BISMARCK — When North Dakota lawmakers adjourned the 2025 legislative session at 4:13 a.m. on Saturday, May 3, they breathed a collective sigh of relief after passing hundreds of bills culminating in a record $20.3 billion two-year budget.

Property tax reform and relief was named the Legislature’s top priority ahead of the session, especially after statewide frustration led to a failed measure on the 2024 general election ballot aiming to abolish property taxes altogether.

As the session unfolded, the assembly largely ditched culture war policies to zero in on key objectives, from reducing health care costs and addressing the state’s mental health crisis to intercepting local control and managing jail overcrowding.

Lawmakers passed a property tax relief plan to leave North Dakotans with more money in their pockets.

The plan expands the primary residence tax credit from $500 to $1,600, puts a 3% cap on the amount political subdivisions can raise levies each year and expands the renter’s refund.

Gov. Kelly Armstrong said roughly 3 in 4 households will be eligible for the credit, and 1 in 3 will have their property tax obligation eliminated.

Tanner Ecker / The Bismarck Tribune

Costing the state roughly $408 million for the 2025-27 biennium, paid for entirely by Legacy Fund revenue, it’s expected to generate $465 million in primary residence tax relief, $1 million in renter relief and $7.4 million in relief for disabled veterans.

The funding will need to be re-approved by lawmakers during the 2027 legislative session.

Not all were happy with the legislation. On the last day of the session, Rep. Scott Louser, R-Minot, announced he will attempt to place a related initiated measure on the 2026 general election ballot.

Cellphones are now banned in public schools for the entirety of the school day with limited exceptions. Spearheaded by Armstrong’s administration, the goal is to improve the overall mental health of students and test scores by limiting distractions.

Instead of approving the steady push to make school meals free for all K-12 students, the Legislature expanded the number of students who qualify for free meals to include households at or below 225% of the federal poverty line.

Tanner Ecker / The Bismarck Tribune

Around 2,500 more students will qualify, according to the Department of Public Instruction.

All legislation seeking to expand “school choice” failed, including several hotly debated bills to establish Education Savings Accounts, one of which was vetoed.

A framework to establish charter schools in the state was the only expansion to alternative schooling approved by the Legislature.

How much the state spends on each public school student will drop compared to what was approved during the previous legislative session.

Per-pupil funding will rise 2.5% yearly, 1.5% less than the 4% yearly increase approved in 2023.

Some patients in North Dakota will no longer be stuck waiting indefinitely for clearance from their insurance provider for a medication or procedure.

A new law regulates the prior authorization process — when a patient needs approval from their insurance company before receiving a medication or procedure. Insurance companies are now required to disclose their process to patients about their coverage and adhere to a deadline. The bill does not affect all state-regulated insurance markets.

Tom Stromme / The Bismarck Tribune

North Dakotans also celebrated a $25 cap on monthly insulin costs, which applies to the state’s commercial insurance market and not self-insured plans.

While a handful of anti-vaccination legislation failed, a law passed allowing some state employees to opt out of vaccination requirements.

Millions in state dollars will fund build-outs to several correctional facilities — notably the Heart River and Missouri River correctional centers — under the Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation budget.

Over $28.4 million will be directed to regional jails to address overcrowding.

Ahead of the next session, the department will study sentencing and parole systems after Attorney General Drew Wrigley unsuccessfully sought to impose stricter mandatory minimum sentencing rules.

Peyton Haug / Forum News Service

To reduce recidivism rates, lawmakers passed a trio of bills aiming to make the process of leaving incarceration easier.

Additionally, the State Hospital in Jamestown will receive $300 million in state funding to build a new facility.

As far as the state’s approach to human trafficking, which disproportionately impacts tribal communities, lawmakers were successful in proposing laws to curb high rates of Missing and Murdered Indigenous People.

North Dakota will now have an MMIP task force, as well as a statewide “Feather Alert” to sound when a tribal member goes missing.

Though attempts to legislate relationships, religion and lifestyles were ultimately scrapped, significant time was spent debating dozens of bills seeking to do so.

Tanner Ecker / The Bismarck Tribune

Among the first round of rejections was a resolution urging the United States Supreme Court to redefine marriage as being strictly between a man and a woman.

Attempts to regulate abortion went on to fail, including a bill to declare the procedure murder, another to expand elective abortion access through 15 weeks and a $1 million anti-abortion campaign.

A bill that would have required libraries to hide certain materials from minors passed both chambers but was vetoed by Armstrong, who said it would cause an undue burden and hamper free speech.

Anna Paige / The Forum

Legislators attempted to make inroads for Christian nationalism, but attempts to place the Ten Commandments in classrooms, allow the teaching of intelligent design in public schools and declare the “kingship of Christ” failed.

Culture war legislation signed into law included stricter punishments for schools that build multi-stall, gender-neutral bathrooms and gender being defined in the North Dakota Century Code as only male or female.

Armstrong signed a ban on the use of approval and ranked-choice voting in any election statewide. Fargo, the only city with alternative voting methods, will have to reevaluate its election process.

A resolution changing the structure of term limits adopted by voters in 2022, despite language in the constitution specifically prohibiting them from doing so, also passed.

Further, localities are now barred from establishing “sanctuary city” policies, which are rules generally allowing local law enforcement to withhold certain information from federal immigration authorities when they don’t have a warrant.

Grant Coursey / The Bismarck Tribune

Lawmakers also failed to pass campaign finance reform legislation after an hourslong debate during the last day of session.

Lawmakers erred on the side of lessening regulations for the energy sector in an effort to attract more businesses to the state.

They approved rules and funding models for critical mineral development and natural gas pipelines as part of that effort.

Meanwhile, efforts to regulate carbon capture projects, largely targeting Summit Carbon Solutions’ nearly $9 billion pipeline, overwhelmingly failed. 

The Legislature decided against enacting laws governing data center development and instead decided to study the issue. Nuclear and geothermal energy sources will also be studied.

The Legislature raised the price of hunting, fishing, and boating licenses and relaxed restrictions on the use of motor vehicles and motorboats while hunting.

It also removed the ability of the Department of Game and Fish to ban baiting deer and other big game. The department used baiting bans to combat the spread of Chronic Wasting Disease and other diseases transmitted when big game animals gather.

The session was marked by tragedy, party politics and controversy.

Backlash followed an antisemitic post on the social media platform X made by Rep. Nico Rios, R-Williston, and a weeklong family vacation taken by Rep. Lori VanWinkle, R-Minot.

Grant Coursey / The Bismarck Tribune

Controversy also led to the post-session resignation of Rep. Jeremy Olson, R-Arnegard, who stepped down after a harassment complaint was filed against him. The complaint was withdrawn after he resigned.

National interests inundated North Dakota’s Legislative Council with forwarded calls looking to influence policy on contentious bills, hampering the office’s ability to support lawmakers. Out-of-state money also surfaced through an Elon Musk-backed ad campaign targeting North Dakota lawmakers.

Tom Stromme / The Bismarck Tribune

Legislators saw somber moments with the sudden death of Rep. Josh Christy, R-Fargo, in February, and the late-session absence of Rep. Jim Kasper, R-Fargo, who survived a brain bleed. Rep. TJ Brown, R-Fargo, was elected to replace Christy.

The Legislature left six days to use in case of a special session before 2027.

Leadership has said they may call a special session to address the impact of federal cuts. However, the governor has access to a $1 billion “rainy day” Budget Stabilization Fund to compensate for the cuts, which may make a special session unnecessary.

Armstrong has 24 bills left to sign before May 23. Those decisions have not been scheduled.