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.
SB 2135 amends North Dakota law to increase the biennial funding transfer to the firefighters' death benefits fund from $50,125 to $50,125 (correcting a typo in the bill text) and sets a $10,025 payment for survivors of firefighters who died while performing duties. The bill requires fire department chiefs or their designees to verify line-of-duty deaths before payments are made. It directly affects surviving family members of deceased firefighters and the state insurance commissioner who manages the fund. The changes became law after being signed by the governor on March 17, 2025.
HB 1179 would require North Dakota's public institutions of higher education to provide faculty members with at least a 12-month appointment 24 days of paid time off annually. It mandates institutions to track accrued time off, sets a limit of 30 days to carry over into the next year, and requires payment for unused time upon termination (capped at 54 days total). Institutions failing to implement this by August 1, 2025, would need to grant 54 days of paid time off to faculty by January 1, 2026. The bill directly affects faculty at all public colleges and universities governed by the state board of higher education.
SB 2131 would change how North Dakota distributes state funds to workforce training centers. It requires the state board to allocate 60% of funding equally among all centers, 20% based on each center's average annual training hours over the prior three years, and 20% based on each center's average number of unique participants over the same period. The bill directly affects all designated workforce training centers in the state by altering their funding formula. The bill was introduced in 2025 but failed to pass the legislature on February 17, 2025, with 16 votes in favor and 29 against.
SB 2306 proposes a program to address child care staffing shortages by providing monthly payments to licensed early childhood providers in North Dakota. The bill would require the state to pay providers $50 per infant, $30 per toddler, and $15 per school-aged child enrolled, based on quarterly reports of average enrollment. To qualify, providers must not have received a corrective action order in the past three months and must submit annual reports detailing how funds were used to improve staff salaries and benefits. This bill directly affects licensed child care centers and family child care homes by offering financial incentives tied to enrollment levels. The program aims to retain and recruit child care workers through direct support for provider compensation needs.
SB 2345 would have provided permanent North Dakota state employees with a 4% pay raise each year during the 2025-27 biennium, effective July 2025 (paid August 2025) and July 2026 (paid August 2026). The bill directly affected all eligible permanent state employees by adjusting their base compensation annually. It required no new funding mechanisms beyond existing appropriations, as the increases were tied to the biennial budget cycle. The bill failed to pass the legislature on February 7, 2025, with 6 votes in favor and 41 against.
