North Dakota special session convened to accept federal rural health transformation funding
January 21, 2026 | 2026 Legislature ND, North Dakota
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The North Dakota Senate convened a special session in Bismarck on Jan. 21, 2026, under Executive Order 2025-09 to act on funding related to the Rural Health Transformation Program, the secretary of state certified to the chamber.
The certification, read into the record by the Senate secretary, says Governor Kelly Armstrong executed Executive Order 2025-09 on Dec. 29, 2025 and convened the Legislative Assembly "to act on funding related to the rural health transformation program." Secretary of State Michael Howe certified the attached copy of the executive order and the accompanying member certifications. The order states the assembly should complete this item by Jan. 23, 2026.
Why it matters: the order is narrowly focused on accepting and appropriating federal dollars for a program described in the order as "vital" to implement rural health changes and to avoid interruption of state services. The reading in the Senate made clear the special session's scope is limited to funding for the Rural Health Transformation Program; no other bills were authorized by the executive order read into the record.
What happens next: the Senate and House referred appropriation-related work to the Joint Appropriations Committee and the Joint Policy Committee, which will consider bills and any required amendments. The joint committees are scheduled to begin hearings and deliberate on the introduced measures; committee meetings were announced later in the record.
The certification and executive order were entered into the record by the Senate secretary; the Senate did not take final substantive action on the funding in the floor proceedings recorded in this transcript and instead set committees to review and report.
The certification, read into the record by the Senate secretary, says Governor Kelly Armstrong executed Executive Order 2025-09 on Dec. 29, 2025 and convened the Legislative Assembly "to act on funding related to the rural health transformation program." Secretary of State Michael Howe certified the attached copy of the executive order and the accompanying member certifications. The order states the assembly should complete this item by Jan. 23, 2026.
Why it matters: the order is narrowly focused on accepting and appropriating federal dollars for a program described in the order as "vital" to implement rural health changes and to avoid interruption of state services. The reading in the Senate made clear the special session's scope is limited to funding for the Rural Health Transformation Program; no other bills were authorized by the executive order read into the record.
What happens next: the Senate and House referred appropriation-related work to the Joint Appropriations Committee and the Joint Policy Committee, which will consider bills and any required amendments. The joint committees are scheduled to begin hearings and deliberate on the introduced measures; committee meetings were announced later in the record.
The certification and executive order were entered into the record by the Senate secretary; the Senate did not take final substantive action on the funding in the floor proceedings recorded in this transcript and instead set committees to review and report.
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