BISMARCK – A bipartisan panel helping to form the budget for North Dakota’s biggest agency has held a meeting in in secret behind a locked door.
Republican Rep. Jon Nelson is chairman of a subcommittee that that reviews human services spending. Nelson says the panel met in the private room “because we didn’t want to be bothered.”
The meeting was advertised as being in the committee’s normal hearing room at the state Capitol but instead was held in the “doctor of day” room that is accessed only by a key code.
Republican Senate Majority Leader Rich Wardner and Democratic legislative leaders says they were unaware of the any committee meetings being held in secret.
GOP Rep. Chet Pollert says he is seeking a legal opinion to see if the meeting was legal.
