Bill would require annual public statements of interest and publish statewide filings online

The committee heard House Bill 14-69, which would require people who must file statements of interest to update those disclosures annually by Jan. 31 and would require the Secretary of State to publish statements filed with that office online.

Representative Glenn Bosch, the sponsor, said the bill creates year-over-year transparency and adds reporting thresholds for business transactions with government: "This bill... provides year over year transparency for changes candidates may have in their personal or business interests," he said. Bosch described a reporting threshold that would require disclosure where a filer or spouse has a 10% ownership interest and received $5,000 or more in goods or services from state or political subdivisions.

Secretary of State Michael Howe testified in support and said the office worked with the bill sponsor and the Ethics Commission to draft balanced language. "This legislation provides updates to public official statement of interest forms," Howe said, emphasizing electronic submission and searchable publication on the Secretary of State's platform.

Rebecca Binstock, executive director of the North Dakota Ethics Commission, also testified in support and noted that annual filings would align North Dakota with the majority of U.S. states and would help close information gaps that can fuel rumor and distrust. "By requiring this annual update, House Bill 14-69 promotes an informed electorate," she said.

Committee members sought clarification about scope and timing. Sponsors and witnesses said the annual filing (Jan. 31) would mirror year-end calendar reporting and that statewide filers would appear on the Secretary of State’s website; filings held by counties, cities or schools (where those offices are the filing authority) would remain at the local filing office unless localities choose to post them online.

The committee closed the hearing and asked staff and the sponsor to refine language on a sentence that committee members flagged as unclear about which government-level contracts trigger the $5,000/10% disclosure threshold. No committee vote was taken that day.

Why it matters: The bill would expand the frequency of financial-disclosure updates for public officials, require online publication for filings handled by the Secretary of State, and add a reporting trigger for transactional ties to state or political-subdivision contracts, increasing transparency for potential conflicts of interest.