[{"_1":2,"_100":-5,"_101":-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",[32,76,88],{"_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",6125988,"mediaKeyId","2674133-191156a75e36248a90beacc14ca9d67f","parentId",2674133,"title","House panel hears bill to create statewide apprenticeship grant program","audioSeconds",602,"startMs",553980,"endMs",1156200,"viewUrl","/Search/View?dp=1&key=2674133-191156a75e36248a90beacc14ca9d67f&start=553&end=1156","thumbnailUrl","https://assets.pipeline.soar.com/2674133-191156a75e36248a90beacc14ca9d67f/thumbnail_553980.jpg","articleUrl","/articles/6125988/North-Dakota/House-panel-hears-bill-to-create-statewide-apprenticeship-grant-program","mediaUrl","https://secure.pipeline.soar.com/6125988-9a3458349a5f94ee1a2402ed569c1f12/orig.mp4?Expires=1770858398&Signature=a8xBvajFO9WyYcWIPGparYW6BYiKv06KyJswt4CUcTZOptuSr2rZ6xbhspbDVKB1YwyMNWgWRAIXIlfEGeiozTwqsLRR~rPN1b9dKtOFP6DdbuiFOd8uDc9a6QpVXIPIz-nz4VCHx055o5uhXqDyvEEaBD~oSmzGOEOD3mOKLNKwIMRNsQh4Yyc5smiNbpMg0~517p6~SI8iQn-WKFjedNhs-MAn7tZraKVwlQB4GmDJc15obTrZRSPih1dPGBC-wOkTsNCMYAww~C8O77zbjtV6uis6KAXrmjHESBZDnrlTPApxyiE9KnSzwHy1I0Kn4NFSrV3JPyF0xs0Tz8~1GA__&Key-Pair-Id=KUT5TJCACFTXG","author","North Dakota State Legislature","date","2025-03-18T00:00:00Z","article","Senate Bill 2,239, introduced by Sen. Josh Baucher, would create a state grant program to help North Dakotans pay startup costs for registered apprenticeships.

Senator Josh Baucher, sponsor of the bill, told the House Industry, Business and Labor Committee the program is intended to complement a recent expansion of the North Dakota scholarship by helping people who do not qualify for that scholarship access apprenticeships. “As the newly enacted statute was implemented, it was realized that many of the students who wished to access the North Dakota scholarship for their registered apprenticeship did not qualify for the scholarship,” Baucher said. He cited the 3.0 GPA requirement as a barrier for some students and described the proposed grant as a separate tool to grow apprenticeship opportunities statewide.

The bill would appropriate $1.1 million from the general fund for the program and set a $3,000 maximum award per recipient within a three‑year period. Baucher said the $1.1 million as drafted is intended for grants to participants; administrative funding was contemplated with the creation of an Office of Apprenticeship that did not materialize after House Bill 1036 failed to pass.

Supporters at the hearing said apprenticeships help address workforce shortages. Laura Mayer, government affairs specialist for the Greater North Dakota Chamber, said businesses large and small view apprenticeships as a workforce tool and the chamber “stands in support of Senate Bill 22‑39.”

The committee also heard concerns about which agency should administer the program. Zachary Greenberg, interim commissioner of the North Dakota Department of Labor and Human Rights, urged the committee not to place the program in his department. Greenberg described the department as “a regulatory and compliance agency” focused on enforcing state labor laws, investigating discrimination claims and ensuring wage‑and‑hour compliance. He told the committee the department lacks workforce‑development infrastructure and staff to administer a grant program and said placing the grant program there could create a conflict of interest if the department both awarded grants and later investigated employer complaints related to those grants.

Baucher and committee members discussed alternatives. Baucher listed state agencies that had been contacted — Job Service North Dakota, the Department of Commerce, and the Department of Career and Technical Education — but said each has competing session priorities and no final decision had been reached. He asked the committee for time to continue discussions with those agencies and indicated he would report back within a week.

Committee members asked how awards would be structured and whether recipients would be required to remain employed in North Dakota. Baucher said the bill directs the host agency to adopt rules and that the agency could include conditions such as clawbacks or minimum work commitments modeled on existing program rules if the committee wished. He said apprenticeships are paid positions with graduated pay as participants advance.

No formal committee vote was taken on Senate Bill 2,239 during the hearing. The sponsor and department officials indicated follow‑up discussions on host agency placement and administrative details would continue before any final committee action.

Questions and answers at the hearing also produced these clarifying points: the $1.1 million in the draft is primarily for participant grants (the bill does not earmark a separate administrative line unless the committee amends it); the proposed $3,000 cap is a total per recipient within three years (to be applied flexibly by rule); and the North Dakota scholarship’s 3.0 GPA requirement had excluded some apprenticeship candidates from the scholarship this bill aims to serve.

The committee left the record open for additional agency coordination; Baucher said he would report back after further conversations with potential host agencies.","mediaType","Video","parentTitle","House Industry, Business and Labor Tuesday, Mar 18, 2025 9:25 AM - 11:34 AM","oneSentenceSummary","Senate Bill 2,239, introduced by Sen. Josh Baucher, would create a state grant program to help North Dakotans pay startup costs for registered apprenticeships.","taxTitle","Industry, Business and Labor, House of Representatives, Legislative, North Dakota","taxId",28894,"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},6125981,"Committee hears debate on moving state employee health plan from ‘grandfathered’ status; third‑plan option proposed",758,5840590,6599170,"/Search/View?dp=1&key=2674133-191156a75e36248a90beacc14ca9d67f&start=5840&end=6599","https://assets.pipeline.soar.com/2674133-191156a75e36248a90beacc14ca9d67f/thumbnail_5840590.jpg","/articles/6125981/North-Dakota/Committee-hears-debate-on-moving-state-employee-health-plan-from-grandfathered-status-thirdplan-option-proposed","https://secure.pipeline.soar.com/6125981-f7165b31d03baca90fc437c8d7fb96e0/orig.mp4?Expires=1770858398&Signature=jVebDa0w7QxAoOQQ7v-ulR7dBzqGERvtA1dAkdAT913Q7-yRJLD7bfn31gYucJePBRXF3VIGiVk9O9guMX6FlPwkdHfWZuz0ttOfvPdcxmJBrUJARGBBuNGu73lttIuDGTNiA06EzprA0bXDS8SN0ORT81VlLOtv1iOtXczI2HENxkllMUisadq7xUWvTZ8pQsaR-eb951Guca8l77u2dCkt-3fo1WjHTq3bFvJKF5pbMvK69nOErkCxg-x0emC~bh2hQbFKIWOSwqzcUdrai8dgGmyqvBhuQW7cHAIv4wG9goMfLte0fna7w5vu4IdzEFGWud8GmluT6vyNuJHcwA__&Key-Pair-Id=KUT5TJCACFTXG","The House Industry, Business and Labor Committee reopened the hearing on Senate Bill 2,160, concerning changes to the PERS state employee health plan and whether the plan should remain grandfathered under the Affordable Care Act or move to a non‑grandfathered (ACA‑compliant) design.

Rebecca Frikey, executive director of the Public Employees Retirement System, told the committee that PERS currently administers two plan options for active permanent state employees: a grandfathered PPO basic plan and a high‑deductible, non‑grandfathered plan paired with a health savings account. Frikey said the bill as introduced would move the entire state plan to a non‑grandfathered design and that doing so would have fiscal and operational implications. She described the high‑deductible plan as an existing non‑grandfathered option employees can elect and said the state has historically chosen to keep the grandfathered plan to avoid some ACA‑mandated coverage costs.

Committee members asked whether the state could offer a third plan option — keeping the grandfathered plan while making an optional ACA‑compliant plan available to employees who would pay the premium differential. Frikey said PERS already has a non‑grandfathered PPO basic plan in place for one employer group and that, administratively, PERS could offer a third option if the legislature instructed it to do so. She offered to resurrect comparative plan charts used in prior sessions to inform the committee about benefit differences and potential employee premium impacts.

Molly Harrington, chief people officer and director of human resources management services at the Office of Management and Budget, testified in opposition to replacing the grandfathered plan. Harrington said OMB and the governor’s office are concerned about burdening future legislatures with ongoing costs if the state adopted a mandatory ACA‑compliant plan without clear funding. She presented survey results showing fully paid health insurance is the most important benefit to state employees and recommended the committee consider a third plan option so employees who value ACA‑mandated benefits may elect that coverage and pay any premium differential.

John Arnold, deputy insurance commissioner, testified as an employer and supported offering a third option to aid recruitment and retention for state agencies. He told the committee the Insurance Department has lost prospective hires who preferred ACA‑compliant employer coverage and urged the committee to consider flexibility that lets employees select the coverage that best fits their family needs.

Committee members asked technical questions that produced additional clarifications: under grandfathered plan rules the state may increase employee premium share up to a cumulative 5% threshold measured from March 2010 levels; many political subdivisions (the majority of which have fewer than 51 employees) cannot join a non‑grandfathered plan applicable to large employers and could lose access to PERS coverage if grandfathered status were lost; and a third plan option previously proposed would have required employees to pay the premium difference and was modeled in prior session materials.

No committee vote was taken. Committee members asked PERS to provide side‑by‑side plan comparison charts and additional fiscal detail before the committee takes further action.

Key clarifying details from the hearing: PERS currently administers a grandfathered PPO basic plan and a high‑deductible non‑grandfathered plan; $0 to the state premium differential was modeled in a prior bill by having employees pay any additional premium for a non‑grandfathered option; political subdivisions with fewer than 51 employees generally cannot participate in the non‑grandfathered option available to larger employer groups; and the grandfathered plan carries a statutory premium‑sharing cap tied to March 2010 contributions (the 5% cap reference in testimony).","The House Industry, Business and Labor Committee reopened the hearing on Senate Bill 2,160 to consider whether PERS should move the state employee health plan from grandfathered status to an ACA‑compliant design or instead offer a third plan option.",{"_33":89,"_35":36,"_37":38,"_39":90,"_41":91,"_43":92,"_45":93,"_47":94,"_49":95,"_51":96,"_53":97,"_55":56,"_57":58,"_59":98,"_61":62,"_63":64,"_65":99,"_67":68,"_69":70,"_71":72,"_73":74,"_75":74},6125984,"House committee advances sweeping dental regulation update after extensive stakeholder process",3236,2031515,5268060,"/Search/View?dp=1&key=2674133-191156a75e36248a90beacc14ca9d67f&start=2031&end=5268","https://assets.pipeline.soar.com/2674133-191156a75e36248a90beacc14ca9d67f/thumbnail_2031515.jpg","/articles/6125984/North-Dakota/House-committee-advances-sweeping-dental-regulation-update-after-extensive-stakeholder-process","https://secure.pipeline.soar.com/6125984-680fcd081ce317b6d80ea80eaf0646f5/orig.mp4?Expires=1770858398&Signature=lo9Fh2rosV6pR~lEAzcNRBdpgfaZ-ikhx-NKkRiXFNDhQ83xBkgtN5CcZFajuLDknq8cvjon0Sutw3JZFelhZUWIeBhjOZ5z8ekjAS9n6yUAKbhCoQvDGQ5mHEKTrx0fLGhEOkFZXMoiW3pDRnsATnVP5eVfjRBwWnrGL~a2vkjJi0qgxgwS-qgInsbSEOr53JD1gDeh-5gT179LzMWgbtLY9XMsML8m61u-bViy-wxbP1nuhCht2tdgxFIYf2fxmjRQnvyr9OhE8LVa-Kbdp-PqnZSGWUoEYcIlqWEIbKB1n1AnM9aU673IQrcI3p39Q26vdPDaLVwGMwWbi~uNcQ__&Key-Pair-Id=KUT5TJCACFTXG","The House Industry, Business and Labor Committee voted to recommend passage of Senate Bill 2,217, a comprehensive update to North Dakota’s dental practice statutes and administrative practices.

Representative Casper moved a do‑pass recommendation on the bill; Representative Ruby seconded. The committee recorded a roll‑call recommendation of 11‑0 with three members absent. The bill’s sponsor is Sen. Sean Cleary; the board’s executive director David Shibley and other stakeholders testified in support.

David Shibley, executive director of the North Dakota State Board of Dental Examiners, outlined what he described as a two‑year stakeholder process that produced both administrative‑rule changes (effective Oct. 1) and the statutory amendments now before the legislature. He said the board reached out to national associations, the North Dakota Dental Association, dental‑education programs, consumer members and other licensing boards to identify statutory and rule provisions that exacerbate workforce shortages.

Shibley identified several major provisions of the bill: expanded scope of practice and new licensure pathways for dental assistants and hygienists; volunteer licensure to permit out‑of‑state or retired professionals to participate in short charitable events; authority for hygienists to administer local anesthetic when delegated by a dentist (closed a pediatric efficiency gap); a confidential professional health program for dental professionals with substance‑use or mental‑health concerns; streamlined licensure for out‑of‑state practitioners and military spouses; and administrative fixes to board appointment timing and quorum language.

Shibley said the board’s recent rule changes already produced immediate workforce gains: “in the first three months of those rules taking effect, we’ve licensed 12 new dental assistants who can take x‑rays who couldn’t before,” increasing capacity to see patients.

Several dental professionals testified in support. Edward May, an oral and maxillofacial surgeon from West Fargo who identified himself as a professional in recovery, urged the board’s access to a professional health program and described personal experience with recovery programs. “Having access to a professional health program, I feel, will help many people,” May said, adding the program offers confidential treatment and a path to continue practicing if participants comply with program terms.

William Sherwin, executive director of the North Dakota Dental Association, and other dentists and educators described workforce shortages and supported the statute and rule updates as overdue.

Committee members asked targeted questions. Representatives sought clarification on volunteer licensure procedures for short events, how the board would handle licensing of military spouses and out‑of‑state practitioners, the board’s special‑funded status (fees from licensees rather than general funds), and the board’s proposed authority to recover investigator costs in protracted disciplinary cases (which the board said would require an administrative law judge determination before any cost recoupment).

Shibley described the volunteer licensure pathway as a limited, supervised authorization used for short charitable clinics such as Mission of Mercy events, and noted the bill expands that pathway to hygienists as well as dentists. He described board‑appointment‑term language designed to avoid large simultaneous expirations and to align quorum rules with open‑meetings law.

Representative Casper moved the do‑pass recommendation on the bill and the committee approved it by roll call. The committee’s clerk recorded the motion and a roll call tally of 11 yes, 0 no, 3 absent. The committee assigned a carry to Representative Ashley for floor consideration.

The bill contains many statutory changes (more than 30 sections by Shibley’s count). Shibley and supporters said the combination of administrative rule changes already made and the statutory updates in the bill would create multiple near‑term workforce gains while strengthening patient protections.

Votes at a glance:
- Motion: Do pass on Senate Bill 2,217. Mover: Representative Casper. Second: Representative Ruby. Tally: Yes 11, No 0, Absent 3. Outcome: committee recommendation to pass.

The bill will proceed to further House action with a committee carry for floor consideration.","The House Industry, Business and Labor Committee voted to recommend passage of Senate Bill 2,217, a comprehensive update to North Dakota dental laws that the dental board says is aimed at easing workforce shortages, modernizing practice rules and adding a confidential professional health program for dental professionals.","actionData","errors"]

Article not found

House panel hears bill to create statewide apprenticeship grant program

Committee hears debate on moving state employee health plan from ‘grandfathered’ status; third‑plan option proposed

House committee advances sweeping dental regulation update after extensive stakeholder process