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Committee requires short statement in abbreviated rule notices; allows optional QR code
Summary
House Bill 1355 was amended to require a short statement of the proposed rule change in abbreviated newspaper notices and to permit an optional QR code or written link; the committee passed the bill after discussing publication costs and how the summary should read.
The Political Subdivisions Committee considered House Bill 1355, which would add a short explanatory sentence to abbreviated notices for upcoming administrative rule‑making hearings published in newspapers and would allow agencies to include a QR (quick response) code linking to more information.
Representative Vicki Steiner, the bill sponsor, told the committee the change is meant to increase transparency and public understanding of rule hearings; she said agencies report the same advertising cost and that the abbreviated notices often list only a North Dakota Century Code citation and not the substance of a hearing. "This bill simply adds a sentence of information on the topic of an upcoming public rule change hearing that's being printed in our newspapers," Steiner told the committee.
The committee debated how specific the sentence should be and whether the notice language should refer only to "significant" changes or to simply a "short statement of the rule change." Representative Steiner said she favored a concise sentence and accepted an amendment that replaced "short and simplified summary of each rule change deemed significant by the agency or commission" with the narrower phrase "a short statement of the rule change." The committee also adopted an amendment to clarify that the QR code is optional and that the information may be provided in writing or via the code.
Cecile Berman, representing the North Dakota Newspaper Association, said she now supports the sponsor's intent so long as current notice content is not removed; "We think that's a good addition," she testified, and she noted printing costs are set by line rates. Committee discussion referenced line rates (a cited example was 78¢ per line) and an illustrative cost estimate that adding three lines across 53 newspapers would add roughly $159 for a single notice; a QR code printed as a graphic could change the classified rate to a display rate and cost more in some papers.
After adopting the amendments (including the language change to require a short statement) the committee voted to pass House Bill 1355 as amended, 11 yeas, 0 nays, 2 absent (not voting). Representative Moschenbacher agreed to carry the bill to the floor and committee members asked Legislative Counsel to prepare final form‑and‑style language and any required fiscal note.
Ending: The committee passed HB1355 as amended and recorded a unanimous favorable vote in committee; sponsors and the Newspaper Association said the change should improve public notice clarity while keeping the QR code optional.
