Grand Forks lawmaker resigns to join North Dakota Department of Health and Human Services

[Desmond Milligan 0]

State Rep. Emily O'Brien, R-Grand Forks, speaks to other lawmakers during a meeting of the Legislative Management Committee on the House Floor on Nov. 13, 2024. (Michael Achterling/North Dakota Monitor)

Rep. Emily O’Brien, R-Grand Forks, is leaving her legislative seat to become second-in-command at the North Dakota Department of Health and Human Services.

O’Brien starts her new job as deputy commissioner of the department Wednesday. According to a Tuesday announcement from the agency, she will serve as a liaison between Health and Human Services and the Legislature, and oversee a funding and performance tracking system.

O’Brien’s resignation from the Legislature takes effect Tuesday, according to a Monday letter she sent to Legislative Council and legislative leaders.

“This role will allow me to continue serving our state, but in a different capacity — one that complements the work we have done together in the Legislature to strengthen the health, well-being, and future of North Dakotans,” O’Brien wrote in the letter.

O’Brien was first elected to represent District 42 in the North Dakota House in 2016, winning her bids for reelection in 2020 and 2024.

She served on the Human Resources Division of the House Appropriations Committee, which works on the Department of Health and Human Services budget, during the 2023 and 2025 legislative sessions.

O’Brien also chaired the Legislative Audit and Fiscal Review Committee over the 2023-2025 interim session, and served as its vice chair for the 2021-2023 and 2025-2027 interim sessions.

During the 2023-2025 interim, she served on the Health Care and Health Services committees.

“We are thrilled to welcome Emily as our new deputy,” Pat Traynor, interim commissioner, said in the Tuesday announcement. “She brings a proven track record of leadership, deep experience in public service, and a strong commitment to using data to guide decisions.”

The North Dakota Constitution forbids members of the Legislature from holding a full-time appointed position at the state level.

It’ll be up to the District 42 Republican Party to fill O’Brien’s seat, Legislative Council Director John Bjornson said in an email.

Once the district leaders receive an official letter from Legislative Management notifying them of the vacancy, they will have three weeks to name a temporary replacement. That replacement will serve until the 2026 general election, during which voters will elect someone to serve the final two years of O’Brien’s term, Bjornson said.

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