Final report on the 2025 legislative session

The 69th Legislative Assembly of North Dakota concluded its work on Saturday, May 3, 2025. No matter where you fall on the political spectrum, every person in North Dakota owes a debt of gratitude to our citizen legislators who made countless sacrifices and worked very hard this session to pass laws in the best interests of our state. 
 
The North Dakota Catholic Conference tracked 167 bills and testified countless times before committees of lawmakers considering various pieces of legislation. Here are some highlights of the conference’s work this session.
 
Pro-life advocacy
At the start of the session in January, the North Dakota Catholic Conference filed an amicus brief supporting the state’s appeal of a Bismarck court’s ruling that North Dakota’s ban of most abortions is unconstitutional. Early in the session, the Conference successfully opposed two extreme bills—HB 1488 sought to allow for abortion in our state up until birth and HB 1373 would have criminalized and imprisoned post-abortive women. Both bills failed in the House. Later in the session, the Conference supported three pro-life bills all signed into law by Governor Armstrong—HB 1205 gives women in desperate circumstances the ability to give up their babies anonymously in a safe “baby box” at a hospital or other approved facility; SB 2352 allows infants from 1-18 months to remain with their incarcerated mothers in a special nursery facility at the Heart River Correctional Facility; and HB 1511 requires abortionists to watch an educational video on North Dakota’s abortion laws before performing an abortion. I also gave a presentation at the North Dakota Family Alliance’s annual pro-life conference in January explaining the current state of North Dakota’s abortion law, entitled “North Dakota, What Just Happened?” 
 
Fighting human trafficking
The North Dakota Catholic Conference testified multiple times on six different bills aimed at fighting the scourge of human trafficking in our state. Among the bills that passed into law include those that establish mandatory prevention and awareness education for students in public and tribal schools; a legislative study to help victims of human trafficking learn basic life skills for re-entry into society; and a stronger human trafficking commission set up to collect data, increase public awareness, promote training of investigators and prosecutors and other work to combat human trafficking. 
 
Restructuring of North Dakota guardianships
SB 2029 aimed to restructure the oversight of guardianships in North Dakota and was signed into law on May 2, 2025. Guardians are appointed by a court to make personal and financial decisions for someone unable to make their own decisions due to age, disability or incapacity. The North Dakota Catholic Conference worked closely with Catholic Charities North Dakota, the Guardianship Association of North Dakota, other advocates and lawmakers to ensure that this restructuring serves well both the people in need of guardianship services and the guardians themselves. The new law creates an office of guardianship and conservatorship that will oversee guardians, issue licenses, establish service guidelines, set up ethical standards, provide training, investigate complaints and discipline violations. 
 
Promoting parental choice in education
The North Dakota Catholic Conference worked very hard this session to support parental choice in education. There were originally five educational choice bills introduced, but eventually it came down to two bills: HB 1540 and SB 2400. HB 1540 would have set up educational savings accounts for parents to use for their children’s tuition at private schools, and SB 2400 would have established educational savings accounts for parents to use for educational expenses for their public, private and homeschooled children. HB 1540 passed both the House and Senate but was vetoed by Governor Armstrong, and the next day an amended SB 2400 failed in the House. While the Conference is disappointed in this outcome, we remain firm in our resolve to bring educational choice to North Dakota in the future.
 
Keeping firearms out of churches and schools
Existing law allows an individual to bring a firearm into a place of worship if given permission. Two bills, HB 1352 and HB 1365, would have allowed people to bring firearms onto church property without the church’s permission. The North Dakota Catholic Conference successfully opposed these bills and helped amend a third (HB 1588) to prevent people from bringing firearms into churches or schools without permission. The Conference is not anti-gun, but rather pro-religious freedom. Central to the principle of religious freedom is that religious communities have a right to define their sacred spaces, including whether to allow firearms into their space. 
 
Limiting the harmful effects of gambling
The North Dakota Catholic Conference successfully opposed two bills that would have expanded gambling in North Dakota. The Conference testified against HCR 3002 that would have legalized sports betting in North Dakota and SB 2376 that sought to establish a casino in Grand Forks. The dangers of gambling addiction are well-established, and young men are especially vulnerable to this vice. Both bills failed to pass in the legislature.
 
Support for common-sense legislation on sex, gender and marriage
The Catholic Church’s positions on sex, gender and marriage are not motivated by animosity or hatred toward persons with same-sex attraction or gender identity issues but rather in a commitment to “speak the truth in love” (Eph 4:15). In this spirit, the North Dakota Catholic Conference testified in favor of HCR 3013 affirming the true nature of marriage as between a man and a woman. HCR 3013 passed in the House but was defeated in the Senate. In the same spirit of speaking the truth in love, the Conference testified in favor of two bills that uphold the truth about sex and gender: HB 1181 and HB 1144. HB 1181 requires that words referencing an individual’s gender shall mean the same thing as the individual’s biological sex in all official policies, procedures and documentation of the State of North Dakota. HB 1144 requires that public school restrooms or showers accessible by multiple individuals at one time must be designated exclusively for males or exclusively for females, and that multi-stall, gender-neutral restrooms and shower rooms are prohibited. HB 1181 and HB 1144 passed both chambers and were signed into law by the governor. It is always important for the Church to speak clearly and truthfully on issues of sex, gender and marriage, regardless of whether its position has popular support or not.
 
DHHS appropriation
Many priorities for the North Dakota Catholic Conference are in the appropriation bill for the Department of Health and Human Services. This budget includes several programs that help the poor, pregnant women and adopting parents. All these programs were retained. The Alternatives to Abortion program even received a significant increase in funding.
 
Addressing mental health issues
North Dakota is facing a crisis in mental health care. The North Dakota Catholic Conference urged legislators to address the problem, including building a much-needed new state hospital as part of a continuum of services based on patient needs.

The North Dakota Catholic Conference was involved in many other bills as well. Thank you for your support, and we look forward to continuing our public advocacy for positions important to the Catholic Church in North Dakota.