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North Dakota House approves health, education and public-safety measures; 24/7 sobriety fee bill fails
Summary
The North Dakota House on March 12 passed a package of bills on health, education and emergency services, including reinsurance changes, an EMS training fix and K–3 foreign-language pilot grants, and defeated a measure to forbid judges from waiving 24/7 sobriety fees.
BISMARCK — The North Dakota House of Representatives on March 12 passed a series of bills on health insurance, education and emergency services, and rejected a proposal that would have barred judges from waiving fees for the state's 24/7 sobriety program.
The most consequential votes included approval of a reinsurance bill for the Reinsurance Association of North Dakota, measures to require criminal-background checks for additional health professions, a pilot grant program for K–3 foreign-language instruction and legislation aimed at preserving local ambulance-district governance. Lawmakers also defeated bills to limit judges' ability to waive 24/7 sobriety program fees and to create new tobacco taxes.
Why it matters: the measures affect insurance rates and market stability, training and staffing for rural emergency responders, early‑education options and how courts and counties handle costs for a widely used sobriety-monitoring program. Several bills passed with bipartisan margins; the 24/7 fee change drew sustained floor debate and ultimately failed.
Most important actions
- Reinsurance association changes (Senate Bill 2091): Passed 87–5. The Industry, Business and Labor committee presented the bill, saying the Reinsurance Association of North Dakota (RAND) helps insurers by sharing high-dollar individual‑market claims; under the bill the RAND board could set the attachment point each year (but not below $100,000 or above $1,000,000) and adjust the coinsurance percentage (not to exceed 75%). Representative Johnson said, “RAND is designed to assist insurance companies by sharing in the risk of higher dollar claims.” The bill carries an emergency clause so the changes can inform 2026 rate-setting.
- Criminal-history checks for naturopathic doctors and genetic counselors (Senate Bill 2042): Passed 92–0. The bill adds those professions to existing licensing criminal‑background‑check requirements already applied to physicians and physician assistants.
- K–3 foreign-language pilot grants (Senate Bill 2275): Passed…
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