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Senate committee recommends designating Highway 200 as Fallen Peace Officers Memorial Highway
Summary
The committee gave Senate Bill 2277 a due-pass recommendation after multiple supporters, including family members of a fallen deputy, law enforcement associations and retired officers, testified in favor of designating State Highway 200 as the North Dakota Fallen Peace Officers Memorial Highway and permitting donated signage.
The Senate Transportation Committee voted to recommend Senate Bill 2277, which would designate State Highway 200 as the North Dakota Fallen Peace Officers Memorial Highway and allow the Department of Transportation to place signage and accept donated signs or funds for memorial markers.
Senator Keith Boehm sponsored the bill and told the committee the designation would honor peace officers, including canine officers, who have been killed in the line of duty. “This bill not only ensures the legacy of those these officers is preserved but also serves as a constant reminder to all who travel this route of the sacrifices made by our law enforcement community,” he said.
Several witnesses, including Mindy Martin (who identified herself as the spouse of Mercer County deputy Paul Martin, killed Dec. 6, 2023 on Highway 200), Travis Bateman, Curt Olson (retired McLean County lieutenant), Kelvin Benson (North Dakota Peace Officers Association), Danelle Presky (North Dakota Association of Counties) and local representatives, spoke in support. Martin said the highway crosses the state and that a designation would be “a great representation to honor all of our fallen North Dakota Peace Officers.”
Witnesses and committee members discussed implementation details and costs. Curt Olson and others said signage costs would be modest statewide; Olson and Travis Bateman provided a rough estimate of signage and posts totaling about $3,595 for a set of signs and noted individual memorial plaques would cost more. Matt Lineman, deputy director of engineering at NDDOT, told the committee signs must meet the Manual on Uniform Traffic Control Devices and the DOT would work with the Peace Officers Association on language, spacing and donated signs. "We can definitely work with that and make something that everyone can agree to," Lineman said.
Motion and vote: Senator Klein moved a due-pass recommendation and Senator Hogan seconded. The clerk recorded aye votes from Chairman Clemens, Vice Chair Corey, Senator Hogan, Senator Klein, Senator Paulson and Senator Romo; the motion passed and the committee reported the bill as due pass. Senator Hogan agreed to carry the bill.
The committee closed the hearing after supportive testimony and directed DOT to coordinate sign design and placement with stakeholders.
