BISMARCK - The 69th Legislative Session adjourned early in the morning on Saturday, May 3.

Senate Minority Leader Kathy Hogan (D-Fargo) remarked, “Democracy is messy, but it is the best form of government there is. It only works when we have structures and rules that allow us to move from complex ideas or philosophies to a system that balances individual freedoms with the essentials to make a community and state that can function. To be a healthy community, we need to protect the most vulnerable, including children, those with serious disabilities and illnesses, and those facing the end of their lives.”

House Minority Leader Zac Ista (D-Grand Forks said), “There are significant storm clouds on the horizon. The rule of law is at risk. The national economy is facing perilous times. Future cuts to the detriment of our state seem all but certain. Across North Dakota, our neighbors are asking what’s next. I urge each of us to use our influence and voices to stand up for our fellow citizens.”

Democrats successfully advocated for significant property tax relief for homeowners and improved access to affordable healthcare for patients across the state. On many issues–like private school voucher proposals that would use state tax dollars to fund private school tuition and a resolution that sought to overturn marriage equality–Democrats were the deciding votes needed to stop those bad bills from becoming bad laws.

Despite being part of a governing coalition that helped pass good policies and defeat bad ones, Democrats also championed important ideas that ended up being missed opportunities this session. Those missed opportunities included insufficient investments in public schools and affordable housing and failing to expand no-cost school meals to all students. It also included important policy proposals that would have protected access to IVF and contraceptives in state law and provided better protections for the state’s renters.

Democratic-NPL Wins

HB 1260 (Hager, Marcellais) – improvements to mule deer bow hunting license availability

SB 2360 (Hogan) – interim study of geothermal energy

SCR 4006 (Boschee) – resolution urging Congress to protect the wild horse herd at Theodore Roosevelt National Park

HB 1252 (Dobervich, Brown, Davis, Finley-DeVille, Mitskog, Marcellais) – allows Tribal Nations to use tribal care coordination funds for capital construction projects

HB 1535 (Davis, Finley-DeVille, Schneider, Brown, Braunberger) – creation of “feather alert” system for missing indigenous persons

HB 1545 (Finley-DeVille, Brown, Davis, Dobervich, Marcellais, Mathern) – renames First Nations Day to Indigenous Peoples Day in North Dakota

HB 1563 (Davis, Brown, Finley-DeVille, Foss, Ista, Marcellais) – interim study of tribal land taxation

HB 1564 (Davis, Brown, Finley-DeVille, Hogan) – technical corrections to the 2023 state law codification of the Indian Child Welfare Act

HB 1581 – (Finley-DeVille, Brown, Davis, Ista, Mathern) – tribal tourism grants

HB 1603 (Brown, Davis, Finley-DeVille, Ista, Boschee, Braunberger, Mathern) – $500,000 in state funding to assist state institutions in complying with the Native American Grave Protection and Repatriation Act

HB 1518 (Hager) – removes requirement to use turn signal when exiting traffic circle (the bill was defeated only because the same policy was adopted in SB 2371)

SB 2229 (Boschee) – improves the process for transfer or real property in an established HOA or condo development

SCR 4018 (Boschee) – encourages a new memorial on the Capitol grounds to honor EMS who lost their lives in the line of duty

SB 2326 (Boschee, Schneider) – improvements to SARO/DVPO procedures (the bill was defeated because the policy was included in HB 1336)

SB 2171 (Mathern) – improvements to the emergency mental health petition process

HB 1219 (Mitskog) – allow perpetual care cemeteries to use more of their reserve funds for maintenance and operational expenses

HB 1403 (Schneider, Davis, Hager, Marcellais) – designates POW/MIA Day as a state holiday

HB 1410 (Schneider, Dobervich, Hager, Hanson, Conmy, Davis) – interim study of state laws relating to criminal conduct against children

HB 1504 (Schneider, Boschee, Marcellais) – enables veterans organizations to donate federal to postwar trust fund for homeless veterans services

HB 1564 (Davis, Brown, Finley-DeVille, Hogan) – improvements to state Indian Child Welfare Act

HCR 3005 (Schneider, Hager, Hogan, Marcellais) – encourages the names of the crew members of the U.S.S. Frank E. Evans to be included on the Vietnam Veterans Memorial Wall

SB 2198 (Boschee, Schneider) – removes waiting period for newly hired public employees needing to use 20 days of paid military leave

SB 2238 (Braunberger, Foss, Schneider) – allows for sealing of eviction records after 7 years if the subject has had no additional adverse eviction actions and provides additional protections to survivors of domestic violence who were subject to an eviction proceeding related to that violence

SB 2262 (Braunberger) – improves the ability of the K-12 Coordination Council to enter into contracts

SB 2305 (Hogan, Dobervich) – $7.3M for a family paid caregiver service pilot program

HB 1108 (Hager, Mathern) – allows use of SUD voucher across state lines

HB 1217 (Dobervich, Conmy, Ista, Schneider, Braunberger) – removes felony criminal liability for transmission of HIV and treats transmission of HIV like every other communicable disease

HB 1567 (Schneider, Brown, Davis, Finley-DeVille, Mitskog, Hager, Hogan) – interim study of Medicaid coverage/availability for dental care

HCR 3029 (Dobervich, Ista, Davis, Braunberger, Boschee) – interim study of healthcare/treatment solutions for neurological disorders that may address issues of recidivism, frequent hospitalization, and homelessness in that population

SB 2200 (Hogan, Dobervich) – funding for 988 crisis hotline

SB 2377 (Boschee) – preferred provider arrangements for dental care services

SB 2282 (Hogan, Mitskog) – creates an employer child care tax credit to offset income tax liability for employers who make child care expense contributions to their employees.

HB 1438 (Hanson, Foss, Boschee) – state grant for Fargo Theater (funding included in Commerce budget–SB 2018)

HB 1577 (Mitskog) – interim study of wastewater infrastructure grant funding

SB 2254 (Boschee) – $2M in grants for fixed route city paratransit and an interim study of the fixed route city transportation services funding

SB 2332 (Boschee, Mitskog) – grant funding for emergency services and public safety

SCR 4024 (Mathern) – resolution urging construction of legislative office building

HB 1238 (Ista, Hager, Boschee) – lowers teacher eligibility for lifetime license from 30 years to 25 years

HB 1331 (Mitskog) – $1.75M for NDSCS

HB 1529 (Schneider, Conmy, Dobervich, Hager, Boschee, Hogan) – makes persons who have completed service as a Peace Corps volunteer eligible for in-state tuition

HB 1530 (Schneider, Conmy, Davis, Hager, Hogan, Mathern) – interim study of special education teacher shortage

SCR 4019 (Boschee) – interim study of reading and math proficiency rates among disabled students

HB 1099 (Conmy) – requires ballots to list the first and last names of presidential candidates

HB 1410 (Schneider, Dobervich, Hager, Hanson, Conmy, Davis) – interim study of state laws relating to criminal conduct against children