SB 2019 appropriates $51.3 million from North Dakota's general fund for the Department of Career and Technical Education during the 2025-2027 biennium. The funding covers salaries, operating expenses, grants for secondary education, and specific programs like workforce training and STEM initiatives. It directly affects the department and regional organizations receiving $500,000 in workforce training grants, distributed as $230,000 to northwest, $40,000 to northeast, $120,000 to southwest, and $110,000 to southeast organizations. The bill provides no new policy changes but allocates existing funds for operational and program expenses.
HB 1524 creates a formal grant program allowing North Dakota's Department of Commerce to fund regional planning councils. The bill directs the department to award grants supporting local implementation of state programs like housing, workforce development, rural economic initiatives, and local food systems, subject to annual legislative funding. These grants can cover program execution, resource development, and efforts to attract public or private investment in communities. The law, signed by the governor in May 2025, directly affects regional planning councils and the local communities they serve.
SB 2120 transfers $35.7 million from North Dakota's Strategic Investment and Improvements Fund to the Highway Patrol Troopers' Retirement System Fund. This transfer directly benefits highway patrol troopers by increasing the retirement fund's financial coverage to 90% of its required liability by January 2026. The funds will be used during the 2025-2027 biennium to strengthen the retirement system's financial stability. The bill is a straightforward financial adjustment with no new policy provisions.
HB 1023 provides $10,898,654 in state funding for North Dakota's public employees' retirement system for the 2025-2027 biennium. The appropriation covers salaries, operating expenses, and contingencies to cover the system's ongoing operational costs. This bill directly affects the retirement system's ability to pay benefits and manage its finances, supporting state public employees who rely on this system. It is a routine funding measure with no new policy changes, solely allocating existing state funds.
HB 1602 changes North Dakota's public employee retirement system by closing the traditional defined benefit plan to new hires starting January 1, 2025. Instead, new permanent employees (excluding those in specific exception roles like teachers, law enforcement, or university staff) must join a defined contribution retirement plan. Existing members who joined before 2025 remain in the defined benefit plan, and political subdivisions (like cities or counties) may choose whether to participate in the new defined contribution plan. The bill clarifies that local governments are not required to offer either retirement plan, and no fees apply if they withdraw from the defined contribution system.
HB 1291, despite its title suggesting a "legislative management study," actually creates new enforcement provisions targeting employment of unauthorized workers in North Dakota. The bill prohibits private employers from hiring or continuing to employ unauthorized workers (defined per federal law) and requires labor commissioner investigations for violations, with cases referred to the attorney general for prosecution. Penalties include escalating civil fines ($5,000 to $30,000) and business license suspensions or revocations for repeated offenses. The bill failed to pass the legislature on April 4, 2025, with 44 votes against and 1 in favor.
HB 1393 would have created new licensing requirements for businesses offering "earned wage access" services in North Dakota - allowing workers to access part of their earned but unpaid wages before their regular payday. The bill would have required providers (excluding banks, payroll services, and employers offering early pay directly) to obtain a license from the Financial Institutions Commissioner, maintain $25,000 net worth, post a $50,000 bond, and pass background checks for fraud convictions. Key provisions defined terms like "earned income access transaction" and set rules for fees, consumer notices, and prohibited practices. This bill would have directly affected non-exempt companies seeking to offer early wage access, not workers or employers. (Note: The bill failed to pass in April 2025.)
SB 2227 amends North Dakota's public employees retirement system to require most new state and local government employees to enroll in the retirement plan within their first month of employment, unless they formally waive participation in writing for past service. It also allows retired employees who return to work (with a different employer or in specific unclassified state positions) to permanently opt out of future contributions and retirement plan participation. The law applies retroactively to December 14, 2024, and is declared an emergency measure. This change directly affects public employees, retirees returning to work, and participating government employers.
HCR 3032 is a proposed constitutional amendment (not a regular bill) that would establish a minimum wage of $9.25 per hour for all North Dakota workers, effective January 1, 2027. It requires annual automatic increases tied to the U.S. Consumer Price Index (CPI) for urban consumers, rounded up to the nearest five cents, with the first adjustment based on the 2025 CPI data. If approved by voters in 2026, this would directly affect all employers across the state by mandating these wage standards. The amendment must be ratified by North Dakota voters at the 2026 general election, as it modifies the state constitution.
HB 1472 would have created a legal framework for microschools in North Dakota - defined as educational programs serving no more than 50 students, operated by parents, entrepreneurs, or teachers. The bill would have allowed microschools to operate in homes, community spaces, or public venues without special zoning approvals, while exempting them from standard teacher certification, building codes, and childcare regulations. Parents would have needed to notify school districts of their child’s enrollment, but students would have still met school attendance requirements and been required to take standardized tests in grades 4, 6, 8, and 10. The bill also ensured microschool students could not face discrimination in public school admissions or activities. (Note: The bill failed to pass in February 2025 with 41 votes in favor and 49 against.)
