The North Dakota House of Representatives took final action on a series of bills during the session's legislative-business block. Highlights include ceremonial highway namings and a package of technical updates to state law. Below are final outcomes, committee recommendations and brief context for each item the House considered on the 11th order.

Votes at a glance

- House Bill 1241 (flashing lights exemption for funeral‑home vehicles): Passed, final vote 92 yeas, 0 nays. Transportation Committee recommended due pass (14‑0). The bill amends North Dakota Century Code section 39‑21‑26 to add an exemption allowing vehicles owned by funeral homes to use flashing lights while used in funeral processions. Committee testimony framed the change as a public‑safety measure to reduce near‑miss incidents in processions.

- House Bill 1228 (designate portion of State Highway 5 as LCDR Carl J. Woods Vietnam Bridge; emergency clause): Passed, final vote 93 yeas, 0 nays; emergency clause carried. Transportation Committee recommended due pass (14‑0). The bill creates a new section in chapter 24‑1 and provides a continuing appropriation for signs.

- House Bill 1426 (designate bridge on State Highway 6 as Corporal Raymond Porter Korea Bridge): Passed, final vote 93 yeas, 0 nays. Transportation Committee recommended due pass (14‑0). The bill creates a new section in chapter 24‑01 and provides a continuing appropriation for signage.

- House Bill 1240 (auto‑glass insurance coverage requirement): Failed, final vote 8 yeas, 84 nays. Transportation Committee recommended do not pass (8‑5). The bill would have required insurers offering comprehensive or collision policies to offer a windshield/glass coverage endorsement; committee testimony said such endorsements are already commonly available in the market.

- House Bill 1259 (observe standard time year‑round; repeal daylight‑saving statute): Passed, final vote 55 yeas, 37 nays. Transportation Committee recommended due pass as amended (13‑0). The bill directs the state and political subdivisions to observe standard time year‑round; committee supporters cited public‑health and sleep-cycle studies and constituent sentiment.

- House Bill 1407 (increase vehicle weight limits on some highways): Failed, final vote 7 yeas, 86 nays. Transportation Committee recommended do not pass (13‑0, one absent). Committee and DOT testimony raised concerns about bridge and roadway damage; proponents argued for fewer trips for agricultural haulers if limits were increased.

- House Bill 1149 (revised Uniform Unclaimed Property Act updates; emergency clause): Passed, final vote 92 yeas, 0 nays; emergency clause carried. Industry, Business and Labor Committee recommended due pass (14‑0). The bill updates dormancy periods, adds provisions for unclaimed virtual currency (including a three‑year dormancy and required liquidation procedure), clarifies record retention for voluntary disclosures, and streamlines multistate audit record sharing; revenue from unclaimed property in North Dakota benefits K‑12 education via the common trust fund.

- House Bill 1165 (election administration and related technical changes): Passed, final vote 90 yeas, 2 nays. Political Subdivisions Committee recommended due pass (12‑1). The bill contains technical cleanups to uniformize election administration across counties, including rules for ballot printing vendors, absentee envelope styles, timing for write‑in candidate filings, and county auditor authority over certain election‑worker misconduct.

- House Bill 1406 (bar agencies from introducing bills): Failed, final vote 32 yeas, 60 nays. Industry, Business and Labor Committee recommended amendment then due pass as amended (8 yeas, 6 nays in committee), but the House rejected the measure on final passage. Debate centered on separation-of-powers concerns, session efficiency and whether agencies’ technical cleanup bills should require a legislator sponsor.

Other procedural actions

- Representative Bosch moved and the House agreed to lay over House Bills 1317 and 1289 one legislative day (motion carried). The clerk recorded that the bills on the 6th order would be placed on the 11th order on the following day except HB1332 (referred to appropriations) as noted by the clerk earlier.

Why this matters

Several of the transportation items were routine signings and commemorations that carry limited policy impact but are notable to local communities (bridge namings and funeral‑procession lighting). The unclaimed‑property update (HB1149) modernizes state handling of property including virtual currency and affects how holders and the state process and liquidate those assets. HB1259 (standard time year‑round) changes social and business rhythms and produced a divided vote. Bills that failed — notably the license‑plate reader authorization (HB1050) and the weight‑limit increase (HB1407) — reflect substantive tradeoffs lawmakers weighed between security/economic efficiency and infrastructure, privacy and local control.