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 2016 appropriates $6.7 million from North Dakota's general fund for Job Service North Dakota to cover salaries, operations, and other expenses during the 2025-2027 biennium. The bill also includes $76 million in total funding (from general, federal, and other sources) to support job services, including $10.9 million specifically for modernizing the state's unemployment insurance computer system. This funding directly affects Job Service North Dakota's operations, enabling it to maintain staff, cover daily costs, and upgrade its unemployment claims processing technology. The bill does not create new policies but provides financial resources for existing services and infrastructure.
HB 1021 allocates $65,954,976 in state funds from the workforce safety and insurance fund to cover the operating expenses of North Dakota's workforce safety and insurance programs for the 2025-2027 biennium. The funding supports program operations and maintains 260.14 full-time equivalent positions dedicated to these services. This bill directly affects the state's workforce safety and insurance programs by ensuring they have dedicated funding for their ongoing operations during the specified two-year period.
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 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.)
HB 1007 appropriates $2,654,336 from North Dakota's general fund to cover the Department of Labor and Human Rights' expenses for the 2025-2027 biennium. The funding supports salaries ($2,787,854), operating costs ($378,407), and covers 13 full-time equivalent positions. This bill directly affects the department's budget operations without changing laws or policies.
HB 1599 creates a formal state leave sharing program for permanent North Dakota state employees. It allows employees to donate accrued annual or sick leave to colleagues facing pregnancy or severe, extreme, or life-threatening medical conditions (for themselves or immediate family), requiring medical certification. The program limits donated leave to four months per year, excludes temporary or contracted staff, and mandates the Office of Management and Budget to track usage and adopt implementing rules. This policy directly affects permanent state employees needing extended leave due to qualifying health circumstances.
HB 1177 amends North Dakota's public employees retirement system definition to include correctional officers who are enrolled in, but have not yet completed, a state-approved training course. This change directly affects correctional facility workers in North Dakota who are currently in training for their roles. The key provision expands eligibility for retirement benefits to these trainees by adding them to the official definition of "correctional officer" under the retirement system code. The bill does not change benefit amounts or eligibility for already certified officers.
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.
