A recap of recent events and happenings in the administration of Gov. Armstrong and Lt. Gov. Strinden





The Scope
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*April 4, 2025*

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Armstrong and Strinden: Students will thrive in phone-free schools

North Dakota Gov. Kelly Armstrong and Lt. Gov. Michelle Strinden explain their position on cellphones in schools

"Below is an opinion editorial by Gov. Armstrong and Lt. Gov. Strinden "

When we stood up this week in support of legislation to require phone-free schools in North Dakota, we approached it as giving something back to students: the freedom to learn and grow with far less distraction and stress.

As parents of a combined six children who have attended 15 different schools in several districts, we’ve had a front-row seat to the impacts of smartphones and social media use in schools on mental health and academic performance.

We’ve seen how inconsistent phone policies from school to school and classroom to classroom can create confusion and frustration for students, parents and teachers alike.

A growing body of research led by organizations such as Phone-Free Schools and social psychologist Jonathan Haidt, author of “The Anxious Generation,” points to phone and social media addiction as one of the most insidious mental health issues of our time.

Consider: In the 2023 Youth Risk Behavior Survey, over 30% of North Dakota high school students reported that their mental health was “not good” — including stress, anxiety and depression — most of the time or always during the 30 days before the survey.

Over 15% reported being electronically bullied, and 77.2% — over 3 in 4 students — reported three or more hours of screen time per day, not counting the time spent doing schoolwork on electronic devices.

Every state is grappling with this issue. Sixteen states have enacted some level of phone-free school policies, and more than two dozen states have policies under consideration. Last month, Arkansas passed a “Bell to Bell, No Cell Act” requiring public schools to enact policies banning the use of cellphones during the school day. Virginia is moving in a similar direction via executive order.

North Dakota can also lead with a bell-to-bell policy requiring students to check their phones at the door when they arrive at school and pick them up when they leave.

Doing this halfway won’t do enough.

As Haidt explains, banning phones in class but allowing them during breaks between classes, recess and lunch will still interfere with attention, learning, relationships and belonging. Students can’t focus on class when the temptation and dopamine release of their smartphone is within reach. Seven hours free from the distraction of their phones will produce better academic outcomes.

How schools choose to collect and store phones during the school day will vary. We are proposing $1.5 million to cover expenses. We want to set the baseline and give schools the tools they need to deliver learning with less distraction. This legislation offers a common starting point, not a one-size-fits-all solution.

This issue transcends red-versus-blue politics. It’s about protecting student well-being and giving our students the best chance to reach their full potential.

Teachers will benefit by being able to focus more time on instruction, not distraction.

Most importantly, our students will thrive with the social and lifelong learning skills necessary to compete in an ever-changing world market.

Some North Dakota schools already have bell-to-bell phone-free policies in place, showing promising results. Studies elsewhere have found improved academic performance, mental health and a reduction in bullying.

It’s time. Parents have had enough of the distraction and stress, and so have many students, even if they’re too proud to admit it. We can work through the emergency contact concerns and other issues, leaning on our experience from the days before smartphones were ubiquitous in schools. Our kids are worth it.

Talk to your family members, neighbors and legislators. Let them know you support phone-free schools — for the health, education and future success of our children.

*Read the News Release* [ [link removed] ]


*Watch the Press Conference* [ [link removed] ]


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Armstrong helps break ground on new Heart River Correctional Center; facility slated to open in 2027
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Gov. Armstrong and Lt. Gov. Strinden joined staff and residents from the North Dakota Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation (DOCR) to break ground on the Heart River Correctional Center (HRCC), the state’s new women’s correctional facility, highlighting its focus on rehabilitation and safety.

The 191,500-square-foot facility in Mandan will provide 304 beds – 178 more than the Dakota Women’s Correctional Rehab Center in New England, a remodeled school that has served as the state’s correctional facility for women since 2003. The HRCC is slated for completion in fall 2027.

“This day is historic for North Dakota because for the first time in our state’s 135-year history, we’re breaking ground on a correctional facility designed specifically for women,” Armstrong said. “This long-overdue project will ensure DOCR staff and the women in their custody have safe, modern and comparable facilities where residents can serve their sentences and build toward their eventual reentry into their communities.”

DOCR Director Colby Braun and HRCC Warden Connie Hackman Rivinius highlighted the vision behind HRCC and its role in transforming lives. In addition to having more space for volunteers, programs, treatment, vocational and career development, the facility will focus on reinforcing family connections to improve outcomes for children of incarcerated parents.

“From the very first day someone enters this facility, the focus will be on reentry – on preparing them for the day they will return to their families and communities,” Braun said. “We are not simply building a prison; we are creating a place of opportunity, responsibility and hope.”

“We will continue to expand on what HRCC currently does, assist women in becoming the best versions of themselves through programming, role modeling, relationships, and accountability,” Hackman Rivinius said. “The goal is to create a safe and healthy, relationship-based environment that is trauma and gender-responsive, with a high level of care and skill-building programming.”

Armstrong thanked state legislators for approving $131.2 million in funding in 2023 for design and construction of the HRCC, along with intent language for additional funding, which Armstrong has proposed at $35.6 million in his 2025-27 budget recommendation, for a total project budget of $166.8 million. The DOCR worked with JLG Architects in collaboration with JB Marie and DLR Group to design the facility.

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*Watch the Groundbreaking Ceremony* [ [link removed] ]


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Governor appoints interim Labor Commissioner Zachary Greenberg to permanent role
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Gov. Armstrong announced he has appointed interim state Labor Commissioner Zachary Greenberg to the position on a permanent basis. Greenberg has led the North Dakota Department of Labor and Human Rights as interim labor commissioner since January.

“Zach has proven himself to be a capable leader these past few months, ensuring North Dakota’s labor and human rights laws are enforced in a fair and timely manner,” Armstrong said. “He will continue to serve our citizens well as labor commissioner, working with employees and employers to help make North Dakota the best place to live, work and raise a family.”

A native of Winnipeg, Manitoba, Greenberg earned his bachelor’s degree from the University of Minnesota Crookston and his law degree from the University of North Dakota School of Law in Grand Forks. He worked as a law clerk at a private firm in 2022 and spent the next two years in the Governor’s Office serving as a legal and policy advisor.

“I appreciate the opportunity to continue serving all North Dakotans with the exceptional team in the Department of Labor and Human Rights,” Greenberg said. “Working together, we will continue to meet the needs of employees and employers, resolve disputes with neutrality and fairness, and treat all parties with empathy, patience, courtesy and respect.”

The Department of Labor and Human Rights is responsible for enforcing North Dakota labor and human rights laws and for educating the public about those laws. In addition, the department licenses employment agencies operating in the state and can verify the status of independent contractor relationships. 

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Armstrong statement on judge dismissing lawsuit that aimed to shut down Dakota Access Pipeline

Gov. Armstrong issued the following statement after U.S. District Court Judge James Boasberg dismissed a lawsuit brought by the Standing Rock Sioux Tribe that sought to shut down the Dakota Access Pipeline, which began operations in North Dakota in June 2017.

“The Dakota Access Pipeline has been operating safely for almost eight years now and is a critical piece of infrastructure for North Dakota and our nation’s energy security,” Armstrong said. “We are pleased with the court’s decision, and we will continue pressing the Army Corps of Engineers to issue a final EIS that puts an end to this drawn-out matter once and for all.”

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Gov. Kelly Armstrong takes a photo with military-connected children April 4, 2025, in Memorial Hall at the North Dakota Capitol.
*Month of Military Child, Vietnam Veterans Remembrance Day events held at Capitol*

Gov. Armstrong delivered remarks and met with military-connected children on Friday, April 4, in observance of April being proclaimed Month of the Military Child [ [link removed] ]. 

North Dakota has over 7,600 children with a parent or stepparent serving in the military, among the state's more than 12,500 active duty, Guard and Reserve members. 

"These children serve through their sacrifice and their unconditional support of their parents in the military," Armstrong said. "We salute and support them for their important role in defending freedom and protecting our citizens."

On Monday, March 31, Lt. Gov. Strinden joined military veterans, state legislators and community members in observing Vietnam Veterans Remembrance Day in North Dakota.

"More than 58,000 service members lost their lives in Vietnam, including 238 North Dakotans who never made it home. Many more were wounded or went missing in action," Strinden said. "We honor their service and sacrifice, as we do for all our military veterans and service members."

Armstrong and Strinden both highlighted the state's ongoing efforts to make North Dakota the most military-friend state in the nation.

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*IN OTHER NEWS*

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g2g
*Join us for the 2025 Government to Government (G2G) Conference* *June 4-5, 2025 | Bismarck Event Center | Bismarck, ND*

The North Dakota Indian Affairs Commission invites you to the annual G2G Conference — bringing together tribal, state, federal, and private industry leaders to strengthen relationships and advance meaningful collaboration.

This free, two-day event is open to all who are committed to building stronger partnerships with North Dakota’s five federally recognized tribal nations:


* Mandan, Hidatsa, and Arikara Nation (Three Affiliated Tribes)
* Spirit Lake Nation
* Standing Rock Sioux Tribe
* Turtle Mountain Band of Chippewa Indians
* Sisseton Wahpeton Oyate Nation

Hear from tribal leaders, Gov. Armstrong, state officials and federal representatives. The conference will feature a wide range of breakout sessions addressing timely topics relevant to our state and region.

?? *Register here:* G2G Conference Registration [ [link removed] ]

 

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band

The Governor's Band/Orchestra and Choral program application deadline was extended until April 14. Submit applications here [ [link removed] ]. 



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Gov. Armstrong participated in a wildfire tabletop exercise with the North Dakota Department of Emergency Services, North Dakota Forest Service, North Dakota National Guard, State Radio and other state agencies at Fraine Barracks. 

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united way ________________________________________________________________________

First Lady Kjersti Armstrong joined the Missouri Slope Areawide United Way for its annual luncheon and meeting in Bismarck, thanking the organization for its work to unite people and resources to build a better community.



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Gov. Armstrong joined the Plain Talk podcast on Major League Baseball's Opening Day to talk baseball, property taxes and phone-free schools.

Listen to the entire episode here [ [link removed] ].  

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FBLA

Lt. Gov. Strinden visited with Future Business Leaders of America students in Bismarck during their annual state leadership conference.



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Stay Connected with the Governor's Office:



[ [link removed] ]    [ [link removed] ]    [ [link removed] ]    [ [link removed] ]



 

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