Votes at a glance: North Dakota House actions on a slate of bills and a resolution

The North Dakota House of Representatives completed final consideration on a range of bills and one concurrent resolution during this floor session. Below are short summaries of each item, committee recommendations, and final recorded votes.

House Bill 15-80 — Legislative study of state employee compensation - Sponsor/intro: Representative Vedder (and other sponsors) - Committee: Government and Veterans Affairs (due pass 10–3–1) - Summary on the floor: Authorizes a legislative management study of state employee pay levels, comparisons to private sector wages, and use of equity funding and bonuses. - Final vote: Passed, 72 yeas, 18 nays

House Bill 13-48 — Reenact/ repeal related to employee classification and incentive compensation for the Retirement and Investment Office - Sponsor/intro: Representative Osley (and other sponsors) - Committee: Government and Veterans Affairs (do not pass 11–1–2) - Summary on the floor: Would have moved certain money-management employees out of unclassified status, affecting eligibility for incentive pay; committee expressed concerns about undoing prior work without a plan. - Final vote: Failed, 1 yea, 90 nay

House Bill 12-85 — State employee compensation adjustments; transfer to teachers fund for retirement - Sponsor/intro: Representative Schatz (and others) - Committee: Government and Veterans Affairs (do not pass 10–2–2) - Summary on the floor: Proposed cost-of-living supplemental transfer ($49.2 million) for retired teachers and compensation adjustments for state employees; committee cited unclear implementation details and authority for disbursement. - Final vote: Failed, 3 yeas, 88 nays

House Bill 14-99 — Confidential records protections for federal judges and magistrate judges - Sponsor/intro: Representative Kameen and Senator Larson - Committee: Judiciary (due pass 10–4) - Summary on the floor: Adds justices of the United States, federal judges, and magistrate judges to names-and-address confidentiality protections, aligning state law with federal protections. - Final vote: Passed, 86 yeas, 5 nays

House Bill 14-95 — Employment leave protections for legislators - Sponsor/intro: Representative Foss (and others) - Committee: Industry, Business and Labor (do not pass 9–3–2) - Summary on the floor: Would have required employers to grant leave and preserve benefits/seniority for legislators; committee cited concerns about forcing employer mandates and impacts on small businesses and 24/7 operations. - Final vote: Failed, 14 yeas, 77 nays

House Bill 15-92 — Reenact provisions and update for Lignite Research Council and related public-record exemptions - Sponsor/intro: Representative Novak (and others) - Committee: Energy and Natural Resources (due pass 10–0–3) - Summary on the floor: Modernizes the Lignite Research Council to align processes, funding mechanisms, and the council’s relationship with the Industrial Commission; funded by industry dollars. - Final vote: Passed, 91 yeas, 0 nays

House Bill 15-89 — Law enforcement retired-officer firearms qualification and records - Sponsor/intro: Representative Heinrich (and others) - Committee: Energy and Natural Resources (due pass 13–0) - Summary on the floor: Allows certified concealed-weapons test administrators to certify retired officers’ firearms qualification and standardizes records collection. - Final vote: Passed, 91 yeas, 0 nays

House Bill 11-28 — Higher education infrastructure revolving loan fund (appropriation) - Sponsor/intro: Representatives Richter, Sanford, Swantek and Senators Sickler, Sorog - Committee: Appropriations (do not pass 22–0–1) - Summary on the floor: Appropriation and infrastructure revolving loan fund concept; committee said concept will be considered in the higher-education budget. - Final vote: Failed, 0 yeas, 91 nays

House Bill 12-21 — Appropriation to State Board of Higher Education for workforce education innovation funds - Sponsor/intro: Representative Schreiber Beck (and others) - Committee: Appropriations (do not pass 22–0–1) - Summary on the floor: A $24 million innovation grant program was discussed as part of the higher-ed budget placeholder; appropriations committee recommended do not pass in favor of considering within the budget. - Final vote: Failed, 0 yeas, 91 nays

House Concurrent Resolution 3007 — Urging Congress to recognize U.S. troops who served in Honduras (1981–1992) - Sponsor/intro: Representative Doctor (and others) - Committee: Agriculture (due pass 13–0–1) - Summary on the floor: Urges Congress to recognize those who served in Honduras during 1981–1992 as having served in an area of hostility and to consider expeditionary or similar recognition. - Final vote: Passed, 91 yeas, 0 nays

Several committee chairs and bill carriers spoke briefly on these items on the floor; for full bill text, committee analyses and fiscal notes should be consulted for implementation specifics and dollar amounts.

Note: Tallies and committee recommendations are taken from the House floor record for this session.