“In North Dakota, we truly mean it when we say that we back the blue,” said Burgum, who called for the legislation in his State of the State address last month. “House Bill 1279 lets every full-time firefighter and law enforcement officer in North Dakota – and every prospective officer and firefighter from across the country – know that if you serve in North Dakota, from the first day on the job we will stand with you, your family and all of your brothers and sisters in uniform. We’re grateful to the Legislature for its decisive action on this bill, which will provide the coverage these officers and firefighters deserve while helping to address our workforce challenges and ensure our police and fire departments are fully staffed to keep the public safe.”
“We appreciate Deputy Secretary Beaudreau and Director Sams taking the time to discuss opportunities for collaboration and partnership on these and other issues important to North Dakota citizens,” Burgum said. “The Department of the Interior has wide-reaching impacts on our state, with its many agencies touching land, water, tribal affairs, mining, parks, and fish and wildlife, so it’s essential that we remain engaged with their leadership on these critical issues.”
“This major disaster declaration provides relief to local entities whose budgets, personnel and operations were hit hard by the November storm,” Burgum said. “We appreciate President Biden and FEMA granting our request and making assistance available to our local jurisdictions that endured this record-breaking weather event. We’re especially grateful to the North Dakota Highway Patrol, Department of Transportation, Department of Emergency Services, State Radio and all of the state and local agencies and utility companies that kept citizens safe throughout this storm, and to Sens. Hoeven and Cramer and Rep. Armstrong for supporting our request.”
