HB 1204 North Dakota House · 69th Legislative Assembly (2025-26)

AN ACT to amend and reenact section 16.1-10-04 of the North Dakota Century Code, relating to the publication of false information in political advertisements; and to provide a penalty.

HB 1204 amends North Dakota law to establish a penalty for publishing false information in political advertisements. The bill directly affects political campaigns, candidates, and organizations that run political ads within the state. It creates a legal consequence for knowingly distributing false claims in such advertisements, though the specific penalty amount or enforcement details are not detailed in the provided abstract. This amendment updates the state's legal framework to address misinformation in political advertising.
Bill status signed all 5 stages cleared
Introduction
Jan 2025
Committee Review
Mar 2025
House Passage
Apr 2025
Senate Passage
Mar 2025
Signed into Law
Apr 2025
Introduced Jan 10, 2025 Signed Apr 11, 2025
Maddy AI version diff · 2 comparisons

What changed between versions

FIRST ENGROSSMENT Enrollment · 3 edits
MINOR
This bill amends North Dakota's existing law regarding false information in political advertisements by clarifying and correcting the language of the statute. The changes fix grammatical errors and improve clarity in the definition of prohibited conduct, ensuring the law applies consistently to all forms of political communication including social media and electronic transmissions.
Scope change
The scope remains substantively the same as the original bill, but the language has been corrected for clarity and accuracy in describing prohibited conduct and applicable mediums.
TECHNICAL

Corrected grammatical errors in the statute text, specifically fixing awkward phrasing like 'thatthe person' and 'publishes anya political advertisement' to improve readability and legal precision.

Added certification language and signature blocks for the House Speaker, Senate President, Chief Clerk, Secretary of Senate, and Governor to formalize the enrollment process.

REQUIREMENT

Clarified the list of communication mediums covered by the law to ensure social media and electronic transmissions are explicitly included alongside traditional media like radio, television, and print.

Floor votes · Senate Mar 19, 2025 · House Apr 2, 2025

How they voted

451
Passed · 1 other
Total votes 47
Mar 19, 2025
D Democratic5
5 Yea
100% Yea
R Republican42
40 Yea 1 Nay 1
95% Yea
Vote distribution
All Yea All Nay Mixed No data
Full legislative history

Actions timeline

Total actions
21
Key actions
11
Committee
4
Amendments
1
Apr 14, 2025
Introduced
Filed with Secretary Of State 04/11
legislature
Apr 11, 2025
Signed into law
Signed by Governor 04/10
lower
Apr 2, 2025
Lower · Passed
Second reading, passed, yeas 77 nays 14
lower
Apr 2, 2025
Lower · Passed
Concurred
lower
Mar 19, 2025
Upper · Passed
Second reading, passed as amended, yeas 45 nays 1
upper
Mar 19, 2025
Upper · Passed
Amendment adopted
upper
Mar 19, 2025
Introduced
Amendment proposed on floor
upper
Mar 14, 2025
Upper · Passed
Reported back, do pass, place on calendar 5 0 1
upper
Mar 13, 2025
Upper · Passed
Committee Hearing 10:15
upper
Feb 13, 2025
Introduced
Introduced, first reading, referred State and Local Government Committee
upper
Feb 4, 2025
Lower · Passed
Second reading, passed, yeas 91 nays 0
lower
Jan 31, 2025
Lower · Passed
Amendment adopted, placed on calendar
lower
Jan 30, 2025
Lower · Passed
Reported back amended, do pass, amendment placed on calendar 10 2 1
lower
Jan 24, 2025
Lower · Passed
Committee Hearing 10:00
lower
Jan 10, 2025
Introduced
Introduced, first reading, referred Political Subdivisions Committee
lower
1 primary · 7 co-sponsors

Sponsors