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HB 1199

enabling the fish and game department to create a permit and fee for the use of fish and game staff by other state agencies and departments.

2026 Regular Session Introduced by Will Darby and 7 co-sponsors

Creates ND Missing Person Repository in the BCI data system and a Missing Indigenous People Task Force to coordinate prevention, reporting, grants, and interagency cooperation.

Signed by Governor Ayotte 06/19/2026; Chapter 158; eff.I. Sec 2-3 eff 7/1/26 II. Rem eff 8/18/26
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Bill Summary · HB 1199

HB 1199 — Missing Persons Data & Missing Indigenous People Task Force (North Dakota)

Status: Filed/Enrolled (Filed with Secretary of State 05/02/2025). Creates new statute in chapter 54‑12 NDCC; amends §54‑12‑34; includes appropriation, transfer, continuing appropriation, expiration, and emergency clause.

Purpose / Intent

To improve collection, sharing, and reporting of missing‑person data — with emphasis on missing Indigenous persons — by (1) creating a statewide missing person repository within the Bureau of Criminal Investigation (BCI) criminal justice data sharing system and (2) establishing a Missing Indigenous People Task Force to coordinate prevention, reporting, investigation, grant administration, and intergovernmental cooperation.

Key provisions

  • Amend §54‑12‑34 (Criminal justice data information sharing system)

    • Requires the Attorney General (AG) to maintain the criminal justice data information sharing system (within BCI).
    • Authorizes implementation of a missing person repository accessible to authorized users to enter missing‑person information.
    • Mandates that missing‑person information, including demographic data related to Indigenous people entered by authorized users or provided by federally recognized tribes in North Dakota, be included in the repository.
    • Designates repository records as exempt (confidential) and disclosable only under rules established by the BCI.
    • Confirms access rules: only authorized criminal‑justice, transportation, court, emergency services personnel (or other AG‑approved individuals) following background checks may access the system.

  • Creates a new statutory section establishing the Missing Indigenous People Task Force

    • Chair/Staff: AG (or designee) serves as chair; AG’s office provides staff services.
    • Membership: Superintendent of Public Instruction (or designee); BCI chief (or designee); executive director of the Indian Affairs Commission (or designee); Superintendent of the State Highway Patrol (or designee); a representative from each federally recognized tribe in the state (appointed by AG from tribal nominees); and (in later amendments) two members of the House and two members of the Senate appointed by leadership.
    • Meetings: At least quarterly.
    • Duties:
    • Identify jurisdictional barriers among federal, state, local, and tribal law enforcement and community agencies.
    • Identify causes contributing to missing and murdered Indigenous people and make recommendations to tribes.
    • Recommend strategies to improve interagency communication, cooperation, reporting, and investigation.
    • Administer a Missing Indigenous People Grant Fund.
    • Consult with the U.S. Department of Justice Office of Tribal Justice (invite federal liaison) where appropriate.
    • Reporting: Task force must submit an annual report to Legislative Management by August 1 each year. The required report must include specific repository and grant metrics (e.g., number of Indigenous individuals reported missing in the repository; number recovered due to the repository; number recovered via grant fund; county breakdowns and other data elements noted in the statute).

  • Funding and administrative mechanics

    • The bill provides for an appropriation, continuing appropriation, and a transfer related to the grant fund/repository (conference/engrossed versions include these funding elements). Exact dollar amounts and the source/recipient of the transfer are not specified in the supplied text excerpts.
    • Provisions include an expiration/sunset element in some drafts and an emergency clause to make parts effective immediately (final enrolled language declares an emergency).

Who is affected

  • State agencies: Attorney General/BCI, Department of Emergency Services, Department of Transportation, State Highway Patrol, Indian Affairs Commission, Department of Public Instruction.
  • Tribes: Federally recognized Indian nations, tribes, and bands in North Dakota (tribal representatives are task force members and can provide data for the repository).
  • Law enforcement and authorized criminal‑justice users who will access/enter repository data.
  • Communities and families of missing Indigenous persons (beneficiaries of improved coordination, data collection, grants).

Procedural/timeline notes

  • Task force meets at least quarterly; annual report due by August 1 to Legislative Management.
  • AG must adopt rules governing access, collection, storage, and sharing of criminal justice and missing‑person information.
  • Bill text includes an emergency clause (intended to accelerate effective date) and references an expiration date in some versions; readers should consult the enrolled act for exact effective/sunset dates and appropriation figures.

Fiscal impact

  • The enrolled/committee documents state the bill provides funding (appropriation and transfer) and establishes a continuing appropriation for the grant fund, but the supplied excerpts do not show specific dollar amounts. The BCI/AG will incur administrative and IT responsibilities to implement the repository and support the task force.

For the exact effective date, appropriation amounts, and any sunset language, consult the final enrolled act text or the Office of the Legislative Council / Attorney General implementation guidance.

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

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