ND House Passes Bill Ending Funding for Prairie Public

Few excerpts from the article:

Following a hearing of the bill Thursday during a House Political Subdivisions committee session, the committee voted 8-4 to give a “do not pass” recommendation on the legislation.

Republican Rep. Vicky Steiner, a Republican, said during discussion of the bill that she supported it because “PBS pushes a national and state narrative on pro-choice. I’ve called and actually complained in the past. They don’t give equal time to the pro-life discussion at all.”

“In this DOGE era of budgetary sense, this money would be better allocated to other public services like education, health care or infrastructure,” said Republican Rep. Jorin Johnson, who sponsored the bill, during the hearing Thursday. “North Dakota taxpayers should have the choice whether to fund media rather than it being a compulsory tax.”

Despite his sponsorship of the bill, Johnson called himself a “fan” who watches This Old House and previously listened to Car Talk and The Thomas Jefferson Hour, a former Prairie Public radio program.

When asked by Democratic Rep. LaurieBeth Hager about how the bill might hurt access for low-income people in her district, Johnson said he could “appreciate the sentiment” and that “it would be maybe a loss for those folks.”

According to Prairie Public’s most recent audited financial report, the station received nearly $1.5 million from the state of North Dakota in fiscal year 2023, less than 10% of its revenue.