North Dakota

Bills would bring new regulations, aid to North Dakota libraries • North Dakota Monitor

Published

11 months ago

January 31, 2025

Bills would bring new regulations, aid to North Dakota libraries • North Dakota Monitor

North Dakota lawmakers are revisiting potential regulations about the placement of allegedly questionable library materials, as well as a measure to clarify who may distribute state grants to libraries and how the State Library can provide surplus materials to local libraries.

Senate Bill 2307, which will be considered by the Senate Judiciary Committee, would require a public or school library to remove “explicit sexual material” or place it in an area of the library that is off limits to anyone younger than 18.

The bill would require North Dakota’s attorney general to investigate any complaint about whether a library had allowed minors access to explicit sexual material, and order the state treasurer and superintendent of public instruction to halt any distribution of state funds to the offending library until the situation is rectified.

Two years ago, the Legislature approved a law requiring libraries to develop policies for removing or relocating “explicit sexual material” and for responding to public complaints about its possible presence. The law, House Bill 1205, required libraries to periodically review their collections to ensure that explicit sexual material is not present in the library’s section for children.

In March 2024, the state librarian, Mary Soucie, told the Legislature’s interim Juvenile Justice Committee the law prompted five libraries to move some books. Two created a separate young adult collection.

House Bill 1420, which the House approved 92-2 on Jan. 22, clarifies that the State Library Coordinating Council is responsible for disbursing grants. Rep. Eric Murphy, R-Grand Forks, said there have been past issues in the past with council members believing they had authority over distribution of federal grants.

The 11-member State Library Coordinating Council includes representatives of public and school libraries and members who represent the general public. It meets every three months to distribute state grants. The State Library also receives federal grants that it distributes. Public libraries are funded through local property taxes as well as state and federal grants. State and federal grants are important for helping libraries pay for services, programs and materials.

Senate Bill 2219, which was approved 46-0 in the Senate, makes it easier for the State Library to share materials with libraries throughout the state. Its sponsor, Sen. Sean Cleary, R-Bismarck, said it would help improve the State Library’s working relationship with local libraries.

When the State Library regularly goes through its collection – the process is called “weeding” – workers assess if any unwanted materials would be valuable to a local library, State Librarian Mary Soucie said. The State Library lets local librarians know which materials are available and distributes them if the libraries are interested, she said. Senate Bill 2219 would allow the State Library to distribute the materials directly to other libraries without informing the state surplus property division, which normally handles disposal of items that state agencies no longer want.

The bill also would allow the withholding of state aid to libraries that do not complete and submit their required annual reports. The aid would be withheld the following year.

The North Dakota Newspaper Association hires an intern and mentor each legislative session to supplement coverage for North Dakota newspapers, through a grant from the NDNA Education Foundation.

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North Dakota

Bankruptcies for North Dakota and western Minnesota published Jan. 10, 2026

Published

5 hours ago

January 10, 2026

Press Room

Filed in U.S. Bankruptcy Court

North Dakota

Kaitlyn Grace Lucier, Fargo, Chapter 7

Samuel Todd Hicks, formerly known as Thomas Samuel Hicks, Fargo, Chapter 7

Teresa and Dominik Renwick, Fargo, Chapter 13

Susan Renee Fuller, formerly known as Susan R. Schaffer, doing business as Susie’s Sparkling Cleaning Service, Fargo, Chapter 7

Shannon Lynn Taylor, Fargo, Chapter 7

Jesse Patrick and Jaime Elizabeth Brown, Williston, Chapter 7

Kerri Lee Weishaar, Minot, Chapter 7

Terry Marie Moritz, Valley City, Chapter 7

Joshua Allen Sewill, Hatton, Chapter 7

Bryan Eugene Flecker, Minot, Chapter 7

Anna Marie Rahm, formerly known as Anna Marie Tanner, and Joshua Edward Rahm, Bismarck, Chapter 13

Sherri Rae Fisher, Baldwin, Chapter 13

Heather Lynn McElroy, formerly known as Heather Anderson, Grand Forks, Chapter 7

Kaitlyn Autrey, Grand Forks, Chapter 7

Michelle Lynn Miller, Fargo, Chapter 13

Kimberly Georgeann Callahan, Fargo, Chapter 13

Erin Elaine and Jose Luiz Murphy, Bismarck, Chapter 7

Shelly and Kieth Quimby, St. Thomas, Chapter 7

Minnesota

Bankruptcy filings from the following counties: Becker, Clay, Douglas, Grant, Hubbard, Mahnomen, Norman, Otter Tail, Polk, Traverse, Wadena and Wilkin.

David Howard Gilpin, Osakis, Chapter 7

Timothy Virgil Hoag, Moorhead, Chapter 7

Jason Darryl Dykhoff, Ottertail, Chapter 7

Zachary Nicholas Hodgson and Jolynn Beth Warnes, formerly known as Jolynn Beth Hodgson, Kensington, Chapter 7

Riley Matthew Hinman, Alexandria, Chapter 7

Layne Christopher Condiff, Park Rapids, Chapter 13

Thomas Beecher Hoyer, Menahga, Chapter 13

Christine Karen Jakubek, also known as Cristine Anderson, Chapter 7

Chapter 7 is a petition to liquidate assets and discharge debts.

Chapter 11 is a petition for protection from creditors and to reorganize.

Chapter 12 is a petition for family farmers to reorganize.

Chapter 13 is a petition for wage earners to readjust debts.

Our newsroom occasionally reports stories under a byline of “staff.” Often, the “staff” byline is used when rewriting basic news briefs that originate from official sources, such as a city press release about a road closure, and which require little or no reporting. At times, this byline is used when a news story includes numerous authors or when the story is formed by aggregating previously reported news from various sources. If outside sources are used, it is noted within the story.

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North Dakota

Hoeven, Armstrong, Traynor speak on OBBB Rural Health Transformation Fund updates in ND

Published

17 hours ago

January 10, 2026

Press Room

Hoeven, Armstrong, Traynor speak on OBBB Rural Health Transformation Fund updates in ND

BISMARCK, N.D. (KFYR) – On Friday, North Dakota U.S. Senator John Hoeven, Governor Kelly Armstrong and Health and Human Services Commissioner Pat Traynor explained how the state plans to use millions of dollars from the Big Beautiful Bill’s Rural Health Transformation Fund to transform healthcare across the state.

They spoke extensively about the special session to allocate the funds, and confirmed that it is still tentatively set for Jan. 21.

The Big Beautiful Bill allocated $25 billion for rural healthcare nationwide. North Dakota received $500 million for five years and $200 million for the first year. There is still another $25 billion left to be spent, and North Dakota is hoping to receive an extra $500 million.

“I truly believe that with the plan we’re putting in place and the things we built that line up with that, we’ll get a billion dollars over five years,” said Hoeven.

Federal rules require the state to lock in contracts for the money by October first— a deadline officials say is driving the need for a special session.

In the first year, North Dakota will focus on retention grants to keep existing staff, technical assistance and consultants for rural hospitals, as well as telehealth equipment and home patient monitoring.

A KFYR+ exclusive

Governor Armstrong says the special session will include policy bills tied to how much federal rural health funding the state can earn.

“We’re going to have a physical fitness test for physical education courses, nutrition education, continuing education requirement for physicians, physician assistant licensure compact—which North Dakota has been doing, dealing with that since the heart of the oil boom and moving forward—and then an expanded scope of practice for pharmacists,” said Armstrong.

Hundreds of millions of dollars could reshape healthcare in rural North Dakota, and state leaders say the next few weeks are key to receiving and spending that money wisely.

The governor says he only wants to focus on bills related to the Rural Health Transformation Program during the special session and doesn’t intend to deal with other state issues during that time.

Politicians outline plans for ND Rural Health Transformation Program

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North Dakota

North Dakota officials celebrate being among big winners in federal rural health funding

Published

1 day ago

January 9, 2026

Press Room

North Dakota officials celebrate being among big winners in federal rural health funding

North Dakota U.S. Sen. John Hoeven and Gov. Kelly Armstrong on Friday touted the success of the state’s application for federal Rural Health Transformation Program funding, which landed one of the largest per-capita awards in the nation.

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