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HB 1374

modifying the procedures for withdrawal from a cooperative school district and the discontinuance of elementary and high schools and requiring the review of school district operating documents by school boards.

2026 Regular Session Introduced by Pam Brown and 5 co-sponsors

HB 1374 allows township boards to conduct certain onsite inspections without triggering a formal public open meeting, under specific staff limitations, with limited media notice.

Enrolled (in recess of) 06/04/2026
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Bill Summary · HB 1374

Summary — HB 1374 (North Dakota)

Title: An Act to create and enact a new section to chapter 44‑04 and a new section to chapter 58‑03 of the North Dakota Century Code, relating to an open meeting exemption for a board of township supervisors when conducting an onsite inspection.

Status: Enrolled and filed with Secretary of State (filed 04/16/2025). Sponsors: Representatives Klemin, Fegley, Warrey; Senator Barta.

Main purpose / intent

HB 1374 creates a narrow open‑meetings exemption so that a board of township supervisors may conduct certain onsite inspections without the meeting being treated as a public open meeting under North Dakota’s open meetings law. The change is intended to allow townships that lack available staff — or where the board itself is acting as both officers and staff — to carry out required onsite inspections without the procedural constraints of a formal public meeting.

Key provisions

  • Creates a new section in chapter 44‑04 (open meetings chapter) stating that an onsite inspection conducted under the bill is an “exempt meeting.”
  • Creates a new section in chapter 58‑03 (township officers/title governing township powers) specifying when the exemption applies:
    • A gathering of members of a board of township supervisors to conduct an onsite inspection is an exempt meeting (per NDCC § 44‑04‑17.1) if either:
    • The township does not have staff available who are capable of making the inspection; or
    • The board of township supervisors is serving as the township officers and as the staff of the township.
  • Notice requirement: the board must make good‑faith efforts to notify any news media that previously filed a written request for notice (and provided a telephone number). Notice may be given by telephone or by any other method the board uses to notify members of the public body.

Who is affected

  • Primary: boards of township supervisors and township officers in North Dakota, particularly small or understaffed townships.
  • Secondary: local news media that have filed written requests for meeting notices, and members of the public interested in township inspections.
  • No statewide programmatic or fiscal changes are created by the bill; effects are operational/administrative at the township level.

Potential impacts and considerations

  • Practical: Enables townships without available staff to perform legally required onsite inspections without convening a formal open meeting (which can impose scheduling or quorum constraints).
  • Transparency: The exemption reduces the requirement for a public meeting for these inspections, although the bill requires good‑faith media notice when requested. This narrows public access compared with a fully public meeting and may raise transparency concerns for some stakeholders.
  • Fiscal: No specific fiscal impact identified. Administrative burden limited to providing notice to requesting media and conducting inspections.

Procedural / timeline notes

  • Introduced and advanced through relevant committees (Political Subdivisions; State & Local Government).
  • Enrollment documents show House passage (yeas 88, nays 3) and Senate passage (yeas 45, nays 1).
  • Enrolled and filed with the Secretary of State April 16, 2025 (final enactment steps reflected in enrollment).

For readers seeking the statutory text: HB 1374 adds a short exemption cross‑referencing NDCC § 44‑04‑17.1 and a new subsection in chapter 58‑03 describing the two factual situations when the exemption applies and the modest notice duty to news media.

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

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