North Dakota Senate approves wide range of House bills, defeats property-tax study

Bismarck — The North Dakota Senate on March 11, 2025, in a floor session in Bismarck considered and voted on a broad package of House bills spanning conservation, education, public safety, procurement and licensing, approving most measures and rejecting one high-profile tax study.

The meeting opened with a chaplain's prayer led by Pastor Paul Herr of Century Baptist Church, followed by a roll call that showed a quorum of 47 senators present. Senate members then moved through a long list of House bills, taking final passage votes on each.

Why it matters: The bills taken up touch multiple areas of everyday life across the state — from who serves on advisory boards that distribute conservation grants to rules for tattoo and body‑art businesses, options for school milk, retirement-plan changes for public employees, and procurement procedures used by state agencies. Many of the measures passed on largely bipartisan margins and will proceed to whatever next step remains under legislative process; one measure — a study of residential property taxation by square footage — was defeated.

Key measures and debate highlights

- Outdoor Heritage Advisory Board. Senator Van Oosting, speaking for the Transportation Committee on House Bill 15 54, described the bill as updating the North Dakota Outdoor Heritage Fund advisory board. "House bill 15 54 adds the Department of Water Resources to the board as an advisory non voting member," he said. The bill also revises the definition of quorum to address scheduling problems that have delayed grant decisions. The Senate approved the bill 45‑2.

- Lifetime teaching license. Senator Beauchez explained that House Bill 12 38 amends existing lifetime teaching-license rules, changing the eligibility threshold discussed in committee from 30 years to 25 years of licensure and retaining a requirement that teachers submit a report every five years about any post‑license criminal violations or information that could affect licensure. The measure passed 47‑0.

- Nursing‑facility bed‑moratorium review. House Bill 11 54, addressing the periodic review cycle for the long‑standing moratorium on nursing‑home and basic‑care bed capacity, moves the policy review interval from every two years to every four years; the Human Services Committee supported the change and the Senate passed the bill 46‑1.

- Public‑health and body‑art regulation. House Bill 10 71, carried by Senator Larson and introduced by the Department of Health and Human Services’ food and lodging unit, moves several administrative rules into statute to clarify licensure, inspections and penalties for tattooing, piercing, branding and similar services; it passed 39‑8.

- Vehicle window tint. House Bill 13 40 would change allowable front side window tint from 50% to 35% visible light transmittance. Senator Cory said the change would align North Dakota with many other states; the Senate approved the bill 41‑6.

- Procurement and vendor pools. House Bill 11 22, introduced at the request of the Office of Management and Budget, made multiple changes to state purchasing statues including open‑records timing for bids, cooperative purchasing language, and guidelines for multiple‑award vendor pool contracts (including a recommended five‑year limit unless extended). The Senate approved the bill 46‑1 after lengthy committee explanation on the floor.

- Optometry practice update. House Bill 12 67 modernizes the optometry statute, clarifies telemedicine guardrails and requires the initial patient relationship to be tied to a licensed optometrist with a physical location in North Dakota; the Senate passed the bill 47‑0.

- Tax and fiscal measures. House Bill 13 79 — which would have excluded capital gains from the sale of gold and silver bullion from income-tax treatment — was defeated in the Senate on a 16‑31 vote after the Finance and Taxation Committee recommended a "do not pass" position.

- Other actions. The Senate also approved measures on license plates for military families (House Bill 14 32), changes to public‑employee retirement definitions for correctional officers and state wildland firefighters (House Bills 11 77 and 11 12), an amendment to allow donations to the PLOTS private‑lands program in a new online enrollment workflow (House Bill 14 12), a clarification on off‑road travel while hunting on private land (House Bill 15 98), updates for park‑district cooperative purchasing (House Bill 11 98), and a range of additional bills described in the Votes at a glance list below.

Votes at a glance (bill — short description — final tally — outcome)

- House Bill 15 54 — amend ND Century Code re: North Dakota Outdoor Heritage Advisory Board; adds Dept. of Water Resources as non‑voting advisory member; quorum language changed — 45 ayes, 2 nays — approved. - House Bill 12 38 — lifetime teaching license eligibility lowered to 25 years; 5‑year reporting requirement retained — 47 ayes, 0 nays — approved. - House Bill 11 54 — moratorium on basic care and nursing facility beds; review cycle moved 2→4 years — 46 ayes, 1 nay — approved. - House Bill 12 46 — individuals authorized to act in absence of a coroner (statutory clarification) — 47 ayes, 0 nays — approved. - House Bill 11 03 — definitions for the dry pea and lentil council; eligibility window extended to 6 years — 47 ayes, 0 nays — approved. - House Bill 11 32 — allow schools to offer whole and 2% milk via bulk dispensers (not a mandate) — 47 ayes, 0 nays — approved. - House Bill 10 71 — move tattoo/body‑art licensing rules into Century Code, clarify inspections and penalties (class B misdemeanor for unlicensed operation) — 39 ayes, 8 nays — approved. - House Bill 13 40 — change front window tint limit from 50% to 35% — 41 ayes, 6 nays — approved. - House Bill 13 27 — add "amateur radio" wording to specialty license plates to identify ham operators — 35 ayes, 12 nays — approved. - House Bill 11 77 — allow correctional officers to join public safety defined‑benefit retirement plan (PERS) — 47 ayes, 0 nays — approved. - House Bill 11 12 — include state wildland firefighters in the PERS public safety defined‑benefit retirement plan (limited scope) — 47 ayes, 0 nays — approved. - House Bill 11 17 — conform teacher fund distributions with federal tax code (Secure Act 2022) — 47 ayes, 0 nays — approved. - House Bill 15 39 — clarify definition of backup electric generation (not grid‑interconnected, temporary use to replace primary generation) — 47 ayes, 0 nays — approved. - House Bill 11 56 — allow certified public accounting firms to be owned by employee stock ownership plans (ESOPs) — 47 ayes, 0 nays — approved. - House Bill 12 67 — modernize optometry practice act and telemedicine guardrails — 47 ayes, 0 nays — approved. - House Bill 14 12 — update donation process for PLOTS program given changes to the Game & Fish online system — 47 ayes, 0 nays — approved. - House Bill 14 32 — create military sacrifice license plate (for family members of service members who died on duty but not in combat) — 47 ayes, 0 nays — approved. - House Bill 15 98 — clarify driving off established roads/trails on private land while hunting (with limits on flushing/harassing game) — 47 ayes, 0 nays — approved. - House Bill 11 98 — allow park districts streamlined access to cooperative purchasing contracts (no joint‑powers agreement required) — 46 ayes, 1 nay — approved. - House Bill 11 22 — multiple procurement statute updates including vendor‑pool guidance and a five‑year cap on pool contracts unless extended — 46 ayes, 1 nay — approved. - House Bill 10 61 — amendments relating to victim‑notification (SABIN) and authorized representatives for notices — 47 ayes, 0 nays — approved. - House Bill 12 35 — allow cities with population ≤1,500 to access agricultural infrastructure program funds — 47 ayes, 0 nays — approved. - House Bill 15 26 — reduce pet‑food registration costs and related changes — 47 ayes, 0 nays — approved. - House Bill 11 34 — add doxing/harassing online disclosure as harassment; misdemeanor — 47 ayes, 0 nays — approved. - House Bill 11 75 — rewrite membership and related updates for the North Dakota Commission on Uniform State Laws — 47 ayes, 0 nays — approved. - House Bill 14 20 — allow state librarian to disperse federal LSTA grants without additional ND Library Coordinating Council meetings — 47 ayes, 0 nays — approved. - House Bill 11 64 — update special‑education terminology ("emotional disturbance" → "emotional disability"; hearing impairment → "hard of hearing") — 47 ayes, 0 nays — approved. - House Bill 14 74 — study of property‑tax reform based on square footage of residential properties — 5 ayes, 42 nays — defeated. - House Concurrent Resolution 3005 — urge Congress to include the names of USS Frank E. Evans crew who died June 3, 1969, on the Vietnam Veterans Memorial — passed (voice vote recorded as passed). - House Concurrent Resolution 3007 — urge recognition of U.S. troops who served in Honduras 1981–1992 — passed (voice vote recorded as passed). - House Bill 13 79 — exclude capital gains/losses from sale of gold and silver bullion from income tax treatment — 16 ayes, 31 nays — defeated.

What remained procedural and next steps

Most bills that passed on the floor were recorded with final tallies and will continue through legislative processing as required by law (sending enrolled bills back to the House or to the governor as appropriate). The chamber adjourned after approving a motion to stand adjourned until 1 p.m. on Wednesday, March 12, 2025.

Ending

The Senate session on March 11 moved a large set of diverse policy changes quickly across many topics. Lawmakers stressed that several measures were technical cleanups or clarifications intended to remove regulatory ambiguity (procurement rules, optometry telemedicine guardrails, backup‑generation definitions) while others were policy choices with clearer partisan lines (the failed bullion capital‑gains exemption and the defeated square‑footage tax study). Additional committee meetings and budget division sessions were scheduled by senators at the close of floor business.