Governor Armstrong vetoes bill changing state employees’ health benefits

Image courtesy of Michael Achterling, North Dakota Monitor

North Dakota Governor Kelly Armstrong vetoed a bill Monday that would have changed state employees’ health benefits. Opponents worried Senate Bill 2160 would lead to state employees paying health insurance premiums, as they don’t currently, while supporters said it would provide more flexibility to the state and provide better coverage of preventative care. Armstrong’s veto message to the Senate detailed that health plans are one of the state’s “strongest and most useful recruitment and retention tools.” He also asserted that this bill was a more expensive alternative, costing the state at least $25.8 million every two years. The veto will go back to the Senate; it would take a two-thirds majority vote to override the veto.