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Lebanese children have been displaced; hospital facility fees have cost Colorado patients $13 billion; and a Wyoming county without a hospital is finally getting one.

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Homeland Security Secretary Mayorkas warns about false claims affecting FEMA's hurricane relief, Vice President Harris prepares for a Fox News interview, and local Democrats want more election funds in key states.

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Hurricane Helene devastated the Appalachians and some rural towns worry larger communities could get more attention, ranked choice voting on the Oregon ballot next month gets mixed reviews, and New York farmers are earning extra money feeding school kids.

Poll: Big disconnect between North Dakotans and 'people's fund'

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Wednesday, February 14, 2024   

In a new poll, North Dakota voters say they'd like to see big changes to the state's Legacy Fund, which operates as a savings account funded by oil tax revenue.

In 2010, voters approved creating what's sometimes called the "people's fund," with 30% of tax revenue from oil production in the state flowing into the fund each month for long-term investments and general operations.

The North Dakota News Cooperative commissioned the poll, and 68% of respondents said they want the money used for economic development within North Dakota, rather than the current focus on out-of-state investments.

Trevor Smith, chief research officer for the analytics firm WPA Intelligence, led the project and said the results are telling.

"There's not a lot of familiarity with what the Legacy Fund is," Smith pointed out. "Three percent of eligible voters are 'very familiar;' 55% are 'very unfamiliar.' And then voters really want it to be transparent."

He added 84% of respondents want fund managers to ditch their current rule of having to file an information request and simply post the investments online. The poll, which connected with 500 eligible voters in North Dakota, was conducted earlier this month.

Smith noted there are no partisan splits in calling for more accountability and transparency with how the fund operates.

"Voters, regardless of who they are or what party they identify with, basically agreed very similarly here," Smith reported.

Smith added given how the public still views the Legacy Fund as a mystery, it would be reasonable for this to be brought up as a campaign issue. State records show the fund is currently valued at just below $10 billion.


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