Veterans

HB 1180 amends North Dakota law to clarify eligibility for veteran benefits, directly affecting veterans with service-connected disabilities, their dependents, and surviving spouses. It updates definitions to include veterans with a 100% service-connected disability (including those with extra-schedular ratings for total disability), expanding who qualifies as a "dependent" for benefits like education assistance and employment preferences. Key provisions include allowing spouses of disabled veterans to claim employment preference if the veteran cannot, and extending free distinctive vehicle license plates (for up to two vehicles) to disabled veterans and surviving spouses receiving VA dependency compensation. The bill also clarifies residency requirements for dependents and streamlines proof of VA compensation eligibility.

HB 1190 proposed creating a committee to name bridges and overpasses in North Dakota in honor of military service members who died while serving. The committee would review public nominations annually, select up to six locations each October, and coordinate with veterans groups and families for signage and dedication. The bill specified the committee would include the transportation director, adjutant general, and veterans affairs commissioner, with the transportation department providing administrative support. This bill, which was introduced but later withdrawn in January 2025, did not change existing laws but would have established a process for honoring fallen military members through infrastructure naming.

HCR 3005 is a North Dakota legislative resolution urging the 119th U.S. Congress to add the names of 74 U.S. Navy sailors who died when the USS Frank E. Evans collided with an Australian ship in 1969 to the Vietnam Veterans Memorial Wall. It specifically requests Congress amend memorial inclusion criteria to recognize these sailors, who were on combat support missions in the South China Sea during Operation Sea Spirit. The resolution cites evidence showing the ship was engaged in combat support operations, aligning with eligibility under Title 38 of the U.S. Code. As a non-binding resolution, it does not change federal law but formally requests congressional action to honor the sailors, including two from North Dakota (Patrick Glennon and Robert Seale).

Relating to national guard or federal service leave of absence for state and political subdivision employees and the definition of veteran; and to declare an emergency.

HB 1504 amends North Dakota's veterans' postwar trust fund to clarify its permanent status and management. It requires all investment income from the fund to be used exclusively for veteran programs or services, with funds automatically appropriated to the veterans' affairs committee for the following biennium. The bill adds a new provision allowing veterans' organizations (as defined in state law) to donate funds specifically for programs preventing and eliminating veteran homelessness. These changes ensure the fund's resources directly support veterans' needs through established administrative channels.