Challenges Facing Conservative Legislators

There are many challenges that conservatives face in the North Dakota

legislature and one such challenge is how various lawmakers view the North Dakota

Constitution. Conservatives place great importance on the Constitution and view it as

much more than a general guideline; it is the rulebook that must be followed.

Article I, Sec. 1 states, in part, that individuals have certain inalienable rights

including “acquiring, possessing and protecting property…”

Note that the word, inalienable means “incapable of being alienated, surrendered, or

transferred.” The first Section of Article I of the Constitution focuses on the rights of

the people, as individuals. Each and every individual has the inalienable right to

acquire, possess, and protect property. This right to own and protect property is

listed first in our Constitution right along with enjoying and defending life and liberty.

safety and happiness, and the right to keep and bear arms. It’s that important.

Conservatives believe these words. Conservatives believe that there is a reason why

these statements appear first in the Constitution; they are tremendously important.

During the 2025 legislative session, there were many bills that would have

protected or enhanced property rights, but they didn’t get to the finish line because

there aren’t yet enough people serving in the legislature who understand and

endorse the importance of property rights. Instead, we saw time and again, where

individual property rights were subrogated, often to the interests of big business or

to government itself. There was a bill that would have protected homesteads from

being lost to a tax lien, a bill to provide for the payment of expert witness fees in

eminent domain proceedings, a bill to create a process to return local zoning to

townships, bills to require carbon pipelines to pay property and sales tax in the same

manner as other taxpayers, and bills to tighten up the definition of a common carrier

and who may utilize eminent domain. There were also bills that would have

prohibited discrimination based on vaccination status and barred the release of self-

spreading viruses and bacteria. These bills failed because not enough legislators put

the interests of our people first. We’re gaining ground though and look forward to

more people getting interested and active in state government. When we join

together, we can make things happen!

JOIN US