Relating to offering school breakfast and lunch at no cost and the school meals fund; to provide an appropriation; to provide for a transfer; and to provide an effective date.
HB 1144 amends North Dakota law to require public school students to use restrooms and facilities corresponding to their sex assigned at birth, directly affecting transgender students in public schools. The bill mandates schools to enforce this policy, with penalties for noncompliance including potential loss of state funding. It declares an emergency to expedite the law's implementation. The legislation replaces existing accommodations for transgender students with a policy based on biological sex. This change alters school restroom access policies for transgender youth without providing alternative accommodations.
SB 2234 appropriates $2 million from North Dakota's general fund for competitive grants to school districts to help high school students meet the state's "choice ready" framework. The bill requires school districts to apply with specific plans showing how grant funds will develop students' skills for postsecondary education, careers, or military service - directly affecting school districts and their high school students. Funds cannot cover general supplies or equipment but must support targeted experiences like career training or college preparation. The grants are intended for the 2025-2027 biennium and align with the state's goal of ensuring all students graduate prepared for life after high school.
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.
HB 1244 would create a North Dakota income tax credit for parents who home-educate their children. It allows taxpayers to claim a credit of up to $10,000 per qualifying child annually (or $5,000 for married filers filing separately) for qualified educational expenses like books, tuition, computers, and software. To qualify, the child must be a dependent under 19, home-educated under North Dakota law, and the expenses must be directly related to home education. The credit would apply to taxable years beginning after December 31, 2024, and cannot exceed the taxpayer’s total income tax liability. This bill directly affects North Dakota parents who homeschool their children and choose to claim this tax benefit.
SB 2263 allocates $500,000 for school districts to fund training grants focused on implementing "mastery frameworks" in education. This system requires students to master specific skills before advancing, and the bill provides grants for school district teams (including at least one administrator and, if available, an instructional coach) to develop and share these frameworks. Each team can receive up to $25,000 for staff stipends during dedicated training time (limited to ten days beyond regular contracts), with priority given to teams that have completed approved leadership training. The funding is one-time and intended for the 2025-2027 biennium, specifically to support schools in creating and scaling these instructional approaches across North Dakota.
SB 2030 allocates $10 million to North Dakota's Housing Finance Agency for homeless grants and $50,000 for a homelessness study during the 2025-2027 biennium. It also provides $1 million to the Department of Public Instruction for homelessness liaison services in the state's ten largest school districts, requiring each district to match state funds dollar-for-dollar. Additionally, the bill transfers $200 million to the Housing Incentive Fund and mandates a legislative study on homelessness to identify funding gaps and solutions. These provisions directly affect homeless individuals, school districts, and state agencies managing housing and education services.
SB 2170 would create a North Dakota scholarship program for military reserve members attending college. It would cover full tuition at state-funded institutions or the average tuition at private schools for eligible applicants who are active reserve members (army, navy, marine corps, air force, coast guard, or space force), enrolled full-time in degree programs, without a bachelor's degree, and not previously receiving certain other military education benefits. The scholarship would be awarded regardless of financial need, with recipients limited to 48 eligibility units (equivalent to 4 years of full-time study). Applicants would need to apply for federal military education aid first, and the program would allow military call-ups to pause studies without academic penalty.
Relating to state education funding for all students in the state; to amend and reenact sections 15.1‑27‑02 and 57‑15‑01.1, subsection 1 of section 57‑15‑14, section 57‑15‑14.2, and subdivision c of subsection 1 of section 57‑20‑07.1 of the North Dakota Century Code, relating to required reports, school district levy authority, and information displayed on property tax statements; to repeal sections 15.1‑27‑04.1, 15.1‑27‑04.2, 15.1‑27‑04.3, 15.1‑27‑15.1, 15.1‑27‑20.2, and 15.1‑29‑15 of the North Dakota Century Code, relating to adjustments to state aid payments and a property tax levy for tuition payments; and to provide an effective date.
