Senate at a glance: key votes, Feb. 17, 2025

The North Dakota Senate recorded final votes on a range of bills on Feb. 17. Below are the key outcomes and brief descriptions from the floor record; vote tallies are the final roll-call counts read by the secretary during the session.

Votes at a glance:

- Senate Bill 22-62 (K–12 coordination council contracts and appropriation): Passed 42 ayes, 3 nays, 1 absent. The bill grants the K–12 coordination council authority to enter contracts for educational research and included an appropriation of $120,000 (committee-recommended). (Final tally recorded at 2260–2278.)

- Senate Bill 23-48 (higher education acceptance of healthcare sharing ministries): Passed 44 ayes, 1 nay, 1 absent. The bill provides legal clarity that healthcare sharing ministries may satisfy institutional insurance requirements in certain circumstances and requires disclosures and audits. (Final tally recorded at 2607–2624.)

- Senate Bill 22-13 (mathematics curriculum, professional development, screening and intervention): Passed 39 ayes, 6 nays, 1 absent. The bill sets curriculum and professional development expectations for mathematics instruction, includes administrative rules and an appropriation of $1,200,000 for implementation; sponsors said it mirrors the “science of reading” rollout approach. (Final tally recorded at 3165–3181.)

- Senate Bill 23-68 (grasslands grazing grant program): Passed 44 ayes, 1 nay, 1 absent. The bill codifies an existing grant program supporting grazing and related conservation efforts; sponsor said no fiscal appropriation was required. (Final tally recorded at 4426–4442.)

- Senate Bill 23-25 (non-federal easements on wetlands areas): Passed 45 ayes, 0 nays, 1 absent. Sponsor said the bill addresses wetland high-water issues damaging roads and infrastructure and adjusts state-held easement authority. (Final tally recorded at 4745–4763.)

- Senate Concurrent Resolution 4018 (line-of-duty death memorial for EMS personnel): Adopted (voice vote). The resolution urges the Capitol Grounds Planning Commission to plan a memorial honoring volunteer and career EMS personnel who died in service. (Adoption announced at 4849–4858.)

Bills defeated (selected): SB 23-61, SB 23-37, SB 23-14 (all foreign-adversary related) were defeated on final passage votes; see separate floor debate and committee notes for details.

Procedure and next steps:

Several measures were re-referred to committees after amendment or adopted with emergency clauses as noted on the floor. Where House bills were noted as overlapping, sponsors and committee presenters indicated the house-passed versions may be the vehicle for similar policy changes.

This roundup summarizes the secretary’s roll-call tallies and speakers’ descriptions recorded during the Feb. 17 Senate floor session.