North Dakota House advances multiple bills, rejects proposals to expand Sunday closures and records exemptions

BISMARCK — The North Dakota House of Representatives on Jan. 16 took final action on a package of bills spanning state licensing, foster care, services for people with developmental disabilities, special‑education terminology and insurance licensing, while voting down measures that would have reinstated broad Sunday closing rules and expanded exemptions to public‑records laws.

The most consequential items voted on the floor were housekeeping and statutory‑alignment bills from the Human Services, Judiciary and Industry, Business and Labor committees. Representative Scott Hoverson, carrying House Bill 1175 on behalf of the judiciary committee, described the bill as largely cleanup language related to North Dakota’s role in the Uniform Law Commission and urged passage. The House approved HB 1175 by a recorded vote of 93‑0.

House Bill 1072, carried by Representative Belk at the request of the Department of Health and Human Services, was approved 92‑0. The bill adjusts statutory language related to guardianship subsidy and clarifies a five‑year review window for child‑welfare history checks of prospective foster or adoption providers; the department’s fiscal note listed no additional fiscal impact. Representative Belk explained the changes are intended to align state practices with federal reimbursement rules for guardianship subsidy.

Representative Julie Davis carried House Bill 1109, a broad rewrite to update North Dakota Century Code provisions governing residential care and services for people with developmental disabilities. "This bill is designed to modernize, strengthen, and ensure the quality of services provided to individuals with developmental disabilities in North Dakota," Davis said. The House approved HB 1109 by voice and recorded the final vote as 93‑0.

The House also approved HB 1164, a bill to update special‑education terminology (for example, replacing the term "emotional disturbance" with "emotional disability"), on a 92‑1 vote after Representative Balinski told members the change aligns state language with federal definitions and recommended a yes vote.

On licensing, House Bill 1087 — an agency bill from the insurance commissioner that replaces the phrase "certificate of authority" with "license" for certain third‑party administrators and pharmacy benefit managers — passed 92‑1.

On the other end of the agenda, the chamber rejected House Bill 1150, a proposal to reinstate broad Sunday closing ("blue law") restrictions, by a 4‑89 vote after committee testimony and floor remarks highlighted extensive exceptions and uneven effects on businesses and workers. "The business community didn't ask for this. The general public didn't ask us for this," Representative D. Ruby said in urging defeat. The bill was declared failed.

House Bill 1185, which would have expanded exemptions from public‑records law for certain personnel records and internal investigations, also failed on the floor, 10‑83. Representative Schneider argued the bill's language was broader than intended and could hinder background checks and transparency; the judiciary committee voted 8‑6 for a do‑not‑pass recommendation, which the House supported.

Separately, members handled several procedural referrals and withdrawals: Representative Bosch moved that House Bill 1382 be returned from the Transportation Committee and re‑referred to the Finance and Tax Committee; the motion carried. Representative Twite requested unanimous consent to withdraw HCR 5001, and it was withdrawn after there were no objections. House bills 1302 and 1323 were likewise returned for withdrawal and then withdrawn by unanimous consent after being brought back to the floor.

A consent‑calendar item, House Bill 1121, was recorded with a roll‑call tally (3 yes, 90 no) but was declared passed as the clerk announced it on the consent calendar; the chamber had explained earlier that some consent‑calendar procedures require a recorded roll call where the meaning of the recorded "yea" or "nay" can reflect the committee recommendation being considered. The House then adjourned until 12:30 p.m. Friday, Jan. 17, 2025.

Votes at a glance

- HB 1175 — Pass (final recorded vote 93‑0). Relates to North Dakota’s participation in the Uniform Law Commission; sponsor: Representative Hoverson; committee: Judiciary (due pass).

- HB 1072 — Pass (final recorded vote 92‑0). Amendments to foster‑care and guardianship subsidy statutes; sponsor: Representative Belk; committee: Human Services (due pass); fiscal note: no fiscal impact.

- HB 1109 — Pass (final recorded vote 93‑0). Revisions to standards and licensing for residential care for people with developmental disabilities; sponsor: Representative Davis; committee: Human Services (due pass); fiscal note: no fiscal impact.

- HB 1164 — Pass (final recorded vote 92‑1). Special‑education terminology updates; sponsor: Representative Schreiber Beck; committee: Human Services (due pass).

- HB 1087 — Pass (final recorded vote 92‑1). Licensing language changes for insurance administrators and pharmacy benefit managers; sponsor: Industry, Business and Labor Committee; committee: Industry, Business and Labor (due pass).

- HB 1150 — Fail (final recorded vote 4‑89). Proposed reinstatement of Sunday closing rules; sponsor: Representative Heilman; committee: Industry, Business and Labor (do not pass).

- HB 1185 — Fail (final recorded vote 10‑83). Proposed expansion of public‑records exemptions for personnel and internal investigations; sponsor: Representative Lausser; committee: Judiciary (do not pass).

- HB 1121 — Declared passed on consent calendar (recorded vote 3‑90 as announced by the clerk). Placed and processed on the consent calendar per House procedures.

Procedure and context

Floor procedure included multiple committee actions returned to the floor for re‑referral or withdrawal and a short explanation from the speaker about 10th‑order consent‑calendar rules requiring recorded roll calls for those items. Members also heard committee chairs summarize recommendations and fiscal notes where applicable. Several motions were handled by voice vote and unanimous consent as permitted by House rules.

Looking ahead

The House set its next floor session for 12:30 p.m. Friday, Jan. 17, 2025. Committee chairs noted a high volume of bills filed this session and scheduled committee meetings and caucus gatherings for the days ahead.