2021 Legislative Summary Bills Passed and Failed - 2021

2021 67^th Legislative Session

Summary: Veteran & Military Bills

Appreciation of Veterans and Military
1. HB1120: Deer Hunting for 100% Disabled Veteran (Representative Matthew Ruby)
  1. 100% Disabled Veterans start season 5 days before Youth season
  2. White Tailed deer
  3. PASSED House- FAILED Senate
  4. From: Constituent of Representative Ruby
2. HB1143: Patriotism Projects-Elementary Students (Representative Dennis Johnson)
  1. Elementary students must complete one patriotic project
  2. Allow Veteran organizations to donate to projects
  3. PASSED House- FAILED Senate
  4. From: Constituent of Representative Johnson
3. HB1178: Deer License Lottery for Members of Armed Forces (Representative Skroch)
  1. Allow members of the Armed Forces to apply for and be issued a lottery license for deer
  2. FAILED House
  3. From: Constituent of Representative Skroch
Budget
1. SB2007: ND Veterans Home (Director)
  1. Added:
    1. $131,500 for thermostat replacements
    2. $25,000 to defray & allow cost of resident absence over 72 hours
  2. Removed:
    1. 6 Full Time Staff Positions
  3. Allowed:
    1. ND Veterans Home to Contract ITD services outside of ND ITD.
    2. Use of Melvin Norgaard funds for Memorial Garden $200,000
2. 2025: Budget: ND Department of Veterans Affairs (Commissioner)
  1. Added:
    1. FTE position (Added $18,910 to current Temporary Loan and Grant position and authorized as Full Time Employee).
    2. $70,000 for a Part-Time Temporary Veterans Benefits Specialist.
  2. Removed:
    1. -$5,000 for Stand Down Grant. $0 available.
    2. -$4,500 admin funds for T&CVSO training. $25,000 available.
  3. Restored:
    1. $60,000 of the $137,500 General Fund salary supplanted by Federal Highly Rural Transportation Grant Funding.
  4. Maintained:
    1. 7 Full Time Employees
      1. PTSD dog Grant funding of $50,000
        DAV van funding of $18,800
        Authority for NDDVA to accept and expend Federal grant funds for restoration of Veterans Home Cemetery
Burial & Memorial
1. None
Education
1. HB1107: In State Tuition (Representative Pyle)
  1. Add as resident student for in-state tuition rates:
    1. Member, spouse and dependents of National Guard and Reserve and active-duty armed forces in any state not just North Dakota units
    2. Dependent of veteran regardless of GI Bill chapter or eligibility
    3. From: ND Veteran/Military Affairs Advisory Committee:
2. HB1125: ND Tuition Waiver (Representative Pyle)
  1. Make ND Tuition Waiver available for a veterans Spouse, Widow, or Widower under NDCC 15-10-18.2 if:
    1. The Spouse, Widow or Widower or child’s other parent
      1. has been a resident of ND or was a resident of ND at time of death or veterans 100% disability determination or;
        has been a resident of ND for 5 years immediately preceding enrollment at ND funded institution
    2. Change years for a veteran to become resident
      1. From 10 years to five (5) years immediately preceding enrollment
        (Match the 5-year requirement of a surviving spouse)
    3. From: ND Veteran/Military Affairs Advisory Committee
3. SB 2225: Tuition Waiver for Dependents of Disabled Veterans (Senator Dever)
  1. Change the waiver from dependents of 100% disabled veteran to 50% disabled veteran’
    1. FAILED Senate
    2. From: Constituent of Senator Dever
Employment
1. HB 1278: Military Spouse Unemployment Benefits (Representative Mock)
  1. Allows unemployment benefits for a military spouse who VOLUNTARILY left most recent employment to relocate due to permanent change of station orders of military-connected spouse
  2. From: Military top 10, NDNG, TF Mind, Commissioner, ACOVA, NDVLC
2. SB 2175: Military member and spouse licensure portability, access and compacts (Senator Meyer)
  1. Updates ND Century Code to allow better licensing and application process
  2. From: Military top 10, NDNG, TF Mind, Commissioner, ACOVA, NDVLC
3. HB 1166: Licensure Compact (Representative Tomen)
  1. Add verbiage of a foreign practitioner who is a resident of state to the military members and spouse section.
  2. PASSED House, FAILED Senate
  3. Issue addressed in SB 2175
  4. From: Military top 10, NDNG, TF Mind, Commissioner, ACOVA, NDVLC
Financial
1. HB1263: Veteran Charitable Gaming net proceeds use. (Representative Hanson, Karla Rose)
  1. Add:
    1. Property Taxes
    2. Special assessments
  2. Removes:
    1. Personal Property
  3. From: AMVETS-Fargo
2. HB1211: Post War Trust Fund clearing account (410) and Veterans Aid Loan account (368) Better interest rates. (Representative Magrum)
  1. Allows ND State Treasurer to invest these funds with the highest CD rates available. to include CD’s outside the Bank of North Dakota.
  2. From: Commissioner
3. SB2213: Property Tax Credit (Senator Dever)
  1. Increase taxable valuation on the first $6,750 to $8,100.
    1. Taxable value of $6,750 = True and Full Value of $150,000
    2. Taxable value of $8,100 = True and Full Value of $180,000
  2. From: Constituent of Senator Dever
Health & Wellbeing
1. HB1015: PASS FUND funding. Guardianship/conservator funds
  1. $1,980,000 funding increased to $2,450,000 ($2.5Million need)
  2. From: OMB Budget
2. HB 1354: Guardianship Program (Representative Skroch)
  1. Create a commission and staff for guardianship services
  2. FAILED House
  3. From: Interim committee study of needs
Housing
1. NONE
Law/Policy Change
1. NONE
Legal Services
1. SB2246: Veterans Docket- (Senator Meyer, Rep Mary Schneider)
  1. Add a "Veterans Treatment Docket" to the NDCC under Drug Court.
  2. Veterans and Service member Treatment Docket is a district court supervised docket
  3. A district court my serve veterans or military service members from other districts in ND
  4. $145,247 State funding
Military Families Top Ten Key Issues
1. Enhanced Military Spouse License Portability SB2175 (Sen. Meyer)
2. Military Spouse Occupational Licensure Access SB 2175 (Sen. Meyer)
3. Licensing Compacts SB2175& HB1166
4. Military Spouse Teacher Certification: ND Good on this
5. Purple Star School Program: No Legislative action needed. DPI policy
6. Advance Enrollment. Non legislative action being taken.
7. Virtual School Enrollment. Non legislative action being taken.
8. In-State Tuition Continuity HB1107 (Rep Pyle)
9. Child Abuse and Neglect Identification and Reporting. H.H.S. addressed this in policy not legislatively
10. Ask the Question Campaign. Done
11. From: DSLO Key Issues: https://statepolicy.militaryonesource.mil/#key-issues-report
National Guard Specific
1. SB2116: Use of Deadly Force to protect nuclear weapons
2. SB2117: $15,000 Death Gratuity for National Guard members on State Active Duty
3. SB2114: Trust Fund use: update the dates and add Camp Grafton training center
4. SB2115: Uniform Code of Military Justice House Cleaning bill – Update state law with federal law
5. HB1016: NDNG Budget Provide key programs/projects...
  1. Camp Grafton Expansion-
  2. ND Veterans Cemetery Spouse and Dependent Burial Costs-Maintained in Budget
  3. NDNG Upgrade Bade and HVAC System
  4. Fund Statewide Maintenance Projects
  5. Department of Emergency Services (DES) Operations (Replace expired emergency supplies
  6. Air/Army Operations & Maintenance (Reduction)
  7. ND Veterans Cemetery (Reduction)
  8. Fargo Readiness Center Start Up and Utilities
  9. Dickinson Readiness Center-Authority
  10. Line of Communication Bridge Training Site-Authority
  11. ND Military Museum-Fundraising Authority
Other Misc.
Services and Outreach
Studies

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