2023 Legislative Wins

1. Defeated HB 1532 – Vouchers

House Bill 1532 would have given $10 million dollars in public money to private schools with no strings attached. The bill was a dangerous threat to public schools, rural communities, and services that depend on public funding. North Dakota United members sent over 57,000 emails to Senators and Representatives on this issue, which successfully flipped votes of legislators like Representative Anna Novak of Hazen, who cited a member email as the reason she switched to opposing HB 1532. 

The final version of the bill narrowly passed out of the House by three votes and was sent to Governor Burgum, who vetoed HB 1532 after receiving almost 900 emails from NDU members urging him to do so. The House then sustained the veto and HB 1532 was finally defeated.

3. Passed HB 1494 and SB 2284 – School Lunch 

HB 1494 bans schools from punishing or embarrassing students over unpaid lunch debt—no more withholding meals, using lunch tokens, or limiting activities. It passed both chambers with just one "no" vote each.

HB 1491 originally proposed $90 million to make school meals free for all public school students, but was reduced to $6 million to cover meals for families earning under 200% of the federal poverty line ($60,000). It passed the House but failed in the Senate by one vote.

Thanks to strong advocacy from NDU members and allies, the key language from HB 1491 was added to SB 2284, a major K-12 funding bill. SB 2284 passed both chambers and awaits the governor’s signature—with school meals included!

2. Defeated HB 1446 – Attack on Tenure at Dickinson State University and Bismarck State College

House Bill 1446 was written by Representative Lefor and the President of Dickinson State University to expand the power of University Presidents and threaten the job security of tenured professors at Dickinson State University and Bismarck State College. If passed, the bill would have limited academic freedom and shared governance, and hurt higher education by making our state less attractive to quality professors looking to work in North Dakota.


After passing through the House on a 66 yea, 27 nay, 1 absent vote, the Senate came one vote short of passing the bill. Our members made their voices loud and clear on HB 1446, sending over 4,000 emails to legislators and submitting 20 testimonies opposing this legislation.

4. Defeated SB 2360 – Book Bans 

SB 2360 would have forced library staff to review every book for so-called “obscene material,” requiring costly new hires and threatening individuals with a Class B misdemeanor. Thanks to public pressure and advocacy led by NDU members and the North Dakota Library Association, the Governor vetoed the bill—and the House sustained it.

Meanwhile, House Bill 1205 was signed by Governor Burgum. While this new law does not include a criminal penalty, it is poorly written, redundant legislation that puts Government in the way of local public library control and processes.

Actions Taken:

1,881

We had 1,881 people submit an action alert this session.

  • 1,104 ND United members

  • 777 Community supporters and allies of public education and public service.

Emails sent:

75,449

ND United members were most vocal about HB 1532 this session, pushing back against the private school voucher legislation by sending 57,507 emails to legislators in opposition and 843 emails to the Governor asking him to veto the bill. Members sent thousands of additional emails to their legislators regarding pensions, school lunches, funding, and other legislation! Note: these numbers only account for emails sent through our action alerts; many members sent personal emails as well.

Testimonies Submitted:

264

We had an incredible number of testimonies submitted this session regarding parental rights, vouchers, teacher support, book bans, pensions, tenure, and other issues.

Lobby Day Attendees:

74

North Dakota United brought 74 members to the Capitol for two Lobby Day events, where members had the chance to tell legislators the real problems facing North Dakota’s classrooms.