lieutenant Jenna Clawson Huibregtse of the North Dakota Highway Patrol, and the role of the N.D. H.P. in carrying out the laws passed by North Dakota legislators, efforts to make the roads safer, and how the highway patrol has increased their efforts to work more cooperatively with Native American tribes in North Dakota, and what it takes to become a trooper, among many other topics.

North Dakota Highway Patrol:

https://www.nd.gov/ndhp/

Careers with the North Dakota Highway Patrol:

https://www.nd.gov/ndhp/careers

Cultural Liaison Officer Program

https://www.nd.gov/ndhp/ndhp-about-us/programs-and-special-services/cultural-liaison-officer-program

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.

HB 1479

https://ndlegis.gov/assembly/69-2025/regular/bill-overview/bo1479.html?bill_year=2025&bill_number=1479

North Dakota Legislature:

https://ndlegis.gov/

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: 

On this podcast, listen to a brief overview of important North Dakota legislative dates and, more importantly, how you as a citizen can be an active participant in democracy.

Below are links to help you become more active in the legislative process, from following bills to contacting your legislator.

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?

Are you interested in running for public office in North Dakota but have no idea where to start?

On this podcast, we hear from veteran North Dakota House of Representatives District 35 lawmaker Karen Karls. Representative Karls shares her experiences of what it was like to run for office in North Dakota and offers advice for those individuals interested in running for statewide office. Listeners will learn that it is important to make connections with local party officials, and having a preliminary plan is extremely important.

Rep. Karen Karls Legislative Site: https://ndlegis.gov/biography/karen-karls

N.D. Secretary of State - Become a Candidate:

https://www.sos.nd.gov/elections/candidate/become-candidate

In this podcast, we take a look at the North Dakota Supreme Court, as seen through the eyes of Charles Steinberger, a former law clerk for the state supreme court. We will see what it takes to become a law clerk, what they do, and examine a bit of the process about how opinions written.

The North Dakota supreme court consists of five elected justices, with each justice provided a law clerk and a staff attorney to assist with research and writing. Justices are elected to ten year terms in non-partisan election. The chief justice is elected by the justices and the district court judges, and serves a five-year term.

North Dakota Courts Website: www.ndcourts.gov

North Dakota Supreme Court Website: https://www.ndcourts.gov/supreme-court

North Dakota Courts Annual Report List: https://www.ndcourts.gov/state-court-administration/annual-report

On this podcast, we visit with North Dakota Agriculture Commissioner Dough Goehring, a position he has held since 2009.

When outsiders think of North Dakota, they generally associate rural and agricultural as the main identity of the people of the state, and rightfully so. North Dakota leads the nation in production of spring wheat, durum wheat, dry edible peas, dry edible beans, honey, flaxseed and canola. 

Regarding land area of North Dakota, 39.1 million acres — nearly 90% of North Dakota's land area — is in farms and ranches. With that in mind, the North Dakota Department of Agriculture is extremely important to the state. As you will hear, the Department of Agriculture plays an important role in additional areas as well.

N.D. Department of Agriculture website: https://www.ndda.nd.gov/ 

N.D. Agriculture Commissioner: https://www.ndda.nd.gov/divisions/office-agriculture-commissioner 

N.D. Agriculture by the Numbers: chrome-extension://efaidnbmnnnibpcajpcglclefindmkaj/https://www.ndda.nd.gov/sites/www/files/documents/files/Crops%20brochure%204SX_update2023.pdf

Pride of Dakota - Pride of Dakota promotes the marketing of North Dakota businesses, products and services.- https://www.prideofdakota.nd.gov/