Rep. Kathy Frelich

Maddy summaryHB 1095 creates a new work group to serve as a liaison between child protective services and school districts. This group's purpose is to enhance communication and coordination related to child safety matters. It aims to facilitate better collaboration between these two entities regarding the well-being and safety of children within the school system.

Maddy summaryHB 1197 creates a $50 million jail improvement fund (funded by a transfer from the Strategic Investment and Improvements Fund) to provide grants for county jail upgrades, remodeling, or replacements. The bill establishes a committee with legislative members, county representatives, and corrections stakeholders to review applications and approve grants. Counties receiving grants must contribute at least 25% of project costs, and at least 25% of annual funds must support projects in counties with populations under 15,000. The law, signed by the governor in April 2025, directly affects North Dakota counties and correctional facilities by enabling targeted infrastructure investments.

Maddy summaryHB 1204 amends North Dakota law to establish a penalty for publishing false information in political advertisements. The bill directly affects political campaigns, candidates, and organizations that run political ads within the state. It creates a legal consequence for knowingly distributing false claims in such advertisements, though the specific penalty amount or enforcement details are not detailed in the provided abstract. This amendment updates the state's legal framework to address misinformation in political advertising.

Maddy summarySB 2172 would establish new requirements for long-term care insurance policies in North Dakota, specifically governing policy terms and how claim payments are processed. It directly affects individuals purchasing or holding long-term care insurance policies in the state, as well as insurance companies offering these policies. The bill creates a new section in the North Dakota Century Code to standardize these aspects of policy administration. (Note: The provided context lacks specific details about the exact provisions or mechanisms, so this summary reflects the bill's stated purpose as described in its title and abstract.)

Maddy summarySB 2146 creates North Dakota's participation in an interstate occupational therapy licensure compact. It allows licensed occupational therapists from participating states to practice in North Dakota under a "compact privilege" without needing a separate state license, provided the patient is physically located in North Dakota during care. This mutual recognition improves access to therapy services for patients across state lines while preserving each state's authority to regulate practice and protect public safety. The compact also standardizes how states share disciplinary information and handle complaints between member states.

Maddy summarySB 2278 requires a legislative study during the 2025-26 interim to examine whether state libraries (including the state library and university libraries) should be mandated to retain original versions of books when publishers update content to be more "socially progressive," "politically correct," or "inclusive." The study must analyze the feasibility of this requirement, assess how artificial intelligence affects library material retention and updates, and evaluate the impact of such updates on original texts. It does not change current library policies but aims to inform potential future legislation. The study will report findings and recommendations to the 2027 legislative assembly.

Relating to medical costs transparency for health care facilities; to amend and reenact section 26.1‑47‑02 of the North Dakota Century Code, relating to health care facility and preferred provider compliance with medical cost transparency requirements; and to provide a penalty.

Maddy summaryHB 1512 amends North Dakota's dental board complaint process to clarify how individuals can file complaints about dentists. It requires written complaints to be filed with the dental board, mandates the board to investigate and notify both the complainant and dentist, and ensures complainants receive the dentist's written response. The bill also specifies that complaint records remain confidential during investigation and allows the board to charge dentists fees covering disciplinary costs. This directly affects individuals filing complaints, dentists under investigation, and the dental board during disciplinary proceedings.

Relating to health status exceptions for health care facilities; to amend and reenact sections 14‑02.4‑01, 14‑02.4‑02, 14‑02.4‑03, 14‑02.4‑04, 14‑02.4‑05, 14‑02.4‑06, 14‑02.4‑08, and 14‑02.4‑09, subsection 1 of section 14‑02.4‑14, subsection 1 of section 14‑02.4‑15, and sections 14‑02.4‑16 and 14‑02.4‑17 of the North Dakota Century Code, relating to creating a new status related to human rights and antidiscrimination policies; and to provide an appropriation.

Maddy summaryHB 1543 authorizes a legislative study to examine federal prescription drug pricing mechanisms, specifically the maximum fair price set by the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services under the Inflation Reduction Act. The study will analyze how federal drug pricing negotiations overlap with drugs covered by North Dakota's public employees retirement system to assess potential cost savings for the state and consumers. It requires input from the public employees retirement system, insurance commissioner, state pharmacy board, and other stakeholders. The legislative management must report findings and any recommended legislation to the next state legislative assembly.