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N.D. (NewsDakota.com) The following comments are from Valley City Representative Dwight Kiefert as he wraps up his first legislative session.
“It has been quite an experience to be part of the Legislative process as well as a real learning experience to say the least. There have been exhilarating moments, as well as disappointments. I would have to say to date, the most memorable moment was to bring the “Heartbeat Bill” (that would make an abortion illegal if there is a detectable heartbeat, usually 5-6 weeks of pregnancy) to the Floor and have no one in the House or Senate debate it.”
“HRC 3016 to study the development of natural gas will probably be one of the most important accomplishments I made. Other states are already utilizing this plentiful and cheap fuel for their cars. In fact it is $.98 / gallon in your tank in Oklahoma City. My study will look at converting the state fleet to compressed natural gas and through eight fueling points across ND would provide public refueling stations that could service 54% of our population. The cost of eight stations would be around $10 million dollars. You would have to have a conversion kit for your car to utilize this cheap fuel, although many cars and trucks are being built from the factory equipped to burn compressed natural gas. Currently we are flaring enough natural gas to power every car in North Dakota.”
“HB1215 that would have allowed the schools in ND to provide a defense plan easily passed the House with 6o yeas and 33 nays. I would have to say my biggest disappointment was the Senate’s misrepresentation of this bill which resulted in a defeat. As other states are providing security for their students as close as SD, our state is only looking at $3 million dollars for locks on doors. As the writing of this report, April 22, we have 125 Bills in conference committee. Tax relief, and school funding as many other bills are still being debated.”
“I can really appreciate the fact that each session that is served in the ND Legislature better equips you to do a better job of representation and more efficient to provide a more effective role in leadership. I have been able to establish a working relationship with many members of the majority party as well as the minority party that will be very beneficial in getting more done in the future for our district.”
Looking forward to the 2015 Legislative Session, it will be a time of more preparation with local constituents to present ideas to address productive changes for our district instead of having to focus on campaigning.” Representative Dwight Kiefert dhkiefert@nd.gov