May 3, 2013 No.17
LEGISLATIVE UPDATE
The 63rd Legislative Session to Conclude
The 63rd Legislative Session is scheduled to adjourn today, Friday, May 3. This is a historic day
as the Legislature has never met on the 80th day of the allotted 80-day session.
The North Dakota Tourism Alliance Partnership (TAP) demonstrated the power of a strong
tourism coalition with another successful session impacting legislation that will benefit the North
Dakota tourism industry. TAP successfully lobbied to retain the $1.5 million tourism marketing
enhancement in the Governor’s Budget recommendation for a total of $9.1 million in the
Tourism marketing and operations budget, and a total of $750,000 for the Tourism
Infrastructure and Expansion Grant program within the Tourism Division budget.
During this session, TAP supported a number of bills that provide nearly $50 million for tourismrelated infrastructure development including:
 Up to $12 million for the Theodore Roosevelt Center at Dickinson State University
 $100,000 for the promotion of the USS North Dakota
 $450,000 for projects that may be considered by the State Historical Society of North
Dakota, including the Stutsman County Courthouse repair, Lawrence Welk homestead
purchase and repair, Fort Totten infirmary, and the State’s 125 th anniversary celebration
 $500,000 for the North Dakota Parks and Recreation Department community grant
program
 $1.25 million for repair of the Peace Tower at the International Peace Garden
 $300,000 for a Pembina Gorge area project
 $1.35 million for capital projects at the Lewis & Clark Interpretive Center
 $3.4 million to the North Dakota State Fair Association for flood recovery
 Up to $30 million for North Dakota Outdoor Heritage Fund
Thank you to all TAP members who contacted legislators and/or served as a resource to make
the 2013 Legislative Session a success for North Dakota’s tourism industry!
A summary of all the bills TAP worked on and tracked during the 2013 Legislative Session is
below.
2013 Final Report
Tourism Division
SB 2018 – Department of Commerce Appropriation
SB 2018 is the appropriation for the North Dakota Department of Commerce and the Tourism
Division. The bill includes a $1.5 million tourism marketing enhancement, which brings the
Tourism marketing and operations budget to $9.1 million. In addition, the bill provides $750,000
for large infrastructure grants, up to $12 million for the Theodore Roosevelt Center at Dickinson
State University ($6 million initially and another $6 million if state revenue exceeds projections
and DSU raises $3 million) and $100,000 for the promotion of the USS North Dakota. The bill
also includes $2 million for workforce enhancement grants to create and expand training
programs and $400,000 for child care inclusion grants. The $2.6 million for child care facility
grants originally included in the bill was moved to SB 2014, the North Dakota Industrial
Commission appropriation.
Position: Support
Status: Passed
Infrastructure
HB 1018 – State Historical Society of North Dakota
HB 1018 is the State Historical Society of North Dakota appropriation and includes funding for
additional staff to operate the expanded North Dakota Heritage Center. It also includes funding
to support temporary staff positions, capital improvement projects, operating costs, marketing
efforts, web content management, 8 th grade curriculum development, historic sites exhibits,
traveling exhibits and the celebration of North Dakota’s 125 th anniversary. The bill also includes
a $950,000 project pool with $450,000 designated for various projects and $500,000 for
temporary staff or an FTE position. Projects that may be considered by the State Historical
Society include the Stutsman County Courthouse repair, Lawrence Welk homestead purchase
and repair, Fort Totten infirmary, and the State’s 125th anniversary celebration.
Position: Support
Status: Passed
HB 1019 – North Dakota Parks and Recreation Department/International Peace
Garden
HB 1019 maintains existing funding levels for the North Dakota Parks and Recreation
Department operations and programs, while providing additional funding for seasonal staffing
needs and one-time projects. The bill provides $350,000 for one-time equipment purchases and
$500,000 for the community grant program. It also includes $775,000 for the purchase of the
docks at Lake Sakakawea State Park, dependent on a new appraisal. In addition, the bill
provides $1.35 million for capital projects at the Lewis & Clark Interpretive Center, $10,000 for
the purchase of cabinets related to an archeological collection from Fort Abraham Lincoln, and
$300,000 for a Pembina Gorge area project (office space and planning funds). The appropriation
for the International Peace Garden includes $1.25 million for the repair of the Peace Tower to be
matched with non-state funds.
Position: Support
Status: Passed
HB 1066 – Yellowstone Trail Designation
HB 1066 directs the North Dakota Department of Transportation to designate United States
Highway 12 from the South Dakota border to the Montana border as the Yellowstone Trail and,
at a minimum, place signs along the highway designating the new name and using appropriate
signs donated to the department.
Position: Track
Status: Passed
SB 2009 – North Dakota State Fair
SB 2009 provides a $3.4 million enhancement to the North Dakota State Fair Association
appropriation, bringing the total appropriation to $4.046 million for the 2013-2015 biennium.
The bill provides $2.75 million for flood damage repair and more than $674,000 to pay expenses
not covered by the Federal Emergency Management Agency for the floor fight and recovery.
Position: Support
Status: Passed
SB 2259 – Historic Preservation at State Parks (formerly State Historical Society
Jurisdiction over Fort Abraham State Park)
SB 2259 protects the historic, prehistoric, archaeological and paleontological values of a
designated historic site if located within a state park.
Position: Track
Status: Passed
HCR 3010 – Access Issues on Lake Sakakawea and Lake Oahe
This concurrent resolution urges Congress and the United States Army Corps of Engineers to
ensure that access to Lake Sakakawea and Lake Oahe for agriculture, commerce, energy and
water development and recreation is not inhibited by unreasonable regulations. It also
establishes a timeline for the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers to hold a public hearing in North
Dakota in 2013 to discuss lake management issues.
Position: Track
Status: Passed
Hunting/Outdoors
HB 1130 – Computerized Issuance of Hunting and Fishing Licenses
HB 1130 requires each county auditor to implement a computerized online hunting and fishing
licensing system by March 1, 2015, and each agent appointed by a county auditor by March 1,
2016.
Position: Track
Status: Passed
HB 1278 – Outdoor Heritage Fund
HB 1278 creates up to a $30 million North Dakota Outdoor Heritage Fund, which would provide
funding to improve access to private and public lands to develop fish and wildlife habitats and
parks and recreation areas.
Position: Support
Status: Passed
Other
HB 1077 – Direct Sales by Licensed Wineries
HB 1077 allows licensed wineries that produce no more than 50,000 gallons of wine per year to
sell and deliver wine directly to a licensed retailer. The legislation states that shipments
delivered may not exceed 4,500 cases, and individual shipments by carriers may not exceed
three cases a day for each licensed retailer.
Position: Track
Status: Passed
HB 1368 – Travel Expenses for State Employees
HB 1368 increases the reimbursement amount state employees are allowed to claim for in-state
meals in quarter one (6 a.m.-12 p.m.) to $7, quarter two (12 p.m.-6 p.m.) to $10.50 and
quarter three (6 p.m.-12 a.m.) to $17.50 for a total of $35 per day. Reimbursements for lodging
remain the same at 90 percent of the federal allowance.
Position: Track
Status: Passed
Proposed Legislation
HB 1248 – School Opening
HB 1248 would have delayed the start of elementary and secondary schools and school activities
until the Monday of the fifth week in August.
Position: Support
Status: Failed
HB 1313 – Hunting Fees/ Nonresident Waterfowl Hunting
HB 1313 would have established a nonresident early Canada goose license for $50 and allowed
nonresidents to hunt during the early Canada goose season in Richland, Sargent and Dickey
counties without counting against the 14-day waterfowl license.
Position: Track
Status: Failed
HB 1315 – Cultural Grants to Cities and Counties
HB 1315 would have designated $1 million per biennium from the oil and gas impact grant fund
for cultural grants to cities and counties.
Position: Track
Status: Failed
HB 1367 – Sale of Alcoholic Beverages on Sunday
HB 1367 would have changed the time when alcohol sales can begin on Sundays from noon to
10 a.m.
Position: Track
Status: Failed
HB 1379 – Construction of a Governor’s Residence and Executive Conference Center
HB 1379 would have allocated $3 million from the capitol building fund and $3 million from
private donations and other sources to construct a Governor’s residence and executive
conference center.
Position: Track
Status: Failed
HB 1437 – Sunday Closing
HB 1437 would have allowed items at hobby shows, craft shows, fairs, exhibits, rummage sales
and tourist attractions that derive at least 50 percent of their annual gross sales from seasonal
or tourist customers to be sold before noon on Sundays.
Position: Track
Status: Failed
SB 2203 – County Property Tax Levies and State Matching Program for County
Historical Work
SB 2203 would have increased the tax levy for county historical work to three-quarters of one
mill. The levy was in addition to any moneys appropriated from the general fund of the county
for historical work. The State Historical Society of North Dakota would have provided matching
grant funds to each eligible county.
Position: Track
Status: Failed
SB 2221 – Improvements to Scenic Roadways and Access to Recreational Areas
SB 2221 would have allocated $20 million to the North Dakota Department of Transportation to
provide grants to counties and townships for roadway improvements to scenic byways and
backways and roads that provide access to recreational areas.
Position: Support
Status: Failed
SB 2248 – Nonresident Waterfowl Hunting
SB 2248 would have allowed nonresident waterfowl hunters to purchase an additional seven-day
waterfowl license for $125.
Position: Support
Status: Failed
SB 2277 – Sales and Use Tax Exemption for Clothing
SB 2277 would have removed the sales and use tax on clothing.
Position: Track
Status: Failed
SB 2288 – North Dakota Tribal Tourism Alliance Program
SB 2288 would have established a North Dakota tribal tourism alliance program to assist tribal
governments in the promotion of tourism on Indian reservations in the state. The legislature
would have had to appropriate $6 million from the general fund to the North Dakota Department
of Commerce to implement the program.
Position: Track
Status: Failed