Legislative Update on Week 3 - Jan. 21

The deadline for House bill introductions hit this week and they topped out at HB1500 – so they introduced and even 500 bills (plus so far 12 resolutions). Not an all-time record, but quite a few more than in recent sessions – so our hope that a pandemic would slow things down was not realized. The Senate still has until next Monday at 5 pm to introduce legislation, and they are currently at 275 bills and 6 resolutions.

Unfortunately, quite a number of the bills we dealt with in the House this week were retreads from many past sessions to include: caps on county taxes, caps on valuation, restrictions on assessment practices, shifting taxes from one group to another, and redirecting the proceeds of foreclosures.

But fortunately, we had timely and well-constructed testimony provided by county officials from across the state through: electronically submitted written testimony,  LIVE remote testimony via zoom, and
a number of officials in the (fairly empty) halls of the Capitol.  Our friends in the cities and schools showed up to these as well, to fight the good fight. HB 1200 was one of those bills, which proposes to cap political subs from levying more than 2% more from the previous year. This bill received a Do Not Pass recommendation. We expect to see that on the House floor early next week. 

Excellent testimony was also given to oppose a bill requiring that local officials not get paid if they hindered any business – an incredibly vague and disturbing bill.

The House Judiciary committee heard a bill to eliminate bail for misdemeanor crimes. Sheriffs & Chiefs testified in opposition. The committee hasn't taken action on HB 1123 The committee did pass out two other important public safety bills. HB 1112, that requires DOCR to pay for housing and medical costs for state-sentenced inmates if they are being held in county jails will be voted on the House Floor as soon as Friday, it received an unanimous Do Pass recommendation. HB 1104 reduces the mandatory time served from 85% of sentence to 65%. The bill received a Do Not Pass recommendation from the committee. That bill will be voted on in the House early next week. 

A proposal to merge Department of Health and Department of Human Services got the support of the House Human Services Committee. There is also a requirement in HB 1247 that the state health officer be a physician. The committee also acted on HB 1163 this bill allows supplies to be included in the syringe exchange program. It will go to the bill received a Do Pass recommendation with a 7-6 vote. 

NDACo offered testimony on several election related bills this week. SB 2142 would extend the number of days to process ballots to three business days prior to the election. The Senate GVA unanimously voted to give the bill a Do Pass recommendation. There were three bills that sought to restrict the Governor's authority to make election related decisions. This stems from the executive order in the spring, which allowed counties to go "all vote by mail" for the June election due to the pandemic. NDACo provided testimony explaining the reasons for the executive order request from auditors and the necessity for the Governor to have those emergency powers. The Senate Judiciary gave SB 2193 a DNP recommendation. The House GVA committee will further discuss HB 1171 and HB 1198. 

Also, look for SB 2026 to hit the Senate floor early next week. This is the proposed Road Train Pilot project. We are happy to report, the bill received a Do Not Pass recommendation. 

The withdrawal of Rep. Porter’s GAP-Bonding proposal this week and its replacement by a House leadership bill that did not include prairie dog replacement revenue was a shock, but we are continuing to work on restoration of transportation funding through several other proposals.

We urge you to reach out to your legislator on any of these bills that will be voted on in the near future. You can find their contact information here: 67th Legislative Assembly

View the schedule for January 25th-29th Week 4