When North Dakota Gov. Kelly Armstrong took up an agency budget bill approved by the legislature, he vetoed a couple of line items. At least, that was his intention Monday. Instead, he accidentally vetoed $35 million for the state\u2019s housing budget.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Now the state is figuring out how to deal with the unusual problem of a mistaken veto.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cI have no recollection of anything like this happening in the 37 years I\u2019ve been here,\u201d John Bjornson, legislative council director, said Thursday. \u201cSo, yeah, I\u2019d say it\u2019s a little extraordinary.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Armstrong wasn\u2019t the only governor to possibly flub a line-item veto this week. Late Wednesday, Nebraska Gov. Jim Pillen announced that he would be striking about $47 million in funding and cash transfers over the next two years from budget bills passed last week by the Nebraska Legislature. Those cuts included about $12 million over two years for the Nebraska Supreme Court.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
But on Thursday afternoon, the Speaker of the Legislature John Arch announced the body would be sending a letter to Pillen, a fellow Republican, informing him he had missed a 5-day deadline, which came at midnight Wednesday, to properly file the line-item vetoes and that the line items are now law. Pillen\u2019s office responded that it handled the veto properly and would consult with the state attorney general about next steps.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
In North Dakota, the governor\u2019s staff called his veto of the housing budget in Senate Bill 2014 a markup error. Armstrong\u2019s staff met with the legislative council Thursday morning to discuss options.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cThis was an honest mistake, and we will fix it,\u201d a statement from the governor\u2019s office read.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Armstrong, a Republican who served three terms in Congress, was elected governor in 2024. The legislative session that adjourned earlier in the month was his first as governor.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
In a message accompanying the veto, Armstrong wrote he had intended to veto a $150,000 grant to fund a Native American homelessness liaison position. The budget veto would take effect July 1.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
What happens next is largely up to the governor, Bjornson said, but it is likely that the legislature will need to reconvene in Bismarck for a special session. The governor\u2019s office said it will call a special session if needed but hopes to \u201cavoid the expense.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
If the legislature overrides the veto, that would include funding for the grant Armstrong had wanted to strike. If the legislature wants to only fund the $35 million housing budget, lawmakers may need to pass a new bill, which could take as long as three days, Bjornson said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The Legislature has six days available to use of its 80-day session limit, and a special session could open the opportunity to override other vetoes by the governor. The governor vetoed all or parts of four bills this session.<\/p>\n\n\n\n