Rep. Dori Hauck

Maddy summaryHB 1465 amends North Dakota's gaming tax code (Section 53-06.1-12) to reduce tax rates for licensed gaming organizations, such as casinos and racetracks. It lowers the top tax rate from 12% to 6% for businesses with quarterly revenue exceeding $250,000, while maintaining a 1% rate for revenue under $150,000 and a $500 flat fee plus 6% for revenue between $150,000 and $250,000. The bill directly affects gaming businesses by changing how their tax burden is calculated based on quarterly revenue. This represents a concrete policy change to reduce taxes for higher-revenue gaming operators. The bill was introduced in 2025 but failed to pass in February 2025.

Maddy summaryHB 1453 would ban North Dakota state and local governments from engaging with "natural asset companies" - businesses that manage natural resources (like forests or water) to generate environmental benefits. The bill prohibits selling or leasing state-owned land to these companies, investing public funds in them, and allows lawsuits to reclaim land if violations occur. It would also prevent natural asset companies from operating in North Dakota by blocking their registration, business licenses, and any contracts with state entities. This directly affects state agencies, political subdivisions, and public fund managers, but does not impact private citizens or non-governmental activities.

Maddy summaryHB 1172 would require a student's home school district to pay fees for distance education courses if the student's regular school doesn't offer the course during the semester or at a time that fits the student's preferred schedule. This directly affects students enrolled in distance education through North Dakota's Center for Distance Education and their home school districts. The bill specifies that districts must cover these fees instead of charging the student or their parent/guardian when course availability conflicts with the student's schedule. The policy change aims to reduce financial barriers for students seeking specific courses not available at their home school.

Maddy summaryHB 1513 amends North Dakota law to require municipalities to notify property owners when sidewalks need construction, repair, or rebuilding. It mandates that notices must specify the required work, its character, and give owners at least two years and six months to complete it at their own expense, with work needing approval from the street commissioner or city engineer. Notices must be delivered via certified mail, in-person, or posting on vacant land, and if owners fail to act, the municipality will complete the work and bill the owner through a sidewalk fund. This directly affects property owners whose lots benefit from sidewalk improvements.

Maddy summaryHB 1333 proposes requiring North Dakota public school districts to provide students with at least 30 minutes for lunch daily between 10 a.m. and 2 p.m. It also allows high school students to be excused from the class immediately following lunch if they obtain a counselor’s written verification and provide it to their teacher once per semester. The bill directly affects all North Dakota public school districts and their students, particularly high schoolers seeking flexibility in their schedules. If enacted, it would establish a concrete, mandatory lunch break duration standard across the state’s public schools. (Note: The bill failed to pass in February 2025.)

Maddy summarySB 2303 would create an education savings account program in North Dakota, using state funds to help eligible families pay for approved educational expenses. Eligible students include K-12 residents who qualify for public school, with funds deposited by the Bank of North Dakota (80% of per-pupil funding). Parents would receive these funds for approved expenses like tuition at participating private schools, approved tutoring, textbooks, college costs, or educational technology, but must agree not to enroll children in public schools. The program requires participating schools to meet safety and nondiscrimination standards, and unused funds carry forward annually.

Maddy summaryHB 1590 would create a pilot program allowing North Dakota parents to open student education services accounts for K-12 children. Parents could deposit up to $2,000 annually per child, with the Bank of North Dakota matching 50% of those deposits. Funds could cover authorized expenses like career courses, tutoring, mental health services, and approved educational materials, with unused funds rolling over yearly. The pilot, running 2025-2027 with $41.2 million in state funding, would close accounts if students leave the state or don't pursue higher education, requiring parent refunds for contributed amounts.

Relating to the creation of districts, district commission member nomination and election procedures, the costs of elections of district representative commission members, and the referral of cattle assessments; to amend and reenact sections 4.1‑03‑01, 4.1‑03‑02, 4.1‑03‑03, 4.1‑03‑04, 4.1‑03‑12, and 4.1‑03‑17 of the North Dakota Century Code, relating to the definition of a cattle industry representative, the election and terms of members to the North Dakota beef commission, commission vacancies, and requiring livestock auction markets and livestock dealers to forward names of cattle sellers, and the refund of assessments; to provide a penalty; and to provide an effective date.

Maddy summaryHB 1236 amends North Dakota law to specify that hunting and fishing license fees and application fees can only fund state wildlife and fish department programs unrelated to chronic wasting disease (CWD). The bill restricts the use of these fees, ensuring they cannot support CWD management or research. It directly affects the North Dakota Game and Fish Department by altering how it allocates revenue from hunting and fishing permits. The change clarifies that existing fee revenue must be used for general department administration, not specific disease-related initiatives. The bill failed to pass in the legislature during the 2025 session.

Maddy summaryHB 1501 would require individuals with out-of-state driver's licenses or nonoperator ID cards from states that don't verify citizenship/residency to provide a second form of ID for both identification and driving in North Dakota. The bill specifies acceptable second forms of ID, including U.S. passports, birth certificates, or permanent resident cards, but excludes licenses compliant with the federal Real ID Act or commercial licenses. This would directly affect non-residents holding out-of-state licenses from states without citizenship/residency requirements, mandating additional verification to use those IDs for driving or official identification purposes.