Legislation

Agent Orange

Origination: Representative Trottier, ACOVA, NDVCC

• $50,000 appropriation of general funds to ND Department of Veterans Affairs to provide grants for the identification and provision of services to ND Veterans who had been exposed to Agent Orange during the Vietnam conflict.
• Requires ND Department of Veterans Affairs to report to the budget section on the use and outcome of the grants awarded
• Appropriations: $50,000

Study on Treatments for PTSD and Traumatic Brain Injuries (TBI)

• A study for nontraditional healing therapies, massage, healing touch, reflexology, stress management, yoga, hyperbaric chamber treatments and gathers information on the needs of women veterans.
• Appropriations: $0.

Fishing License Fees

• Lowers disability level requirement from 100% to 50%
• Adds Unemployability
• Fee goes from $3 to $5
• Fiscal note: $1,425. Not general funds.

Post War Trust Fund (PWTF)

Origination of bill: Commissioner, ACOVA, NDVCC

• Adds $250,000 in general funds to the principal of the PWTF

Disabled Veterans Rent Credit

Origination of bill: Representative Guggisberg, Ron

• Provided renters credit for 50% or higher disabled veterans who would qualify for property tax exemption, but rent.
• Fiscal note: $1,472,000

ND DVA Budget

• Veterans Affairs: Adds one FTE
• Veterans Affairs: $15,000 for website improvements
• Veterans Home funding: Demolish old veterans home $1,121,000
• Veterans Home Approved: Hold over Veterans Home construction funds into next biennium to complete all billings
• Veterans Home Approved: Carry over funding for Electronic Health record system into next biennium
• Veterans Home Approved: Authorization of Melvin Norgard funds for construction of a workshop $788,200
• Reduced Veterans Home operating budget by $50,000
• Reduced Veterans Home and Veterans Affairs salary enhancements by $455,431
• Added $10,000 to Veterans Affairs for Stand Down event grants
• Added one time funding of $30,000 to Veterans Affairs for purchase of transportation vans
• Added requirement for Veterans Affairs to prepare a transportation van replacement plan for 64th Legislative assembly and seek state funding for vans based on the plan

NDNG State Active Duty

• Protects National Guard members from employer discrimination when involuntarily activated for State Active Duty emergencies for more than twenty regular working days in a calendar year. Under NDCC 37-29-03
• Fiscal note: $0

ND National Guard UCMJ and License Plates

• Adds state active duty time to be subject to discipline as set forth in USMJ
• Changes to veteran definition dates for adjusted compensation (war bonus)
• Adds motorcycle plates available for NDNG license plates
• Fiscal note: $0

Interment at Veterans’ Cemetery Eligibility

• Add: "a child who is without any sibling and who survives the veteran" to eligibility for internment at ND State Veterans Cemetary
• Fiscal note: $350,000. Federal VA Cemetery Grants

ND National Guard-Emergency Management

• Allows local emergency management organizations to enter into interstate mutual aid agreements with nearby political subdivisions.

DAV Plates

• Allows 100% disabled Veterans with DAV plates to park in handicapped parking without additional handicapped parking tab
• Fiscal note: $0
• NDCC 39-01-15 (1&2)

Child Custody

• Addresses visitation rights of family members of children whose parent is deployed
• Addresses military deployments when considering child custody
• Addresses temporary child custody while custodial parent is deployed
• Includes Redeploying and Redeployment
• Fiscal note: $0
• DSLO KEY ISSUES 2015

Veterans Preference

• Provides protection for private employers who establish a veterans preference hiring program
• Employer not held liable from lawsuits by protected classes (Age, national origin, etc.)
• Fiscal note: $0

Veterans Preference

• Adds "administrator" to list of exemptions from Veterans Preference laws
• Add definition of administrator which adds: assistant or associate school district superintendent, school principal, special education director, director of a multidistrict special education unit, career and technical education director, director of area career and technology center, athletic or activity director.
• Fiscal note: $0

Book of ND Veterans

• The Adjutant General shall initiate and coordinate the writing, publishing, and distribution of a record of all North Dakota Veterans, including a record of all North Dakotans killed in action and missing in action since statehood. The Adjutant General shall determine the projected costs for the completion of the writing, publishing, and distribution of the records and present those projections to the legislative management.
• Appropriations: $0
• Fiscal note: $0

Hunting License for 100% Disabled

• Added: Definition of a "Disabled Veteran"
• Added: For a resident disabled veteran combined general game, habitat stamp, small game, and fur-bearer license $3
• Fiscal note: $10,080. Not general fund dollars.
• NDCC: 20.1-01-02 (15)    20.1-03-12 (54)

Property Tax Exemption while on Active Duty

• Reduce taxable valuation of homestead for each day on Federal active duty divided by total number of days in a year (365). Full year would equal 100% reduction.
• On first $4,500 of taxable value of homestead.
• Spouses living together may only apply for 1 exemption
• Service members living together and not married can apply for full exemption based on the percentage of ownership in the homestead.
• Fiscal note: No amount provided.

Caskets for Veterans

Origination of Bill: Senator Marcellais, Richard

• Provide military casket at no cost to veterans interred in ND
• Type of casket to be approved by Adjutant General
• Appropriations: $2,800,000

Bill re-introduced in 2015 SB 2238

Indian Veteran Representative

• ND Department of Veterans Affairs to provide an Indian Veteran representative in the ND county with the most registered Indian Veterans
• Appropriations: $25,000

Property Tax Exemption

• Change disabled veterans homestead taxable valuation limit from $5,400 to $6,750
• Fiscal note: $477,000