As Joe Biden becomes America’s 46th president today, some North Dakota lawmakers are looking to preemptively curb the impact his executive orders could have on the state.
House Bill 1164 would allow North Dakota to exempt itself from applying certain presidential orders. Under the bill, orders could go unenforced if the attorney general deems them unconstitutional and if they relate to pandemics, gun rights, the regulation of coal, oil, agriculture and more.
Minot Republican Representative Matthew Ruby is one of the bill’s co-sponsors. He says it’s not directed toward the new administration but rather, an expansion of executive powers in general.