Sen. Jeff Barta

Maddy summarySB 2145 protects employees of North Dakota's 988 suicide and crisis lifeline, 211 information helpline, and 911 systems from civil lawsuits when providing services, unless they act with willful misconduct or gross negligence. The law grants these employees immunity from claims related to their work, ensuring they can assist callers without fear of legal action for ordinary errors. This immunity does not affect existing protections for state or local government entities or their employees. The bill became law after the governor signed it on March 14, 2025.

Maddy summaryHB 1212 designates a specific segment of North Dakota State Highway 18 - from its intersection with Highway 5 to the Canadian border - as the "PFC. Henry Gurke Memorial Highway." The bill requires the state Department of Transportation to install signs along this route bearing the memorial name and allows acceptance of donated funds for sign placement. This is a purely ceremonial bill with no substantive policy changes, affecting only the highway signage in that corridor.

Maddy summaryHB 1604 creates a new state program to fund K-12 school construction in North Dakota, directly affecting school districts seeking state assistance for new buildings. To qualify, districts must meet specific criteria, including demonstrating renovation costs exceed 60% of new construction costs, having a failed referendum for construction/renovation within a set timeframe, and securing their share of funding. The bill establishes tiered state funding rates (from 5% to 95% of costs) based on a district’s property tax valuation ("mill value"), with a $600 million appropriation allocated for the 2025-2027 biennium. It also requires districts to use state-appointed architectural firms meeting strict in-state criteria and mandates plans for long-term building maintenance. The program expires on July 1, 2035.

Maddy summaryHB 1249 allocates one-time state funds for autonomous technology grants to four state agencies: $250,000 to the Attorney General for law enforcement tools (like drones for missing persons searches), $500,000 to Career and Technical Education for workforce training in oil/gas, $250,000 to Health and Human Services for rural emergency response, and $500,000 to the Agriculture Commissioner for farm technology. Each agency must establish application guidelines requiring grant recipients to certify their use of autonomous tech (e.g., drones, vehicles) aligns with the agency’s mission and provide a 1:4 matching fund ratio. Recipients must report grant usage to lawmakers during the 2025-2026 interim. The bill covers a two-year period starting July 2025, with all funding designated as one-time.

Relating to the North Dakota insurance incentive program; to amend and reenact subsection 1 of section 21‑10‑06 and subsection 3 of section 26.1‑01‑07.1 of the North Dakota Century Code, relating to the insurance incentive fund; to provide a continuing appropriation; and to provide an exemption.

Maddy summaryHB 1239 protects digital asset mining operations in North Dakota by preventing local governments from banning or restricting them in residential areas (if noise rules are followed) or imposing stricter rules than for other commercial businesses. It exempts blockchain-related activities - like operating nodes, mining, or developing blockchain software - from requiring a money transmitter license. The bill defines key terms such as "digital asset" (including cryptocurrencies and NFTs) and "digital asset mining" (using computers to validate blockchain transactions). These provisions directly affect miners, blockchain businesses, and local zoning authorities by creating clear regulatory boundaries for the industry.

Maddy summaryHB 1242 would establish a legal presumption that shared parenting (joint decisionmaking on major issues like education and health, plus approximately equal time with each parent) serves children's best interests in custody cases. This presumption applies unless a court finds specific exceptions, such as evidence of child harm, domestic violence involving serious injury or weapons, or sexual abuse. The bill requires courts to document specific reasons when overriding this presumption and mandates supervised parenting time for abusive parents in domestic violence cases. It directly affects parents in custody disputes and North Dakota courts handling parental rights decisions.

Maddy summaryHB 1532 would appropriate $3.3 million from the general fund to allow North Dakota legislators to hire temporary legislative assistants during sessions from 2025-2027. It also requires the Office of Management and Budget to analyze state agency office space in the capitol, identify excess space due to reduced in-office work, and recommend consolidation options and locations for temporary staff. The analysis must be completed and reported to legislative management by August 2026. The bill failed to pass in the legislature on February 12, 2025, with 29 votes in favor and 64 against.

Maddy summarySB 2266 provides $36,318 in one-time funding from North Dakota's state disaster relief fund to the Private Investigation and Security Board. The grant covers costs the board incurred due to an unlawful protest related to a pipeline. Funding is authorized from the bill's effective date through June 30, 2025. The bill declares an emergency to expedite this temporary appropriation for the specified purpose.

Relating to step therapy protocols; to provide for a report to the legislative assembly; to provide for application; and to provide an expiration date.