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Measure 1 is bad news

Tyler Dokken

Minot

If youmare friends with a person serving in virtually any state function, even as mundane as one of the 150 state executive boards such as the Interagency Council on Homelessness or Library Coordinating Council, you are banned from buying the person lunch, a beer, or gas for a kids sports trip out of town.

If you spend $200 on traveling to Bismarck to talk to your legislator, you will have to declare your spending. So add a few hours of figuring out the paperwork to your quick trip to the Capitol.

Rent a meeting space to talk to your legislators about the need for a new building, road or policy for your community and the costs for the meeting and travel exceed $200, you need to report. And don’t you dare give the legislator a free cup of coffee for showing up.

And most egregiously, any citizen can file a public ethics review against you without any level of evidence. Any opponent of yours, no matter the reason for their animosity, can file a challenge against you. The onus will be on you to defend yourself.

I sit on the Outdoor Heritage Fund. Because of the extreme measures of Measure 1, I can never again ride with hunting buddies out to the field, use their boat, or dare to take a sandwich or beverage from their cooler. Why? If they ask about an application for OHF dollars, we have potentially conducted business and using their pickup, their boat, or their cooler is outright banned. My buddy is in for a surprise too. With the cost of the travel to the field or lake, my buddy has just exceeded the $200 and must file an expenditure report.

This is bad news for everyday citizens. Large organizations will deal with it. While they still face the ludicrous risks of unsubstantiated ethics cases, they have the staff and capability to meet regulatory requirements. The citizens and local grassroots efforts will be the most affected. Most unfortunately, few qualified, everyday citizens will ever voluntarily serve on state boards.

Vote no on Measure 1.

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