Criminal Justice

HB 1337 would provide $10 million in state funds to counties for mental health and substance use disorder treatment services for people in jail. The bill requires counties receiving grants to report annually on how funds were used and outcomes, and the health department to submit a summary report to lawmakers by 2026. This funding would cover the 2025-2027 biennium and aim to expand access to mental health care for incarcerated individuals.

Relating to the costs of a defendant's prosecution, the cost of a presentence investigation and report, reimbursement of indigent defense costs and expenses, the fee for the indigent defense services application, the court administration fee, and the community service supervision fee; to repeal sections 12.1‑32‑02.2, 27‑01‑10, 27‑05.2‑08, 27‑05.2‑09, and 27‑05.2‑10 of the North Dakota Century Code, relating to repayment of rewards paid by crimestoppers programs, the fee for crime victim and witness programs, and the court facilities improvement and maintenance fund; and to provide for application.

HB 1102 appropriates $775,000 from North Dakota's general fund to the Attorney General's Bureau of Criminal Investigation for cybercrime resources. The funding will hire two full-time cybercrime agents and cover related equipment costs for the 2025-2027 biennium, with $161,000 designated for one-time equipment purchases. This bill directly affects police departments in northeastern North Dakota cities with at least 50,000 residents, requiring the new agents to assist those departments specifically with cybercrime prevention and detection. The measure is purely a funding allocation, not a policy change, focused on staffing and resources for a defined geographic area.