[{"_1":2,"_88":-5,"_89":-5},"loaderData",{"_3":4,"_26":27},"root",{"_5":6,"_17":10,"_18":19,"_20":21,"_22":10,"_23":-5,"_24":-5,"_25":10},"user",{"_7":8,"_9":10,"_11":10,"_12":-5,"_13":-5,"_14":15,"_16":-5},"roles",[],"isAuthenticated",false,"isPremium","planName","subscriptionStatus","featureFlags",{},"insightsBudget","isDevelopmentHost","userPreferences",{},"recaptchaSiteKey","6LcvOJcUAAAAAHsB-gPGfGktcRlKpH7OTIU_dMTD","isImpersonating","impersonation","affiliateStatus","isFreedomPortal","routes/v2/article/layout",{"_28":29,"_30":31},"notFound",true,"relatedArticles",[32,76],{"_33":34,"_35":36,"_37":38,"_39":40,"_41":42,"_43":44,"_45":46,"_47":48,"_49":50,"_51":52,"_53":54,"_55":56,"_57":58,"_59":60,"_61":62,"_63":64,"_65":66,"_67":68,"_69":70,"_71":72,"_73":74,"_75":74},"mediaId",6370302,"mediaKeyId","2151856-5967b303ebfa6f564ca1cc19e61ad08b","parentId",2151856,"title","Committee advances bill removing 90-day waiting period for National Guard paid leave","audioSeconds",646,"startMs",2826000,"endMs",3472000,"viewUrl","/Search/View?dp=1&key=2151856-5967b303ebfa6f564ca1cc19e61ad08b&start=2826&end=3472","thumbnailUrl","https://assets.pipeline.soar.com/2151856-5967b303ebfa6f564ca1cc19e61ad08b/thumbnail_2826000.jpg","articleUrl","/articles/6370302/North-Dakota/Committee-advances-bill-removing-90-day-waiting-period-for-National-Guard-paid-leave","mediaUrl","https://secure.pipeline.soar.com/6370302-596bd930c5836e4785ea6266458f4839/orig.mp4?Expires=1771206605&Signature=dR0wBAoI~BWkJBZvw7byHGV9U8UEOCiau9YwLuK-k7PlCa2vI2VXvdwaEugoS6nfFAtjCix1L4JXKId9cTfwJjTnqE1e6kE~pnmpKfQnZpDzrY~fHKG9-Ka5fnqUxrJEGXvetqDCMN0lMPHIQXYcrgok5jh1HP2-s5I2EUbH81emBMFm7Gn06zuNca55yEbXngNxC06nXtfGJpftISLZeSnIrWxz9aqPf9GtmYu15OCgec2IUHyEouDYjmM90apW~EMnWHsqazbhcI14qSSNsbJvaH0cNfB9C5xZ8RSufS9ss3jZXteiVIO27URMRgKsQ-aebCY8yRCaCK3iMJGoLg__&Key-Pair-Id=KUT5TJCACFTXG","author","Senate Workforce Development, ND","date","2025-01-24T00:00:00Z","article","Senator Boucher introduced Senate Bill 2198 to eliminate a 90-day waiting period in North Dakota law that delays newly hired public employees from receiving up to 30 days of paid leave for National Guard or federal service.

\"The substance of the bill is on page 1, line 23, where I'm proposing we strike the words 'for 90 days',\" said Senator Boucher, explaining the change addresses cases where newly hired employees had scheduled Guard duty immediately after hire.

Colonel Jay Sheldon, strategy and policy officer for the North Dakota National Guard and battalion commander of the 131st Military Police Battalion, testified in support and said the change would remove a barrier for Guard members who also work for state, county or municipal employers.

\"This would support them to be able to make sure that they don't have to go unpaid for annual trainings or any other military service,\" Colonel Jay Sheldon said.

Members raised whether some waiting period should remain so agencies have \"skin in the game\" for new hires; sponsors and witnesses countered that military service itself represents the commitment. Committee members noted the statute dates to 1935 and the 90-day provision was added in 1945, and legislative counsel provided no historical rationale for the original waiting period.

After discussion, the committee voted to give SB2198 a favorable recommendation. A motion for a \"do pass\" recommendation carried with four votes in favor, zero opposed and one member recorded as absent. The committee designated Senator Boucher as the carry senator for the bill.

Ending: The bill moves from committee with a recommendation for further consideration by the full Senate; committee members said they expect departmental and local employers to need guidance on consistent application of the revised leave rule.","mediaType","Video","parentTitle","Senate Workforce Development Jan 24, 2025","oneSentenceSummary","Senate Bill 2198 would remove a 90-day waiting period that prevents newly hired public employees from immediately accessing 30 days of paid military leave; the Workforce Development Committee recommended a 'do pass' 4-0 with one absent.","taxTitle","Workforce Development, Senate, Legislative, North Dakota","taxId",28910,"location","North Dakota","headline","","shortSummary",{"_33":77,"_35":36,"_37":38,"_39":78,"_41":79,"_43":80,"_45":81,"_47":82,"_49":83,"_51":84,"_53":85,"_55":56,"_57":58,"_59":86,"_61":62,"_63":64,"_65":87,"_67":68,"_69":70,"_71":72,"_73":74,"_75":74},6370310,"Lawmakers, providers press for faster criminal-background checks; BCI cites IT limits and federal timeline",3283,258000,3541000,"/Search/View?dp=1&key=2151856-5967b303ebfa6f564ca1cc19e61ad08b&start=258&end=3541","https://assets.pipeline.soar.com/2151856-5967b303ebfa6f564ca1cc19e61ad08b/thumbnail_258000.jpg","/articles/6370310/North-Dakota/Lawmakers-providers-press-for-faster-criminal-background-checks-BCI-cites-IT-limits-and-federal-timeline","https://secure.pipeline.soar.com/6370310-6c63546dbcd5ceb10c5f9a2ffb0031b4/orig.mp4?Expires=1771206605&Signature=kf42wjFQzScnhJfB~l4~qIyNOs39oYKXY8~ycCGXg4C1fN18S1Q9RcCNiAkxZA1yxYSpVAVJF5rrNG~YySJPJJzJdWAKRU7YUYjuhBRzIvHe4OBNflvOREq80h7paAvXWwIGIELq0JIcEhMojtu13cglZgXbBya46nHj0jLvsjxth4n~KkNqgTYsXRn0o4zX3Mb78-8VX~aGH2VCyO1arVoPP~IfR9Bi3qlYc9tDjP6510ym-1Td6gO834rmEryPQ4LwiWxwIq36Up2tII-SkF5dv5WVwCtDkSre4D9qfIaz57CPolCK6tQ4LesPbKvCsUlxGk3gcAoEgI7EPFcIEw__&Key-Pair-Id=KUT5TJCACFTXG","Senator Judy Lee, sponsor of Senate Bill 2194, told the Workforce Development Committee she wants the Bureau of Criminal Investigation to accept digital fingerprints and speed processing of criminal-history checks for job applicants.

\"Without digital fingerprints being available to BCI, it's a very slow turnaround,\" Senator Judy Lee said as she opened the hearing on the bill.

The bill proposes that BCI accept digital fingerprint submissions and includes an appropriation request intended to help the agency update systems to process digital submissions more broadly. Supporters said the change would shorten wait times for job applicants in childcare, long-term care and other licensed professions and help employers hire quickly in a tight labor market.

\"It's that gap. We can interview and everything, but then we wait for the background check,\" said Bill Baumann, chief executive officer of the Missouri Valley Family YMCA and spokesperson for the North Dakota Alliance of YMCA. Baumann told senators his organizations see average turnaround times of about \"8 to 13 working days\" and that prolonged waits drive applicants to other sectors.

John Arnold, deputy insurance commissioner, said the Insurance Department typically takes about \"8 days to turn around\" a clean background check after it receives fingerprints, and described how licensing rules require a complete application before the department can initiate FBI-based checks. Arnold said agencies sometimes must wait for applicants to finish prelicensure exams before fingerprints can be submitted.

Representatives from the Bureau of Criminal Investigation described both capabilities and constraints. Steve Harstad, chief agent with BCI's criminal records oversight, said BCI currently accepts Live Scan electronic fingerprints from devices connected to the state network and that, for a complete and accurate request, the agency's turnaround \"is just less than 4 days.\" Harstad also warned that accepting outside digital devices or third-party payment without careful IT work raises security and integration issues.

Rebecca Dubin, criminal history records supervisor at BCI, told the committee the bureau processes about \"over 60,000 applications\" annually and said digital submissions can be faster but that annual workload, staffing and the completeness of each submission affect turnaround. She said BCI currently staffs six criminal history records specialists who handle the processing.

Harstad said the attorney general's office and BCI are working on a larger IT upgrade funded by a federal grant awarded in fall 2024 and estimated to run into 2026. He expressed caution about a $5 million appropriation in the bill, saying this is \"probably the first time I will stand up in opposition of receiving $5,000,000,\" though he described the bill's goals as sound and said the funding could be used to build infrastructure and then to help outside entities obtain devices if funds remain.

Witnesses and committee members discussed several distinct bottlenecks: (1) the technical link between fingerprint collection devices and the state network (Live Scan); (2) acceptance of electronic payment from non-state entities; and (3) other parts of a full background check process (reference checks, multi-state records) that occur outside BCI's fingerprint-based record search. Deputy Insurance Commissioner Arnold stressed that federal/FBI rules and the need for a complete application limit whether agencies can initiate fingerprint checks before applicants complete prelicensing steps.

Supporters urged other, lower-cost fixes in the short term — for example, allowing new childcare staff to begin under direct supervision while checks complete — as a way to immediately reduce hiring delays.

The committee held the bill for further discussion; no committee recommendation or vote was recorded during the hearing.

Ending: Committee members said they will return to the bill after clarifying the appropriation's intended uses and BCI's upgrade timeline. Senators also suggested follow-up with Human Services on whether supervisory-start policies can be revised to reduce hiring delays for childcare providers while technical work continues.","Senate Bill 2194 would require the state Bureau of Criminal Investigation to accept digital fingerprints and includes a $5 million appropriation to expand processing; childcare providers and insurers urged speedier turnarounds while BCI said existing projects and security constraints limit immediate expansion.","actionData","errors"]

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Committee advances bill removing 90-day waiting period for National Guard paid leave

Lawmakers, providers press for faster criminal-background checks; BCI cites IT limits and federal timeline