Fargo lawmaker hospitalized, not expected to return for session

Rep. Jim Kasper, R-Fargo, is not expected to return to the Legislature during the closing weeks of the 2025 session after being hospitalized Wednesday.

Kasper represents District 46, elected to the North Dakota House of Representatives in 2000. He won reelection in 2024 with 27% of the vote.

Rep. Dan Ruby, R-Minot, visited Kasper in a Bismarck hospital. Kasper’s condition required surgery on Wednesday, Ruby said.

“He’s going to have to get a lot of rest and then work to get some of his strength back,” Ruby said. “It’s a situation where he won’t be back for session.”

Kasper was replaced on a conference committee for House Bill 1298, dealing with a potential increase to the interstate speed limit to 80 mph, with Rep. Ty Dressler, R-Richardton.

Rob Muntz, chair of NDGOP District 46, said news of Kasper’s hospitalization “shook” the district. 

“We are praying Rep. Kasper makes a full recovery,” Muntz said in a statement. “We ask the public to pray for him and his family.”