Many of the strengths of the Legislative Assembly, including session time limits, floor votes on each bill, a bicameral structure, campaign finance and lobbyist standards, and open records and meetings are attributes of good government that reflect responsiveness to citizen skepticism and instill public confidence. Citizens actively participate in an accessible process, while legislators do what they can to help citizens understand issues and the process. Citizen Access Citizens are looking for meaningful ways to participate in the political process throughout the year, not just during campaigns and elections. Citizen access to the legislative process is seen as particularly open in North Dakota as compared to other states. All meetings of the Legislative Assembly and its committees must be open and public.
Prompt notice is given for most committee meetings.
Copies of original bills and significantly amended bills are made available for distribution to the public. Daily journals are available. Citizens can testify rather easily, although committees treat citizens with different levels of courtesy. The Legislative Assembly provides free, incoming telephone lines during the legislative sessions to allow constituents to leave messages or get information. The daily hearing schedules and results of session action are reported daily in North Dakota newspapers.