The North Dakota House of Representatives began their 69th Legislative Assembly on Jan. 7, 2025, and have been busy since. Within this session, 630 bills have been introduced. Certain bills are introduced and waiting on upcoming hearings, while others have received a pass or fail status.
The next key House hearings will take place between Mar. 5-7, with over 80 being discussed. However, many decisions have been made already.
One of the first and most notable decisions to be made by the ND House revolves around funding for public broadcasting. HB 1225 discusses the cessation of all public funding, either directly or indirectly, for public broadcasting services. This bill was introduced by Rep. Jorin Johnson. Those in favor of this bill said it would give a chance to take a look at the largest public broadcasting station in the state, Prairie Public, and their perceived editorial bias, despite CEO John Harris’s claims against it.
The House voted 61-32 on Monday, Feb. 3 to pass HB 1225, and last official actions will take place on March 7. It was passed onto the Appropriations Committee and will come back to the House for one last vote before being referred to the Senate.
The ND House also discussed HB 1475, a bill that would provide breakfast and lunches to all students at no cost. If passed, it would have cost an estimated $140 million from the 2025-57 biennium general fund. However, it was killed on Monday, Feb. 24 after 40 minutes of discussion.
HB 1475 was introduced by eight members of the ND House and 2 from the Senate. It was originally supported by the House Education Committee and sent to the Appropriations Committee where it received a do-not-pass recommendation. Overall, the bill was killed with a vote of 54-39.
With all the bills discussed on the House floor, House Concurrent Resolution No. 3013 was also a topic of interest. This resolution comes as an urge for “the United States Supreme Court to restore the definition of marriage to a union between one man and one woman.” Within the resolution, it questions the Supreme Court’s decision and interpretations made during Obergefell V. Hodges, with claims it was an “illegitimate overreach.”
HCR 3013 was introduced by seven members of the ND House and five members of the Senate, with Rep. Bill Tveit R-Hazen as a staunch supporter. Tveit expressed his discontent with the Supreme Court’s ruling as same-sex couples cannot biologically reproduce and if they “desire a collaborative union of some sort, or a legal bonding, they must call it anything but marriage.”
Rep. Austin Foss D-Fargo argued against the resolution, as the overturning of same-sex marriage would leave couples without tax incentives, parental rights, military spousal benefits or end-of-life rights. However, despite arguments against the resolution, it was passed.
HCR 3013 passed on a vote of 52-40 on Monday, Feb. 24, and will move onto the Senate. If passed on the Senate floor, the resolution will make its way up to the Supreme Court, which may leave Obergefell V. Hodges up for reconsideration.