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SB 2135

AN ACT to amend and reenact subsection 2 of section 18-04-05 and section 18-05.1-02 of the North Dakota Century Code, relating to the firefighters death benefits fund.

69th Legislative Assembly (2025-26) Introduced by Mike Brandenburg and 4 co-sponsors

Raises Firefighters Death Benefit to survivors from 10k to 25k and increases biennial fund transfers cap from 50k to 125k to cover higher benefits.

Filed with Secretary Of State 03/18
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WeVote Research Nonpartisan
Bill Summary · SB 2135

SB 2135 — Summary (North Dakota, 69th Legislative Assembly, 2025)

Status: Enacted — signed by the Governor March 17, 2025; filed with the Secretary of State March 18, 2025.
Primary sponsor: Sen. Jerry Klein (cosponsors listed in enrolled bill).

Purpose

To increase the statutory payment available from North Dakota’s Firefighters Death Benefit Fund to survivors of firefighters who die in the line of duty, and to raise the maximum biennial transfer into that fund to cover the higher benefit.

Key provisions

The bill amends two sections of the North Dakota Century Code (NDCC):

  • NDCC 18-04-05(2) — Transfer to the Firefighters Death Benefit Fund

    • Old cap: up to $50,000 per biennium (as may be necessary).
    • New cap: up to $125,000 per biennium (as may be necessary).
    • Mechanism: the Insurance Commissioner shall transfer the amount (up to the cap) needed to the firefighters death benefit fund for distributions under chapter 18-05.1.

  • NDCC 18-05.1-02 — Payment from the Firefighters Death Benefit Fund

    • Old benefit: $10,000 paid to a deceased firefighter’s survivor.
    • New benefit: $25,000 paid to a deceased firefighter’s survivor.
    • Payment condition: payment is made upon receipt of a request and evidence of a line-of-duty death from the fire chief (or the chief’s designee) of a city fire department, rural fire department, or rural fire protection district.

Who is affected

  • Primary beneficiaries: survivors of firefighters who suffer a line-of-duty death while serving in city fire departments, rural fire departments, or rural fire protection districts in North Dakota.
  • Administering officials: the Insurance Commissioner (responsible for transferring funds and making payments) and local fire chiefs (responsible for submitting evidence of line-of-duty deaths).
  • Fiscal impact entities: the firefighters death benefit fund (receives larger transfers) and the source fund(s) under the Insurance Commissioner’s control (which will provide up to $75,000 more per biennium, subject to need).

Fiscal implications (summary)

  • Increased maximum biennial transfer to the death benefit fund by $75,000 (from $50,000 to $125,000).
  • Increased per-survivor payment by $15,000 (from $10,000 to $25,000).
  • Actual biennial spending will depend on the number of qualifying line-of-duty deaths and the amount transferred as “may be necessary” up to the stated cap.

Procedural/timeline notes

  • Introduced in the Senate (Senate Bill No. 2135), passed the Senate 47–0 and the House 93–0.
  • Signed by the Governor on March 17, 2025; filed with the Secretary of State on March 18, 2025.
  • The enrolled bill as signed implements the changes described above; it does not specify a delayed effective date, and was filed as enacted in March 2025.

If you want, I can draft a short fiscal note estimating likely biennial costs given historical firefighter line-of-duty deaths in North Dakota, or extract the exact statutory language for agency guidance.

Compiled from official sources — confirm details with the bill’s official record.

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