Mark Jorritsma 4/12/25 Mark Jorritsma 4/12/25

Weekly Legislative Update #13

1247 – Protecting Student Victims of Sexual Assault (Passed Senate unanimously on 4/7)
1479 – Establishing ND Constitution Day (Passed Senate 45-1 on 4/8)
2241 - Charter Schools (Passed House 64-29 on 4/8)
1003 – Additional Funding to AG Office for Human Trafficking Grants (Passed Senate 41-5 on 4/8)
3028 – Human Trafficking Victim Re-entry Study (Passed Senate with a voice vote on 4/9)
1410 - Study on Crimes Against Children (Passed Senate unanimously on 4/9)
2230 – Clarifying Information on Election Measures (Passed House 87-5 on 4/10)
1181 – “Gender” Means Biological Sex in Century Code (Passed Senate 41-6 on 4/10)
1144 - Transgender Student Accommodations Penalty (Passed Senate 40-7 on 4/10)
1527 - Mandatory Holocaust Education in schools (Failed Senate 22-24 on 4/11)

Note that we testified in favor of and worked on all these bills on your behalf. In other words, these that passed are nine more bills to help ensure our ND laws are based upon biblical principles. You might also note that most passed their chamber votes by sizable margins, which is very helpful. All of these bills need more work to be done on them before ultimately making it into the Century Code, but we are very happy with these wins!

Aside from floor votes, two bills that we've been working on were signed by Governor Armstrong: HB 1205, which approves Safe Haven Baby Boxes, as well as HB 1561, which prevents minors' access to pornographic websites. Also, a number of our bills are in conference committees where differences between the versions passed by the chambers are being ironed out, but none emerged from this committee work in the past week.

Next Week

Formal testimony is over for our 62 bills, but we nevertheless are still engaging on them. We sit in on committee meetings as they discuss the bills, and at times are asked for our opinions and input on the bill being discussed. We also work behind the scenes trying to advance bills and ensure legislators will commit to voting with your values on important legislation.

We do not know which bills are coming up for floor votes next week and/or which will be sent to Governor Armstrong for his signature – these are constant unknowns at this point in the session. However, you can count on us emailing Call-to-Action (CTA) Alerts next week on key bills we need to make into law. We ask that you take a few minutes out of your day and respond to our Call-to-Action emails as soon as possible. YOU can make the difference on whether or not legislation based on biblical values makes it into law!

Current Status

The most recent status for each bill that is still alive after crossover is shown in the following table. The table is current as of the end of this week, but things can change quickly. To double-check the most current status of any bill, you can go to this page, type the bill number into the upper right box (just the number, not the HB or SB), and click the search button. Once you are on the bill’s page, click on the tab entitled “Actions”. If you have a question, you are always welcome to reach out to us (mark@ndfamilyalliance.org), and we’ll get back to you as soon as we can.

How to Take Action

1.) If the bill hearing is over, but it still needs to be voted on in a chamber, you can contact your appropriate legislator(s) and give them feedback. If you do not know who your legislators are or how to contact them, click here and then go to the top right corner and click on “Find my legislator.” Type your house number and zip code into the boxes and click the search button. From there, you should be able to find your Senator and Representatives and all their contact information, such as phone numbers and email addresses.

2.) If the bill has passed both chambers and has been sent to Gov. Armstrong, you can contact the Governor via this link and provide input on the bill. Contact Governor Armstrong

Please remember to be respectful in all communications to our legislators and the Governor, and feel free to contact us with any legislative questions.

2380 - Restricting minors' access to pornography websites - House floor vote passed unanimously (3/31)
2244 - Parental rights in education and medical decisions - House floor vote failed 41-49 (3/31)
1511 - Continuing education for OBGYNs on abortion law - Senate floor vote passed 41-5 (4/1)
1561 - Restricting minors' access to pornography websites - Senate floor vote passed unanimously (4/1)
1386 - Prohibiting sexually explicit computer-generated images of a minor - Senate floor vote passed unanimously (4/1)

None of the remaining bills on which we have engaged were signed by Governor Armstrong this week. While that means it was a relatively slower week, we have no doubt that a wave of floor votes will be upon us shortly. We greatly appreciate your prayers as we strive to get these bills across the finish line!

Next Week

We intend to testify on two bills next week: a resolution that recommends we study human trafficking in ND (HCR 3028), and a bill to consider studying state laws relating to criminal conduct against children, such as child sexual offences, neglect, and human trafficking (HB 1410). While both these pieces of legislation are helpful, insofar as they seek to further the goal of protecting children, and eliminate human trafficking in particular, we believe that the state already has ample information that human trafficking is a serious issue (Human Trafficking in ND) and that we instead need bills that actually help stop human trafficking.

As we explained last week, we do not know which bills are coming up for floor votes soon (we only find out a day or two in advance, at most) and/or which will be sent to Governor Armstrong for his signature. This is the point in the process where we need your help most.

We have shepherded these 62 bills for the past three months, and now we need you to be ready to make your voices heard like never before! We will be emailing a number of Call-to-Action (CTA) Alerts in the next few weeks on key bills we need to make into law. This could be for an upcoming floor vote or possibly even related to Governor Armstrong signing them. We ask that you take 5 minutes out of your day and respond to our Call-to-Action emails as soon as possible. YOU can make the difference in whether or not legislation based on biblical values makes it into law. Last session, all of you sent over 45,000 individual emails to legislators through our CTA system; trust us, it makes a difference!

Current Status

Each bill’s most recent status and future actions are shown in the following table. Pay attention to the "Current Status" column in the coming weeks, as we will be updating this at the very top with bills that have made it entirely through the legislative process. The table is current as of the end of this week, but things can change quickly. To double-check the most current status of any bill, you can go to this page, type the bill number into the upper right box (just the number, not the HB or SB), and click the search button. Once you are on the bill’s page, click on the tab entitled “Actions”. If you have a question, you are always welcome to reach out to us (mark@ndfamilyalliance.org), and we’ll get back to you as soon as we can.

How to Take Action

1.) If a bill hearing has been scheduled, but not yet held, the table shows the date, time, and location of the hearing. If you want to testify, you need to write your comments about the bill into a PDF or txt file. This can be a paragraph or longer, but keep to the point. Once that is written, you can go to this page, type the bill number into the upper right box (just need the number, not the HB or SB), and click the search button. Once you are on the bill’s page, click on the tab entitled “Hearings”, identify the hearing, and click the link on the right where it says, “Submit Testimony”. Just follow the instructions after that. Note that there will be a deadline to submit testimony for bills, often early in the morning on the hearing day (this will show once you click on the “Submit Testimony” link). If you have questions about any of this, prepare your testimony document and then call us at 701-355-6425, and we can walk you through it.

2.) If the bill hearing is over, but it still needs to be voted on in a chamber, you can contact your appropriate legislator(s) and give them feedback. If you do not know who your legislators are or how to contact them, click here and then go to the top right corner and click on “Find my legislator.” Type your house number and zip code into the boxes and click the search button. From there, you should be able to find your Senator and Representatives and all their contact information, such as phone numbers and email addresses.

3.) If the bill has passed both chambers and has been sent to Gov. Armstrong, you can contact the Governor via this link and provide input on the bill. Contact Governor Armstrong

Please remember to be respectful in all communications to our legislators and the Governor, and feel free to contact us with any legislative questions.

Mark Jorritsma 4/11/25 Mark Jorritsma 4/11/25

Family Differences

by Marit Heidbreder

As we near the end of the 69th Legislative Session, many bills have been successful in both the House and Senate. But what happens after a bill passes both chambers? If amendments were made in the bill’s second chamber, the original chamber has the opportunity to either “concur” or “not concur” with those changes. Sometimes a conference committee needs to be formed with 3 members of each chamber who then hash out the details of the bill and amendments to create a unified version of the bill that both chambers can hopefully accept. I respect and admire how our legislators work toward compromise and goals that benefit all North Dakotans, despite having to deal with some controversial topics.

I sometimes think that the legislative process bears a lot of similarities to how parents endeavor to blend their differing backgrounds, beliefs, and ideas to ultimately benefit their children and families. I grew up in a loving home with parents who had different political views, and sometimes common ground felt elusive. My parents’ clashing viewpoints created ample opportunity for negotiation and compromise within our family. My siblings and I often got swept into long-winded debates during family dinners, which could get quite spirited as opposing sides presented their arguments while passing the breadbasket. My father was a staunch “old school” democrat who followed politics closely and could often be found behind the latest newspaper, working in the garage while listening to political radio, or with his nose buried in the newest political best-seller. His firm opinions came easily and were well supported by his own research and experiences. My mother, on the other hand, was more independent in her thinking and would carefully evaluate each candidate on their own accord and not necessarily that of their party. How did she vote? She’d rarely tell us, but we knew she leaned more to the right than the left. She felt the best thing she could do was teach us to seek God in those important decisions and encourage us to make them for ourselves based on His guidance.

Holidays especially could lead to an abundance of political fireworks as visiting relatives’ politics entered the mix, but my parents were careful to demonstrate respect and love for each other and others despite any political discord. There were often passionate discussions, but they were closely followed by games and boisterous laughter. Even living amongst disputing ideas, I experienced peace. Ronald Reagan famously stated at Eureka College’s 1982 Commencement Address, “Peace is not the absence of conflict, but the ability to cope with conflict by peaceful means.” I always understood my parents were ultimately on the same team, working towards the same goals for our family.

I’d like to believe that the same is true of North Dakota’s government leaders. I have been encouraged this session by the sincere and diligent efforts of those called to serve as Representatives and Senators for our great state. From my observation, it is not an easy task that they have courageously undertaken, whether Republican or Democrat. I’m thankful for their efforts and appreciate the respect shown both on the floor and in committee when there are conflicts and compromise is necessary to move forward. One could equate our legislature to a big “family” with a diverse group of opinions and backgrounds who are each valued and loved by their Creator. May God bless their combined efforts for the good of North Dakota as they finish up this session!

Mark Jorritsma 4/5/25 Mark Jorritsma 4/5/25

Weekly Legislative Update #12

2380 - Restricting minors' access to pornography websites - House floor vote passed unanimously (3/31)
2244 - Parental rights in education and medical decisions - House floor vote failed 41-49 (3/31)
1511 - Continuing education for OBGYNs on abortion law - Senate floor vote passed 41-5 (4/1)
1561 - Restricting minors' access to pornography websites - Senate floor vote passed unanimously (4/1)
1386 - Prohibiting sexually explicit computer-generated images of a minor - Senate floor vote passed unanimously (4/1)

Mark Jorritsma 3/29/25 Mark Jorritsma 3/29/25

Weekly Legislative Update #11

We want to provide you with our most recent update on what happened at the Capitol this past week, each bill’s current status, and what to expect next week. As mentioned before, if you ever have questions about a particular bill, feel free to email us at mark@ndfamilyalliance.org or call 701-355-6425.

Last Week

Testimony for our bills essentially ended this past week, as we move into the part of session dominated by floor votes. However, we still testified on bills related to gender usage in the Century Code (HB 1181), transgender bathroom usage (HB 1144), teaching students about the Holocaust (HB 1527), requiring age verification to prevent minors from accessing online pornography (SB 2380), and prohibiting sexually explicit computer generated images of a minor (HB 1386).

Two pieces of legislation we have been working on received floor votes. The first related to education for students about human trafficking (SB 2330) received a floor vote in the House and passed 90-1 and is now headed to the Governor’s desk. The other, SCR 4017, which would study the issue of pornography as a public health hazard, also passed the House. It does not need to go to Governor Armstrong, since it is a resolution. There are still dozens of bills that have been through all committee hearings but have not yet received floor votes. A lot of activity over the next few weeks will be focused on floor votes in both chambers.

Seven bills we’ve been fighting for made it to Governor Armstrong’s desk and were signed into law this past week. These included: the Pledge of Allegiance bill (HB 1222), establishing and funding an internet crime investigation unit (SB 2167), an increase to the problem-gambling fund (SB 2205), a comprehensive study of state higher education institutions (SB 2242), revocation of teaching licenses for sexual/child crimes (SB 2043), establishing Military Appreciation Month (HB 1148), and establishing Prisoner of War and Missing in Action Day (HB 1403). We want to thank Governor Armstrong for signing these bills and making them into law.

Finally, I mentioned last week that on Tuesday, our “trigger law” hearing would be held before the ND Supreme Court. The hearing went quite well, with the State of ND presenting strong arguments in favor of the law and doing a good job answering questions from the justices. We will have to keep praying that the court sides with those of us fighting to protect unborn life.

Next Week

At this point, we do not know which bills are coming up for floor votes soon (we only find out a day or two in advance, at most) and/or which will be sent to Governor Armstrong for his signature. This is the point in the process where we need your help most.

We have shepherded these 62 bills for the past three months, and now we need you to be ready to make your voices heard like never before! We will be emailing a number of Call-to-Action (CTA) Alerts in the next few weeks on key bills we need to make into law. This could be for an upcoming floor vote or possibly even related to Governor Armstrong signing them. We ask that you take 5 minutes out of your day and respond to our Call-to-Action emails as soon as possible. YOU can make the difference in whether or not legislation based on biblical values makes it into law. Last session, all of you sent over 45,000 individual emails to legislators through our CTA system; trust us, it makes a difference!

Current Status

Each bill’s most recent status and future actions are shown in the following table. Pay attention to the "Current Status" column in the coming weeks, as we will be updating this at the very top with bills that have made it entirely through the legislative process. The table is current as of the end of this week, but things can change quickly. To double-check the most current status of any bill, you can go to this page, type the bill number into the upper right box (just the number, not the HB or SB), and click the search button. Once you are on the bill’s page, click on the tab entitled “Actions”. If you have a question, you are always welcome to reach out to us (mark@ndfamilyalliance.org), and we’ll get back to you as soon as we can.

How to Take Action

1.) If a bill hearing has been scheduled, but not yet held, the table shows the date, time, and location of the hearing. If you want to testify, you need to write your comments about the bill into a PDF or txt file. This can be a paragraph or longer, but keep to the point. Once that is written, you can go to this page, type the bill number into the upper right box (just need the number, not the HB or SB), and click the search button. Once you are on the bill’s page, click on the tab entitled “Hearings”, identify the hearing, and click the link on the right where it says, “Submit Testimony”. Just follow the instructions after that. Note that there will be a deadline to submit testimony for bills, often early in the morning on the hearing day (this will show once you click on the “Submit Testimony” link). If you have questions about any of this, prepare your testimony document and then call us at 701-355-6425, and we can walk you through it.

2.) If the bill hearing is over, but it still needs to be voted on in a chamber, you can contact your appropriate legislator(s) and give them feedback. If you do not know who your legislators are or how to contact them, click here and then go to the top right corner and click on “Find my legislator.” Type your house number and zip code into the boxes and click the search button. From there, you should be able to find your Senator and Representatives and all their contact information, such as phone numbers and email addresses.

3.) If the bill has passed both chambers and has been sent to Gov. Armstrong, you can contact the Governor via this link and provide input on the bill. Contact Governor Armstrong

Please remember to be respectful in all communications to our legislators and the Governor, and feel free to contact us with any legislative questions.

Mark Jorritsma 3/22/25 Mark Jorritsma 3/22/25

Weekly Legislative Update #10

We want to provide you with our most recent update on what happened at the Capitol this past week, each bill’s current status, and what to expect next week. As mentioned before, if you ever have questions about a particular bill, feel free to email us at mark@ndfamilyalliance.org or call 701-355-6425.

Last Week

As expected, this week was a bit slower than last week, with testimony on 10 bills. However, all these bills were packed into Monday and Tuesday, so that still meant a spike of work for us at the beginning of the week.

It worked out that the main focus of many bills this week was pornography. In particular, we testified on bills and resolutions that would: declare pornography a public health hazard (SCR 4017), ensure that children are not exposed to inappropriate books in public and school libraries (SB 2307), prohibit a commercial entity from publishing material harmful to a minor (HB 1561), and prohibit sexually explicit deepfake videos. (HB 1351).

Other key bills for which we provided testimony included major education funding bills (HB 1540 and SB 2400), a bill for mandatory minimum sentencing for human trafficking offenders (HB 1361), one to provide guidance for OB/GYNs on abortion laws (HB 1511), and SB 2200, which would fund a 988 mental health hotline.

HB 1205, a bill to allow Safe Haven Baby Boxes passed its second chamber and awaits concurrence on final amendments in the House. After that, it will be sent to Governor Armstrong's desk for signature.

Next Week

Next week is looking like a slightly slower version of this week, with a number of bills packed into the first part of the week. Some of these include gender usage in the Century Code (HB 1181), a transgender bathroom bill (HB 1144 ), and the bill to teach students about the Holocaust (HB 1527). In addition to these, our ND “trigger law” which has been in court since the overturn of Roe v. Wade in 2022, will be heard in the ND Supreme Court on Tuesday, March 25th at 10 am. You can attend in person at the Capitol on the 1st floor of the Judicial Wing (same level as Memorial Hall) in the Supreme Court chambers, or stream it live at this link. Please pray that the court may side with the thousands of us who want to protect the unborn here in North Dakota!

Current Status

Each bill’s upcoming actions are shown in the following table. NOTE THAT THE STATUS OF EACH BILL CAN CHANGE MULTIPLE TIMES, IN EVEN A SINGLE DAY. To double-check the most current status of any bill, you can go to this page, type the bill number into the upper right box (just need the number, not the HB or SB), and click the search button. Once you are on the bill’s page, click on the tab entitled “Actions”. This will indicate where the bill is at in the process. If you want to testify on a bill or have a question, you are always welcome to reach out to us (mark@ndfamilyalliance.org) and we’ll get back to you as soon as we can.

How to Take Action

1.) If a bill hearing has been scheduled, but not yet held, the table shows the date, time, and location of the hearing. If you want to testify, you need to write your comments about the bill into a PDF or txt file. This can be a paragraph or longer, but keep to the point. Once that is written, you can go to this page, type the bill number into the upper right box (just need the number, not the HB or SB), and click the search button. Once you are on the bill’s page, click on the tab entitled “Hearings”, identify the hearing, and click the link on the right where it says, “Submit Testimony”. Just follow the instructions after that. Note that there will be a deadline to submit testimony for bills, often early in the morning on the hearing day (this will show once you click on the “Submit Testimony” link). If you have questions about any of this, prepare your testimony document and then call us at 701-355-6425 and we can walk you through it.

2.) If the bill hearing is over, but it still needs to be voted on in a chamber, you can contact your appropriate legislator(s) and give them feedback. If you do not know who your legislators are or how to contact them, click here and then go to the top right corner and click on “Find my legislator.” Type your house number and zip code into the boxes and click the search button. From there, you should be able to find your Senator and Representatives and all their contact information such as phone numbers and email addresses.

3.) If the bill has passed both chambers and has been sent to Gov. Armstrong, you can contact the Governor via this link and provide input on the bill. Contact Governor Armstrong

Please remember to be respectful in all communications to our legislators and the Governor, and feel free to contact us with any legislative questions.