BISMARCK - Sen. Dwight Cook, R-Mandan, returned to the Legislature Wednesday morning, two days after suffering a mild stroke.
He said he noticed Monday morning that he was having some motor skills symptoms, such as difficulty signing his name and an inability to climb a flight of stairs "as fluidly" as usual.
He drove himself to the St. Alexius Medical Center emergency room in Bismarck, where he was admitted and underwent tests, including an MRI and CT scans and was given medication. He was told it was due in part to high blood pressure.
He also had to quit smoking immediately.
He was in the hospital for about 48 hours.
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Cook, 55, returned Wednesday in time for a property tax relief hearing before the Senate Finance and Tax Committee, on which he serves.
He joked while testifying that "if anybody's looking for an argument," they should be aware he hadn't had a cigarette in two days.
Bill allows
criminal
renunciation
The House passed a bill Wednesday that allows students in grade schools, middle schools and high schools to report pending plots of criminal activity such as Columbine-type school shootings without being prosecuted.
The students must renounce the criminal intent.
The Senate Bill 2262 passed 93-0. The Senate has also passed the bill, but it is not final until the Senate approves a House amendment. If the Senate does not approve, the bill will go to a conference committee to work out the differences.
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Poll: Most want anti-underage drinking efforts
North Dakota's Students Against Destructive Decisions organization said Wednesday that a poll shows about 80 percent of North Dakotans believe the state should fund efforts to combat underage drinking.
UND's Bureau of Government Affairs did the poll. It also showed 70 percent of respondents think legislators should use funds from the state's budget surplus to finance prevention efforts against teenage alcohol use.
"The poll reflected what we have suspected all along - that the public does perceive that underage drinking is a huge problem, and that it feels that the state should make fighting that problem a priority - now," said Lee Erickson of Hillsboro, state SADD director.
He said 75 percent of those surveyed supported a beer tax of 1 cent per can to finance prevention programs.
A year ago, SADD proposed an initiated measure to raise the alcohol tax by a penny per drink to fund prevention efforts, but it was placed on hold as legislators searched for existing funds to tackle teenage drinking, Erickson said.
The House is considering Senate Bill 2276, which would provide revenue to address prevention issues. It passed the Senate earlier on a 45-0 vote.
Cole works for Forum Communications Co., which owns the Herald.
