North Dakota House rejects package of bills on property tax, health coverage, fertility and abortion

At a floor session of the North Dakota House of Representatives, lawmakers voted down a slate of bills covering property-tax relief, legislative staffing, housing finance, health-plan coverage for anti‑obesity medications and GLP‑1 drugs, and several measures addressing fertility, contraception and abortion.

The measures carried large fiscal notes or provoked policy concerns across committees, and several were recommended "do not pass" by committee chairs before floor debate. In the aggregate, the House declined to advance a set of proposals that the sponsors and some members described as providing relief or protecting access, while opponents and committee analysts warned of high costs, legal risks or unintended consequences.

House action and outcomes

House Bill 13‑35 (homestead tax credit): The bill would have lowered the age threshold for the homestead tax credit from 65 to 62 and raised income limits in the first tier from $40,000 to $70,000. Representative Porter said, "13 35 is a bill that, is looking to make some changes to the homestead tax credit, rules." The Office of the Tax Commissioner prepared a fiscal note estimating, "in the 2527 biennium under the general fund, additional expenditures of $85,280,000 and additional appropriations of $72,400,000." The Finance and Taxation Committee recommended "do not pass." Final vote: 35 yea, 58 nay; the bill failed.

House Bill 15‑32 (temporary legislative assistants; capital office study): The bill would have appropriated $3,300,000 for temporary legislative assistants and required a study of capital office space. Committee testimony described an estimated cost of…