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House approves measure holding commercial entities liable for distributing harmful material to minors
Summary
Senate Bill 23-80, creating a civil liability regime for commercial entities that publish or distribute material harmful to minors without reasonable age verification, passed the House unanimously, 90–0, after judiciary committee amendment.
Senate Bill 23-80, as amended, passed the North Dakota House 90–0. The bill creates a new section in chapter 51-07 of the North Dakota Century Code addressing commercial entities' liability for publishing or distributing material harmful to minors and prescribes remedies and exceptions.
Representative S. Olson, carrying the bill on the floor and reporting a 13–0 judiciary committee recommendation, summarized the bill's structure: definitions of "material harmful to minors," age-verification requirements, a prohibition on retaining identifying information after access is granted, civil remedies for violations, and exemptions for bona fide news or public-interest organizations and for internet intermediaries that merely provide access without content control. Committee testimony included academic and public-health testimony about minors' exposure to explicit material; committee members cited studies and testimony characterizing the harms of early exposure.
The clerk announced a final vote of 90 yeas and 0 nays and declared the bill passed.
