N.D. House Update- April 1, 2019

Committee work in the policy committees of the 66th Legislative Assembly is nearing completion, and most work will be wrapped up early this week. The two chambers will move into the conference committee portion of the session, in the next few days. Conference committees involve three members from each chamber who will try to work out differences in the way the legislation passed each chamber.

The big news this week was the signing of HB 1066, which was co-sponsored by Rep. Vigesaa. The legislation known as the Prairie Dog Bill was signed by the Governor on Wednesday. It will provide millions of dollars in special funding from oil revenues to counties, cities and townships throughout District 23. The legislation will provide state funding for infrastructure needs across the state. Like we said in an earlier column, the money provided includes $115 million for cities, $110 million for counties, $15 million for townships and $20 million for airports. The money is expected to be distributed to local governments in the spring of 2021.

Another bill passing the House floor this week was SB 2360 which will fix problems with the farmstead tax exemption, caused by changes in the federal tax laws. It passed the chamber 74-18 on Monday.

The Government Operations Section of House Appropriations is nearing completion of its work on thirteen agency budget bills they were responsible for after crossover. SB 2015 funds the Office of Management and Budget (OMB). This bill is generally the last agency bill to be acted upon because oftentimes, final amendments to close out the session are included in this legislation.

OMB consists of five separate divisions; Fiscal Management, Central Services, Facility Management, Human Resource Management and Risk Management. Each has a unique mission and function, but they united in the fact that OMB is a service agency and each division serves the people and agencies of state government.

Facility Management will be working on two exciting projects during the upcoming biennium. Landscaping, outdoor entertainment areas, pedestrian walkways and perimeter fencing for the Governor’s Residence will be completed using privately raised funds. The other project is long overdue. The south entrance of the Capitol Building, used by the public, will be remodeled into a spacious, welcoming area. This past cold winter accentuated the need for an entrance that accommodates the public in a manner befitting of our beautiful Capitol Complex. This project will be funded from the capitol building fund not the general fund. These are House proposals and will need to be agreed upon by the Senate.

The House Human Services Committee heard three senate Resolutions on Tuesday and gave all three a do-pass recommendation. SCR 4002 is a concurrent resolution urging Congress to address the rising costs and availability of medications and health care for individuals with diabetes and coverage of those costs. SCR 4007 is a concurrent resolution urging Congress and the Food and Drug Administration to end the marketing and advertising of e-cigarettes to youth. SCR 4014 is a concurrent resolution directing the Legislative Management to consider studying the implementation of the recommendations of the Human Services Research Institute's study of North Dakota's behavioral health system.

The Committee did heavily amend and pass SB 2113 which will allow for a process for a resident or caregiver of a resident at a long-term care facility to authorize electronic monitoring of a resident's room. The committee is very concerned about the potential privacy issues as well as violations of state and federal privacy laws. If the bill passes the House, the committee will work with the Senate, through the conference committee process to try to make the bill workable for everyone. The Committee also passed SB 2313 which will establish a children's cabinet to deal with behavioral health issues. The bill also established another task force to look at children's juvenile justice related issues.

Another bill passed by the committee, SB 2347, will provide liability for false medical assistance claims and to help establish a Medicaid fraud control unit.

The Ag Committee and the Energy and Natural Resources Committee continued their work on SB 2315, which will change the way land is posted in our state. The bill will establish an electronic database app that will show if land in the state is open for hunters and others to use or is closed. The bill will take some work, but there is a lot of support from landowners and others across the state.

The Energy and Natural Resources Committee also passed SB 2128 which will expand the number of medical providers who can approve an application to receive a special hunting permit to shoot wildlife from a stationary motor vehicle. The special license is for individuals who are physically unable to walk for purposes of hunting or taking wildlife or who have lost the use of an arm at or below the elbow. The application must be accompanied by a medical provider’s statement. Previously it was only physicians who could sign the application. The legislation adds physician assistants and advanced practice registered nurses to the medical providers who can verify the person's individual's condition.

Several of the bills we have sponsored or co-sponsored have passed both chambers and are waiting for the Governor's signature

District 23 residents who wish to contact us about what is being discussed or proposed can email us at: [email protected] and [email protected]. Mail can be sent to us in Bismarck; c/o North Dakota House of Representatives, State Capital, 600 East Boulevard, Bismarck, ND 58505.

During the session constituents that wish to leave a message for us may call (888) 635-3447.