The House Judiciary Committee on Feb. 1 advanced several measures after extended testimony and debate, including House Bill 1341 to make assault of a hospital worker a felony, an amendment to House Bill 1405 shortening the period for answering certain civil summonses and adding a required self-help notice, and changes to House Bill 1263 on sealing criminal records.

The most contested item was House Bill 1341, which would expand felony-level penalties for assaults on hospital workers. Testimony in support described repeated workplace violence and the need for “parity” with protections already afforded emergency and state-hospital staff. Sanford Bismarck’s vice president and general counsel Angie Circe told the committee she speaks “in favor of House Bill 1341, making the assault of a health care worker a felony,” and described hospital safety steps including MOAB de-escalation training, specialized behavioral response teams and a weapons-detection system that had identified multiple guns, knives and other items entering the facility.

Hospital-system counsel and professional associations echoed that testimony. Britney Blake, corporate counsel for Altru Health System in Grand Forks, and Sherry Miller, executive director of the North Dakota Nurses Association, described assaults, rising violent incidents after 2020 and the limits of training and workplace measures alone. Courtney Kowal of the North Dakota Medical Association said workplace violence predates the pandemic but has worsened since 2020.

Opponents urged caution. Brad Peterson, legal director at Protection Advocacy, warned the committee against shifting charging decisions away from prosecutors and urged trust in prosecutorial discretion: “We shouldn’t be forcing their hand,” he said, arguing that prosecutors must retain authority to decide charges based on evidence and a defendant’s capacity. Several committee members voiced concerns that creating a special elevated felony class could broaden incrementally to other professions.

After debate, the committee voted 8–6 to give House Bill 1341 a “do pass” recommendation, sending the measure to the House floor for further consideration.

On civil procedure, committee members amended House Bill 1405 to change a 60-day response period to 30 days and to require that every summons in a civil action served on a North Dakota individual include a reference to the North Dakota Legal Self-Help Center (www.ndcourts.gov). Committee members discussed access to counsel, rural attorney shortages and how much extra time litigants need when they receive a summons. After several amendment votes the committee approved the bill, as amended, by a 10–4 margin.

House Bill 1263, amending criminal-record sealing rules, drew several technical amendments in committee. Members removed conflicting language about appealability and adjusted how long a petitioner must wait before filing a subsequent petition; the committee adopted amendments and approved the bill on a 14–0 vote. Committee members debated the underlying policy — balancing reentry against public access to criminal records — and kept exceptions for violent felony offenses and offenses requiring registration as currently written in the statute.

The committee also approved House Bill 1347, a cooperative statement of intent among the Department of Corrections, Department of Human Services and district courts, by a 14–0 vote. Several other motions and line-item amendments were considered and recorded on the transcript.

Votes at a glance

- House Bill 1341 (assault of hospital workers): Committee recommendation — do pass; vote 8 yes, 6 no. Major supporters: Sanford, Altru, North Dakota Nurses Association, North Dakota Medical Association. Major opponent testimony: Protection Advocacy.

- House Bill 1405 (civil-summons timing and notice): Amended (60 days → 30 days; require North Dakota Legal Self-Help Center reference on summons). Committee recommendation — do pass as amended; vote 10 yes, 4 no.

- House Bill 1263 (criminal-record sealing): Amended (clarify appealability, remove conflicting subsection, set waiting period language); committee recommendation — do pass as amended; vote 14 yes, 0 no.

- House Bill 1347 (interagency cooperation among corrections, health/human services and courts): Committee recommendation — do pass; vote 14 yes, 0 no.

What committee members asked and directed

Committee members repeatedly pressed witnesses for data tying prior statutory changes to reductions in assaults, requested numbers on felony charges filed under existing hospital or ER protections, and pressed prosecutors’ role in charging decisions. Several members asked staff and witnesses to supply requested statistics after the hearing.

Why it matters

The committee’s actions move contested proposals — especially HB1341 — to the House floor, where lawmakers will weigh public-safety, prosecutorial-discretion and workforce-retention arguments. Changes to civil-summons practice (HB1405) aim to give North Dakotans clearer information and more time to respond to civil litigation; HB1263 alters how and when criminal records may be sealed and keeps exceptions for serious violent offenses.

The committee hearing record contains extensive witness detail and roll-call tallies that will be part of floor debate and floor amendments.

Ending note

Committee members signaled that they expect additional materials (charge/conviction statistics and further clarifying data) to be supplied by supporters and opponents before floor action; several legislators also urged attention to rural access to counsel and the court self-help resources added to HB1405.