The Senate Human Services Committee approved an amendment to a bill addressing a cross‑disability council and bed‑management reporting and then voted to pass the measure as amended and re‑refer it to the Appropriations Committee.

Senator Rohrs moved the amendment (seconded by Senator Hogan). The amendment adopts four main changes discussed at the hearing: (1) add a two‑year sunset, setting the new expiration to 2027; (2) specify that the contracted facilitator and the Department (the relevant state department) jointly will appoint the cross‑disability council facilitator role; (3) change language from “fetal alcohol syndrome” to “fetal alcohol spectrum disorder;” and (4) clarify bed‑management reporting for gero‑psychiatric facilities by allowing them to participate voluntarily or, if included, to post openings at least weekly or within 48 hours of an opening rather than requiring daily updates.

Committee discussion focused on operational details and data access. Representatives of geriatric psychiatric facilities and the North Dakota Long Term Care Association said gero‑psych providers operate with planned openings and long average stays and expressed a preference to be exempt from a daily reporting mandate; staff and the department agreed that weekly updates or an update within 48 hours of an opening would give the committee the data it wanted while accommodating the providers’ operations. Nikki Wigner of the Long Term Care Association confirmed facilities frequently use admissions staff or a social‑work designee rather than a nurse to update bed‑management entries, and the department said it could provide historical opening data to the committee if requested.

A fiscal note attached to the measure identified a $300,000 expense; committee members said that required re‑referral to Appropriations. Senator Clemens moved that the committee give the bill a do‑pass recommendation as amended and re‑refer it to Appropriations; Senator Hogan seconded. The roll call shows the committee approved the amended measure and re‑referred it to Appropriations.

Votes at a glance: The amendment vote recorded ayes from Senators Lee, Rohrs, Hogan, Van Osteen and Clemens. The committee later approved the bill as amended and re‑referred it to Appropriations; the roll call listed the committee members present as voting aye and the measure was recorded as passed and re‑referred with the fiscal note.