Industry and Business committee approves amendments to two insurance bills, rejects law-enforcement mental health bill and stalls 988 funding changes

Senate Industry and Business Committee Chair Senator Jeff Barta convened the committee for a multi-item session that produced five formal roll-call outcomes and several staff-directed follow-ups.

The panel approved amendments to Senate Bill 2032 to change how leftover funds from the state high-risk association (CHAND) are returned, approved amended language for Senate Bill 2088 on cybersecurity-notification timing, voted a do-not-pass on Senate Bill 2181 (a law-enforcement mental-health outreach proposal), issued a do-not-pass on Senate Bill 2203 (a board-consolidation measure for audiology/hearing aid specialists), and held a policy hearing on Senate Bill 2,272 (an insurance incentive program) without taking a final vote. Committee members also paused action on a proposal tied to 988 staffing and a communications-fee change to allow more time to draft amendment language.

Why it matters: the committee’s votes affect how the state winds down its high-risk association, how insurers and licensees must notify consumers about cybersecurity incidents, which new programs will receive legislative support and whether the committee will ask appropriators to fund a new insurance incentive program. The 988 and telecom-tax discussion could affect behavioral-health crisis-line staffing, but members asked for more fiscal detail before moving forward.

What the committee did and why

Senate Bill 2032 (CHAND / high-risk association): The committee approved an amendment offered by the North Dakota Insurance Department to change the disposition of any excess funds after CHAND’s cessation of operations. Crystal Bartuska of the North Dakota Insurance Department told the committee the amendment reflects the Health Services Committee’s intent that leftover money not remain in the state insurance regulatory trust fund but instead be returned pro rata by the lead carrier to the insurers that were originally assessed. Megan Ruby of Blue Cross Blue Shield of North Dakota confirmed the carriers’ agreement with that approach, saying the carriers do not expect significant excess but prefer returning any leftover assessments to the assessed companies rather than having the funds…