Sen. David Clemens

Maddy summaryHB 1273 would prohibit North Dakota cities, counties, and the state from adopting policies, orders, or ordinances that restrict individual speech - including those related to hate crimes. The bill states that any such local policy would be invalid and cannot be overridden by city or county home rule charters. It directly affects municipal governments and local regulations by blocking restrictions on speech at the community level. The law would take effect if passed, making speech-limiting local rules unenforceable.

Maddy summarySB 2206 changes North Dakota law regarding civil lawsuits involving commercial motor carriers (like trucking companies) and safety belt usage. It reduces the statute of limitations for certain injury or death claims from three years to two years and caps non-economic damages (like pain and suffering) at $500,000 per case against these carriers. The bill also clarifies that failing to wear a safety belt in a vehicle, as required by law, cannot be used as direct evidence of negligence in court but may reduce awarded damages by up to 1% if proven to have contributed to the injury. These changes apply specifically to civil actions arising from commercial motor vehicle operations.

Maddy summarySB 2184 would amend North Dakota law to require courts to grant additional parenting time to a parent falsely accused of harming a child. If a court finds a parent made a false harm allegation against the other parent (not in good faith), the court must order the false accuser to pay the other parent's legal costs and fees. The bill mandates that the falsely accused parent receives additional parenting time matching the denied time (e.g., weekends, holidays), to be scheduled within two years of the court's finding. This directly affects parents in custody disputes where false allegations led to denied court-ordered parenting time.

Maddy summaryHB 1315 prohibits the North Dakota National Guard from being deployed into active combat missions unless Congress has officially declared war or taken specific constitutional action under Article I, Section 8. It defines "active duty combat" as participating in armed conflict, hazardous foreign service, or duties involving instruments of war. The bill requires the governor to ensure compliance, but does not restrict domestic deployments under Title 32 of U.S. Code for missions like civil authority support within the U.S. The legislation was introduced as an emergency measure in January 2025 but failed to pass in committee.

Maddy summaryNorth Dakota's SCR 4003 is a resolution to rescind all previous state applications requesting Congress to call an Article V constitutional convention for proposing amendments to the U.S. Constitution. It directly affects North Dakota's legislative record by formally withdrawing its past requests to Congress on this matter. The bill urges other states with similar applications to also rescind their requests, citing concerns about potential broad constitutional changes and preference for the existing amendment process.

Relating to Sunday closing laws; to amend and reenact section 12.1-30-04 of the North Dakota Century Code, relating to Sunday closing laws and retail agreements; and to provide a penalty.

Relating to statutory provisions that restrict the location and manner in which firearms and dangerous weapons may be carried.

Relating to correction or amendment of birth records.

Relating to the prohibition of ranked-choice and approval voting in elections; and to amend and reenact subsection 7 of section 11‑09.1‑05 and subsection 9 of section 40‑05.1‑06 of the North Dakota Century Code, relating to home rule powers.

Relating to a property tax exemption for property of churches; to provide for application; and to provide a retroactive effective date.