BISMARCK – In North Dakota the titles of legislative bills are read to both the State House and State Senate.
Who reads the titles on the House side?
Buell Reich, Bismarck, chief clerk for the House side, said his job includes taking care of all the bills that go through the House and come over from the Senate.
“It goes through the bill status and through the desk here and out the door with the assistant chief clerk and the general reporters,” Reich explained.
Reich answered the question of how he learned to read so fast.
“Fear of failure,” responded Reich.
This is Reich’s 12th session being involved in the House of Representatives, starting as a calendar clerk for six years and the chief clerk for 18 years.
“I had 12 years in the executive branch, and then I left to work for Basin Electric for 18 years,” said Reich. “I came back here and this is my 24th year in the House of Representatives.”
In between Reich has managed a credit union and was the state president of the North Dakota Credit Union League.
“I had a year of college and then I enlisted in the Army for three years after the war broke out,” said Reich. “I got out and went back to school.”
Reich took his second year of college at Bismarck State College and his last two at the University of North Dakota.