Conference committee restores House vaccine opt-out language, removes Department of Corrections reference

Representative Koppelman, a member of the House, moved that the conference committee reject the Senate amendments to House Bill 14 54 and restore the House language; the panel approved the motion and agreed to replace the chapter reference with a new section of Chapter 23 and strike the line addressing the Department of Corrections, members said.

The change matters because the bill would create a statutory opt-out for required vaccinations for certain government employees and political subdivisions. Committee members debated where the language should sit in the North Dakota Century Code, which agencies should be exempted, and whether the measure should include a carve-out for public-health emergencies.

Senator Hogan, a member of the Senate, told the committee that the bill’s placement in the Century Code affects its intent and application. He noted the House and Senate versions placed the provision in different chapters and cautioned…