North Dakota Legislature
2023 Veteran Legislation Summary | Updated May 4, 2023
Motor Vehicle Veterans' Purple Heart Number Plates
A BILL for an Act to create and enact a new subdivision to subsection 2 of section 39-04-18 of the North Dakota Century Code, relating to a purple heart recipient exemption from motor vehicle registration fees; and to amend and reenact section 39-04-10.10 of the North Dakota Century Code, relating to veterans' number plates.
- Veterans who are Purple Heart recipient shall:
- Not have to pay initial or annual fee for distinctive purple heart license plates for one vehicle
- Be exempt from paying vehicle registration for one vehicle
- Fiscal note: $31,632
- Sens. Mathern, Dever, Marcellais, Reps. Fehr, Wallman, Bellew
-
- Passed Senate, Passed House. Signed by Governor
- Appreciation of Veterans and Military
- Financial
- Law/Policy Change
Appropriations - Veterans' Military Caskets and Urns
A BILL for an Act to provide an appropriation to the adjutant general for veterans' military caskets and urns.
- Provide military casket at no cost to veterans interred in ND
- Fiscal note of $2,800,000
Senate amendments:
- Moved to ND DVA
- removed funding of $2,800,00
- Moved to County Social services
House amendments:
- Changed from shall to may: allowed family to choose
Senate concurred to house amendments
Passed House
- Sens. Marcellais, Schneider, Rep. M. Nelson
-
- Passed Senate, Passed House, Signed by Governor
- Burial & Memorial
- Law/Policy Change
Veterans' Cemetery Burial Fees for Dependents of Veterans
A BILL for an Act to provide for an appropriation for veterans' spouses and dependents burial fees at the veterans' cemetery.
- Pay for interring veterans eligible spouse and dependents at ND veterans Cemetery
- Fiscal note: $160,000
House Actions:
- Passed House GVA 14-0
- House appropriations recommended Do NOT Pass 19-2-2
- Failed House
- Sens. Marcellais, Carlisle, Dever, Reps. Dockter, Mock, Onstad
-
- Passed Senate, Failed House 32-58
- Burial & Memorial
- Failed Bill
- Financial
- Law/Policy Change
Tribal Veterans Advisory Commission
A BILL for an Act to create and enact a new section to chapter 37-18 of the North Dakota Century Code, relating to the creation, membership, and duties of the tribal veterans' advisory commission.
- Creates a ND Tribal Veterans advisory Commission
- Sens. Marcellais, Schneider, Reps. M. Nelson, Onstad
- Failed Senate 12-34
- Failed Bill
- Financial
- Law/Policy Change
Book of Veterans Serving in Area of Conflict
A BILL for an Act to amend and reenact section 37-01-45 of the North Dakota Century Code, relating to the book of veterans.
- A book of record of all ND veterans who served in an area of conflict.
Senate amendments:
- Changed from "for publish" to made available to public.
House amendments:
- Changed from "Book" to "Record" and as deemed fit by the adjutant general.
Senate concurred with House amendments
- Sens. Sorvaag, Burckhard, Carlisle, Reps. Kasper, Rohr, Thoreson
-
- Passed Senate, Passed House. Signed by Governor
- Appreciation of Veterans and Military
- Law/Policy Change
- National Guard Specific
County Veterans' Service Officers Accreditation Requirement
A BILL for an Act to amend and reenact section 37-14-18 of the North Dakota Century Code, relating to county veterans' service officers.
- Removes requirement for County Veteran Service Officer's to be accredited with "National Association of County Veteran Service Officers"
- Adds requirement for County Veteran Service Officer's to be accredited with any veteran service organization recognized by the US Department of Veterans Affairs
House GVA amendment
- Changes requirement for County Veteran Service Officers to be accredited with "any" veteran service organization to being accredited with North Dakota Department of Veterans Affairs
- Added content of failed bill HB 1205 with amendments and lower fiscal note
- provides qualified dependents of 90% disabled ND Veterans with 90% tuition waiver at ND institutions of higher education
- fiscal note: $350,000 (not general fund dollars)
House Appropriations action:
- Recommend Do NOT pass on education and accreditation
- Sen. Dever, Rep. Fehr
-
- Passed Senate 46-0, Failed House 13-77
- Failed Bill
- Law/Policy Change
Adjutant Generals Office Budget (NDNG)
- Added:$600,000 additional for Veterans Bonus Program
- Added additional $44,098 for Civil Air Patrol
- Added additional $110,000 for Tuition Assistance
- Added additional $70,089 for Veterans Cemetery ($647,006 total)
- Added additional $9,531 for Reintegration program
- Governor
- Budget
- Financial
- National Guard Specific
- Veterans Cemetery
Protection and Reimbursement for Property Damage in Emergency
- Protects NDNG and Emergency Management from liability in natural disaster relief efforts
- Provides reimbursements to property owners for damages
- Legislative Management
- Passed
- Law/Policy Change
- National Guard Specific
NDNG Members Pay for State Active Duty
- Adds to NG pay allowances: “Each enlisted member shall also receive a state active duty pay enhancement of one hundred dollars for every fourteen consecutive days spent on state active duty”.
- Adds to NG pay allowances: “Each commissioned officer member shall also receive a state active duty pay enhancement of one hundred dollars for every fourteen consecutive days spent on state active duty”.
- Emergency declared on this bill
- Fiscal note: $10,000 for 2011-2013. $40,000 for 2013-2015.
- Adjutant General
- Passed
- Budget
- Financial
- Law/Policy Change
- National Guard Specific
NDNG-Allows Adjutant General to Provide
- Adds "Adjutant General Coin" to NDCC 37-01
- Adds "Disaster Response Coin" to NDCC 37-01
- Adds a North Dakota state flag may be presented upon retirement to NDNG members with 20 or more years of military service
- Fiscal note: $20,000. No General funds appropriated
- Adjutant General
- Passed
- Budget
- Financial
- National Guard Specific
WSI Coverage for NG Members while on State Active Duty
- Adds definition of wages for ND members while on state active duty to include income from federal employment and may be included in determining the average weekly wage.
- Fiscal note: $0.
- Industry, Business and Labor
- Passed
- Budget
- Employment
- Financial
- Law/Policy Change
- National Guard Specific
Visitation Proceedings Involving Military Parent
- Courts to take particular care to ensure child of military member called to active duty or may be called to active duty has maximum opportunity for contact with parent
- Military members call to active duty service may not be a factor in court decisions to grant to deny a petition for visitation
- Military member may petition for visitation rights for family member
- Fiscal note: $0
- Adjutant General
- Failed
- Failed Bill
- Health & Wellbeing
- Law/Policy Change
- National Guard Specific
Guardian Powers Parent Deployed
- Allow parent or guardian of a minor child or incapacitated person authority to delegate guardianship to another person for up to 24 months
- Declared an emergency
- Fiscal note: $0
- Adjutant General
- Failed
- Failed Bill
- Health & Wellbeing
- National Guard Specific
Mandatory Evacuations
- Adds "Mandatory evacuation order to NDCC 37-17.1-10". Reads: "A local disaster, emergency or mandatory evacuation order may be declared" ...
- Allows local executive officers of city or county to order mandatory evacuations
- Adjutant General
- Passed
- Law/Policy Change
- National Guard Specific
Hunting License as ND Resident
- Allowed members of US armed forces, and members of their household, stationed in ND to enter lottery for deer and turkey licenses as residents
- Declared an emergency bill
- Fiscal note: $51,600. Not General fund dollars.
- Sens. Burckhard, Krebsbach, Reps Frantsvog, Kreun, Maragos
- Failed
- Appreciation of Veterans and Military
- Financial
- Law/Policy Change
Hunting License as ND Resident-No Lottery Required
- Adds "Military member in state on duty or leave"
- Adds "ND Driver's License number or ND non-driver photo ID" as proof of residency
- Allows resident hunting licensing without lottery for active duty military members on leave or stationed in ND and residents of ND serving on active duty
- Effective date April 1, 2014
- Fiscal note: $32,000. Not General fund dollars.
- Sens. Armstrong, Lyson, Schneider, Reps. Porter, Froseth, Hunskor
- Passed
- Appreciation of Veterans and Military
- Financial
- Law/Policy Change
Veteran/Spouse License Plates
Origination: Commissioner, ACOVA, NDVCC
- Gold Star plates-removes initial ($15) and annual ($10) fee for plates
- POW Plates-no additional or annual fee for plates
- Allows two plates
- Allows spouse to retain one plate after veterans' death
- 100% disabled (DAV plate)-no additional or annual ($5) fee for plates
- Four patriotic license plates added. (from failed HB 1323)
- Funds to go to PWTF.
- Removed and included with DOT budget when new ND license plates are issued.
- Not found in DOT budget-2015 new bill introduced (HB1360)
- Removed and included with DOT budget when new ND license plates are issued.
- Funds to go to PWTF.
- Fiscal note: $12,500. No appropriations.
- Reps. Paur, Gruchalla, D. Johnson, Meier, Owens, Sen. Lyson
- Passed
- Appreciation of Veterans and Military
- Financial
- Law/Policy Change
Free Tuition for Surviving Dependents
- Allows eligible dependents to use free tuition benefit if 100% disabled veteran dies before dependent enrolls in school
- Fiscal note: $0
- NDCC 15-10-18.3
- Reps. Brandenburg, Froseth, Thoreson, Trottier, Wieland, Sen. Hogue, Lyson
- Passed
- Appreciation of Veterans and Military
- Education
- Financial
- Law/Policy Change
Professional Licensure of Military Spouses
- Provides provisional licenses to spouses of military stationed in ND or stationed in ND before a temporary assignment to duties outside of ND
- Boards to adopt rules and provide temporary licensure on case-by-case basis
- State board of architecture and landscape architecture is exempt from this mandate
- Fiscal note: $0
- Sens. Dever, J.Lee, Reps. Meier, Becker, Grande, Rohr, Ruby, Steiner, Weisz
- Passed
- Employment
- Law/Policy Change
- Military Families Top Ten Key Issues
Income Tax Deduction for Military Retirement Pay
- Exempt Federally taxed income from military retirement pay from ND income tax
- Sens. Sorvaag, Reps. Thoreson, Vellew, Boehning, Dockter, Kasper, Owens
- Failed
- Financial
- Financial: Income Tax
- Law/Policy Change