Human Rights Commission hears legislative roundup; bills on transgender rights, tenant heating, school rules tracked

Christina Sambor, an attorney representing the North Dakota Human Rights Coalition, briefed the Fargo Human Rights Commission on the status of multiple bills in the 2025 North Dakota legislative session, including measures affecting transgender students, landlord obligations for heating, school rules for personal electronic devices and several high-profile social and criminal justice proposals.

The update matters because several of the measures discussed could affect civil-rights protections and local implementation: some bills have already moved through one chamber, others have failed, and several — including a landlord-temperature proposal and bills addressing school facilities and transgender issues — are expected to be debated after crossover between the House and Senate.

Sambor told commissioners the bill listed at the top of the coalition’s tracking sheet, House Bill 1144, “received a due pass…73 to 18” in the House. She said the bill would amend existing law on school bathroom and facility design and include provisions that would limit use of certain gender-neutral facilities by…