GRAND FORKS – If he wins on Nov. 5, the challenger for the state Senate District 20 seat plans to pass a series of education-related bills in the upcoming legislative session.
Mayville resident John Pederson is a Democrat seeking to unseat incumbent Sen. Randy Rehm (R-Hillsboro). Lem has held the seat since 2019.
The race between Rehm and Pederson is technically on the ballot of District 20 voters, as Republicans Mike Beltz and Jared Haggart are the only candidates in the district’s House race. This will be the only parliamentary decision. With two seats open in the House, Mr. Beltz and Mr. Haggart (current incumbents of Hillsborough and Emerald, respectively) will retain their seats for the next term.
The Herald sent a survey to both Senate candidates asking about their goals and opinions on a variety of issues affecting the state. Rem didn’t give him back.
In his response, Pederson outlined a number of initiatives he would like to pursue if elected. Among them is sponsoring legislation to expand affordable insulin to all residents, require universal free school lunches for North Dakota students, and require seat belts on school buses. It is also sponsoring at least three education-related initiatives, including the pursuit of greater affordability for college students for some residents. .
“I will sponsor or co-sponsor legislation to provide universal free school meals. We should feed all children, regardless of their income level. Not because of, but because of our children,” said Mayville State University Professor Pederson. “A retired school bus driver asked me to recommend a bill to require seat belts on school buses for the safety of children, and I agreed to do so.”
Additionally, he has a goal of achieving tuition improvements for college students in response to Minnesota’s North Star Promise. North Star Promise, launched in the state last year, covers the cost of attending Minnesota’s public universities for in-state students whose families earn less than $80,000 a year.
The announcement of the North Star Promise caused a wave of concern across North Dakota, especially in the eastern part of the state. For example, at North Dakota State University, more than half of the students are from Minnesota.
District 20 typically includes areas west, northwest, and south of Grand Forks, but not the city itself. Smaller communities within District 20 include Hillsboro, Mayville, Hutton, Northwood, Larimore, Inkster, and Emerald.
Below are Mr. Pederson’s responses to the Herald’s questions.
Occupation: Professor of history and economics at Mayville State University.
Party affiliation: Democratic Party
Experience in legislative or other elected office: National Council of Churches of the Evangelical Lutheran Church of America, 2011-2017. From 2004 to 2005, he served as President of the University Faculty Council of the University System of North Dakota.
Q. If elected, will you introduce or propose any legislation in the next session?
I support legislation that would extend the $25 per month cap on insulin prices for state employees to all residents, including those with private insurance and the uninsured. I will sponsor or co-sponsor legislation to provide universal free school meals. We should feed all children, regardless of income level, not because of family wealth, but because they are our children.
A retired school bus driver asked me to propose a bill to require seat belts on school buses for the safety of children, and I agreed to do so. I would like to challenge Minnesota’s North Star Promise program, which covers tuition at state institutions of higher education for students from families with adjusted gross incomes of $80,000 or less, to allow North Dakota residents to pay for higher education at state institutions. I support legislation that makes education more affordable.
Q. What is the state’s biggest legislative concern right now, and what should we do about it?
Child care is our biggest challenge because it is currently challenged and creates barriers to the quality of life for families, the recruitment of new workers to our industry, and the future economic growth of our state. Many other issues are interconnected. We need to work on the supply and demand sides. On the supply side, incentives and subsidies for child care providers, and on the demand side, tax incentives to make child care more affordable for parents while providing higher wages and incomes for child care providers. There are measures.
North Dakota’s increasing dependence on the oil sector for state revenue deserves honorable mention as a top legislative concern over the long term. To avoid boom-and-bust cycles, we need to ensure more balanced funding during years of declining oil tax revenues.
Q. What do you think about Measure 4, which effectively eliminates traditional property tax payments for North Dakota property owners? If passed, where do you envision future funding coming from? Are you there?
I oppose Measure 4 because it affects local control over local funds. Property taxes as a source of revenue for local governments will be abolished. If passed, potential sources of funding to make up the shortfall include increases in income taxes, sales taxes, oil and gas production taxes, and user fee increases.
Q. North Dakota is experiencing significant growth in the technology sector (GrandSky, UAS sector, Grand Farm, etc.). Do you think growth should be sustained? How do you propose to maintain it?
yes. Medium- to long-term success requires investments in education to ensure that these technology sector jobs are increasingly filled with homegrown labor sources, with incentives to encourage migration from other states and countries. , it is necessary to truly welcome new entrants.
Q. Workforce is an ongoing concern in North Dakota. What should Congress do to reduce the number of job openings in the state? What specifically would you like to do?
Increasing the number (supply) of workers rather than reducing the demand for workers. This requires short-term and long-term policies. We need to create and maintain places that families want to move to. To achieve this, we need an environment that welcomes migration, rather than viewing it as an enemy. In the long term, we need to invest in education so that, over time, we can develop a skilled and trained workforce to fill missing jobs. If we want to attract and retain families, we need to enact policies such as providing free school meals for all children and improving access to childcare. We need to reverse the anti-LGBTQ policies advanced by extremists. In the last legislative session, North Dakota had one of the highest numbers of bills hostile to the LGBTQ community. These policies deter some families and young people from leaving and others from coming here. Nationwide, the industry is short of workers. If we can attract and retain workers, businesses will come.
Q. North Dakota may have a future in the carbon capture industry. Do you think the country should invest more in this industry?
yes. Carbon capture and storage has the potential to help mitigate climate change. We need to encourage research and development to find the best ways to store, capture and remediate carbon. We need to ensure that carbon dioxide does not leak from storage facilities and contaminate groundwater.
Cory Wenzel has been the publisher of the Grand Forks Herald and Prairie Business Magazine since 2014.
Over the years, he has served on the boards of the Grand Forks Regional Economic Development Corporation, Junior Achievement, South Dakota Historical Society Foundation, United Way, Empire Arts Center, Cornerstones Career Learning Center, and Crimestoppers.
As publisher, Mr. Wenzel oversees the Herald’s news, advertising and business operations, as well as the paper’s opinion content.
Wenzel previously served as sports editor for 14 years at the Daily Republic of Mitchell in Mitchell, South Dakota, before becoming editor and eventually publisher.
Wenzel can be reached at 701-780-1103.
