Technology

HB 1357 amends North Dakota law to strengthen student data privacy protections for school districts. It requires school boards to adopt written policies mandating permission from the board before sharing student data with non-employees (except parents or as legally required), allowing data sharing with state entities only through formal agreements, and requiring districts to maintain and publicly provide lists of all individuals and personnel with data access. The law directly affects all North Dakota public school districts by establishing clear, enforceable rules for handling student information. These provisions aim to increase transparency and control over how student data is used and shared.

HB 1593 would require websites and online platforms (excluding news organizations) to verify users are 18+ before accessing sexual material deemed harmful to minors. It defines such material as content appealing to prurient interests, depicting sexual acts, or lacking literary/artistic value for minors, and mandates "reasonable age verification" methods like ID checks. Platforms failing this verification could face civil lawsuits from parents or individuals whose data was improperly retained, seeking damages, injunctions, or attorney fees. The bill explicitly excludes news-gathering organizations and internet service providers from liability for merely hosting content they don’t create. The bill failed to pass in the North Dakota legislature on February 17, 2025.

HB 1102 appropriates $775,000 from North Dakota's general fund to the Attorney General's Bureau of Criminal Investigation for cybercrime resources. The funding will hire two full-time cybercrime agents and cover related equipment costs for the 2025-2027 biennium, with $161,000 designated for one-time equipment purchases. This bill directly affects police departments in northeastern North Dakota cities with at least 50,000 residents, requiring the new agents to assist those departments specifically with cybercrime prevention and detection. The measure is purely a funding allocation, not a policy change, focused on staffing and resources for a defined geographic area.

HB 1184 would allow North Dakota's Board of University and School Lands, State Investment Board, and State Treasurer to invest up to 10% of their managed funds in specific digital assets (like stablecoins or cryptocurrencies with a $500 billion+ average market cap) or precious metals (gold, platinum, or silver). The bill requires all digital asset investments to be held securely through approved custodians or exchange-traded products, with strict rules for staking or lending digital assets to avoid increasing state financial risk. It defines key terms like "stablecoin" (dollar-backed digital currency) and "secure custody solution" (requiring multi-location hardware storage and regular security audits). The policy directly affects how state investment entities manage public funds, but the bill failed to pass in January 2025 after committee review.