The governor said the bill “fails to deliver the school choice North Dakota needs,” especially in rural areas where there are few or zero nonpublic school options. According to Armstrong, only 19 of North Dakota’s 168 school districts have a nonpublic school option.

The bill, which divided Republicans, would have required most libraries to keep material deemed sexually explicit away from minors.

However, a two-thirds vote in favor of the bill in both the state's Senate and the House could override Gov. Kelly Armstrong's veto.