Committee backs bill letting Board of Counselor Examiners set duplicate-license and technology fees

The House Industry, Business and Labor Committee on March 20 recommended Senate Bill 2071 for passage, giving the North Dakota Board of Counselor Examiners new authority to charge for duplicate wall certificates and to assess a technology fee to support a cloud-based licensing system.

The change would add statutory authority for the board to adopt administrative rules and to set fees for issuing duplicate wall certificates (used to post a counselor's license in office locations) and to cover the cost of a cloud licensing platform. Ashley Wolf, a board member of the North Dakota Board of Counselor Examiners, told the committee the duplicate certificate fee was not yet fixed but "may range anywhere from $20 to $50," and the proposed technology fee "may range from $50 to $100 per licensee." The board projects more than 1,000 licensees in 202526#x2013;26.

The bill also explicitly grants the board rulemaking authority to set the exact fee amounts through administrative rules. Wolf said the technology fee would pay for a cloud-based licensing system that would permit online applications, reports and verifications for insurers and employers and help the board meet requirements of the counseling compact adopted during the 68th legislative session. Representative Figley moved a due-pass recommendation; Representative Of Ory seconded. The clerk recorded the committee vote as 11 yes, 0 no, 2 absent, not voting.

Committee members asked about the certificate requirement and whether businesses could display a copy instead of an official duplicate; Wolf said the posted credential must be the official certificate. No speakers opposed the bill at the hearing, and the committee closed the hearing before the vote.

The bill now moves forward with the committee's due-pass recommendation; if enacted, the board would follow the administrative-rules process to establish exact fee amounts and implement the cloud licensing system.