The GOP-led Legislature can override Gov. Kelly Armstrong's veto by a two-thirds vote in each chamber: 32 votes in the Senate, and 63 in the House. Neither bill garnered such support on their paths to Armstrong's desk.
The library bill would expand North Dakota's 2023 prohibition on “explicit sexual material” in public libraries to school districts, and require those entities to have policies for relocating such material “to an area in the library not easily accessible to minors.” The bill also mandated that libraries have technology to stop K-12 students from accessing certain online content, and required local prosecutors to weigh in on alleged violations of the state's restrictions.
In his veto message, Armstrong said the bill "represents a misguided attempt to legislate morality through overreach and censorship. The bill imposes vague and punitive burdens on professionals and opens the door to a host of unintended and damaging consequences for our communities.”
He also said the bill “is redundant, overly burdensome, and places local librarians, school districts, and state’s attorneys in an untenable situation.”
Supporters said the bill would protect minors from the harmful effects of books they say are pornographic or obscene. Examples they have cited are books with LGBTQ themes.
The voucher bill sought to create an income-based “ education savings account program ” administered by the state-owned Bank of North Dakota, with $21.7 million for the next two-year budget cycle. The money could be used for tuition at private schools, textbooks, technology costs and other expenses, first available for the 2026-27 school year.
In his veto message, the governor said that while his administration “strongly supports expanding school choice,” the bill “falls far short of truly expanding choice as it only impacts one sector of our student population. Voucher debate aside, this legislation still needs work to address implementation issues. We get one chance to craft policy to benefit the most students and ensure implementation of the program is achievable and realistic.”
Proponents said the bill lets parents pick the best form of education for their children.
