[{"_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",6131799,"mediaKeyId","5728031-f6a108b5deddfdab4d33e931d55ad8bb","parentId",5728031,"title","Interim committee launches study of accessibility for people who are deaf, hard of hearing or have hearing differences","audioSeconds",1547,"startMs",2290000,"endMs",3837000,"viewUrl","/Search/View?dp=1&key=5728031-f6a108b5deddfdab4d33e931d55ad8bb&start=2290&end=3837","thumbnailUrl","https://assets.pipeline.soar.com/5728031-f6a108b5deddfdab4d33e931d55ad8bb/thumbnail_2290000.jpg","articleUrl","/articles/6131799/North-Dakota/Interim-committee-launches-study-of-accessibility-for-people-who-are-deaf-hard-of-hearing-or-have-hearing-differences","mediaUrl","https://secure.pipeline.soar.com/6131799-bd6ac35e909496d2e9575cd6c5aeeca4/orig.mp4?Expires=1770424843&Signature=Kxf2aePzANHBWWzyubifheI4YEBX5acR5RoWQTXVf1jCknDX-M2Cm3lTUUmjE721FhdZ9XWA01-JpUyzLwdPVRFfelfHYfKjjY5ywZZVyRTEtVnSEWnPNXCcCFBYvCWGXGOCExEQZMIJAC1K5YKqtxO8u6GmcAq9DdD~SnxqEVnDXhwdRGPvUyhDNb9z6V4n-269-1gSwJPlmsMe6RiL9KgveSWQ8lowP0AYMj8m5QCtAt2P3HS5whbxRxb3FhqGGeAbj~cFwYr6ZH75fMmwKf46NCt8yHJdM6ACM1ndC25QdPbYSeC3qe--4dqpQCTWLgBlx6jgK0QmnX3cEyS5LQ__&Key-Pair-Id=KUT5TJCACFTXG","author","North Dakota Legislature","date","2025-09-04T00:00:00Z","article","The Human Services Interim Committee opened a legislatively mandated study of accessibility for people who are deaf, hard of hearing or have hearing differences, receiving a background memorandum and briefings from state and nonprofit specialists on federal obligations, state services and assistive technology.

Why it matters: The 2025 Legislature directed a study of state and local government compliance with the Americans with Disabilities Act and other statutes, and asked the committee to identify barriers to effective communication and strategies for improvement. Witnesses emphasized that accessible communication affects access to public benefits, health care, education and court proceedings.

What the committee heard

Zach Greenberg, commissioner of the Department of Labor and Human Rights, reviewed the relevant legal framework. He reminded the panel that Title II of the Americans with Disabilities Act requires effective communication for people with communication disabilities and that auxiliary aids and services — for example interpreters, captioning or accessible technology — must be provided in the person’s preferred mode of communication or in a reasonable alternative. Greenberg said the department enforces nondiscrimination laws, investigates complaints and provides education and outreach to agencies and employers.

Kathy Freilich of the North Dakota School for the Deaf (NDSD) gave an overview of the school’s statewide resource role. She noted the state’s earlier 2009 legislative action that expanded the school’s role as a statewide resource and the importance of early language development for children who are deaf. “We need to start that process of language development before the age of 3,” Freilich said, underscoring the long‑term effects of early intervention and the need for timely referrals.

Mike (executive director) and Tammy Turnus of North Dakota Assistive demonstrated assistive devices and accessibility features that are currently available, including smartphone real‑time transcription apps, flip‑screen captioning tools that can display live text for meetings, pocket amplifiers and alerting systems that flash or shake a bed for people who cannot hear alarms. Tammy Turnus showed a live transcription app paired to a portable monitor to illustrate how real‑time captioning can be used for meetings or clinical encounters.

Key takeaways and gaps

Speakers and the committee identified several recurring barriers:

- A shortage of licensed American Sign Language interpreters in North Dakota (testimony placed the licensed interpreter pool in the low double digits), which limits in‑person interpreting options for courts, hospitals and large meetings. NDSD staff and other witnesses said interpreter availability is a statewide bottleneck.

- Limited internet or device access in some homes and facilities can prevent use of video‑relay services and real‑time captioning tools.

- Confusion about agency responsibilities and inconsistent accommodation procedures across state and local offices. Commissioner Greenberg suggested a statewide effective‑communication policy, clearer ADA guidance and regular training of agency ADA coordinators.

- Gaps in early identification and referral for children with hearing loss. NDSD presenters said timely referrals for services and language development programs are crucial for long‑term outcomes.

Next steps

The committee’s study language requires input from the Department of Labor and Human Rights, Department of Health and Human Services, the NDSD, interpreters and assistive‑technology providers. Committee staff will assemble written material and plan hearings that allow providers, educators, interpreters and consumers to testify. Committee members asked staff to assemble a master list of agency ADA coordinators and to gather examples of successful models from other states.

No formal policy actions or votes were taken at the hearing. Witnesses asked the committee to consider funding and policy steps that would support interpreter recruitment, technology adoption and training for public employees.","mediaType","Video","parentTitle","Human Services Committee Sep 4, 2025","oneSentenceSummary","The Human Services Interim Committee opened a legislatively required study of accessibility for people who are deaf, hard of hearing or have hearing differences, receiving testimony from the Department of Labor and Human Rights, North Dakota School for the Deaf and North Dakota Assistive on law, schooling and assistive technology.","taxTitle","Legislative, North Dakota","taxId",28306,"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},6131804,"Legislative interim committee opens statewide homelessness study after multi‑agency briefings",5889,791000,6680000,"/Search/View?dp=1&key=5728031-f6a108b5deddfdab4d33e931d55ad8bb&start=791&end=6680","https://assets.pipeline.soar.com/5728031-f6a108b5deddfdab4d33e931d55ad8bb/thumbnail_791000.jpg","/articles/6131804/North-Dakota/Legislative-interim-committee-opens-statewide-homelessness-study-after-multiagency-briefings","https://secure.pipeline.soar.com/6131804-5e7017d186545b7f75af87b42fbce893/orig.mp4?Expires=1770424843&Signature=iJGU9EEHxQkpV-65rtBkzmXer-zGeZYRH8uYEF3dZbvBEIovOlE~sdwIdRmMe-5mz5k6e6ksTtxSrncxwitvvBWiK3Ur2oHH5L-vcyTNRFA28FB7dLV~DCaH6Rd4lNNfDLcPH3or1aJxziqdhWfEKux9Of8M~0ueBeJAecc8cOc2KtowySAiMG1LpMvz~H8SCBXDZCiMUsuTCxdoY6ZFxDz~CXs8-TuD75wn1p0GiYgroUgOfdLCYbU~OmzSuV6qVsyElYAA1-Jn7SNP0368sAWKj5bBol4oYwKAt~OOdK8V4Wb3CKGWbgtOZoNNcGLUb4w~0B-fmdWaWf86FaeY0g__&Key-Pair-Id=KUT5TJCACFTXG","The North Dakota Legislative Management Human Services Interim Committee on Monday opened a months‑long study of homelessness after briefings from state agencies and community providers on the size of the population, funding available and where gaps remain.

Committee members heard data and program summaries from the North Dakota Housing Finance Agency; Department of Health and Human Services; the Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation; and community providers including the Center for Opportunity (Bismarck), Missouri Slope Area United Way’s Center for Opportunity and the Fargo‑Moorhead Coalition to End Homelessness.

The committee chair, Senator Keith Davison, said the panel would collect that information and “develop recommendations and any bill drafts necessary to implement the recommendations.” The committee’s next tentative meeting date mentioned during the session was Nov. 20.

Why it matters: Witnesses told the committee the state is seeing more people in crisis, a growing share of infants and toddlers seeking services and large variation across counties in the mix of shelter and in‑home providers. Those trends affect workforce participation, program costs and where limited state and federal dollars best can be spent to prevent or shorten episodes of homelessness.

What the agencies said

Jennifer Henderson, director of community housing and grants management at the North Dakota Housing Finance Agency (NDHFA), summarized federal and state housing supports used to address homelessness and the state’s continuum of care. Henderson said the NDHFA coordinates Emergency Solutions Grant (ESG), Continuum of Care (CoC) and state homeless grant dollars and that funding priorities in recent competitive awards shifted more toward rapid rehousing and homeless prevention when the Legislature provided a larger one‑time appropriation.

Henderson briefed the committee on program balances and recent appropriations: the housing incentive fund balance was reported as approximately $7.1 million on June 30, 2025, and the 2025 Legislature approved transfers, including roughly $9.85 million for homeless programs for the 2025–27 biennium and a $25 million transfer from the Strategic Investment Improvements Fund for housing projects. She told the committee that the NDHFA received roughly $486,005 in federal ESG funding for fiscal year 2025 and that the Continuum of Care allocation averaged about $3.3 million annually, among other figures.

Jessica Thomason, with the Department of Health and Human Services (DHHS), said state program experience with the “North Dakota Rent Help” rental assistance effort showed the program served roughly 31,000 unique households since May 2020. “We can document with certainty housing crisis and homelessness exists in a 100% of the counties in North Dakota,” Thomason said, and added that among households that applied to North Dakota Rent Help, about 13,000 were homeless at the time they applied and nearly one‑third included children under 18.

Thomason described how housing crisis can be episodic or chronic and said prevention interventions (eviction prevention, landlord mediation, targeted rental assistance and discharge planning from institutions) reduce the inflow into homelessness and thereby reduce total system costs.

Adam Anderson of the Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation (DOCR) told the committee DOCR records showed roughly 876 supervised parole or probation clients had been identified as homeless. He described DOCR reentry planning and said transitional residential partners are a key part of parole placements: “I can confidently stand up here today and say, we're not paroling anybody to homelessness,” Anderson said, noting this relies on contracts with transitional facilities that provide supervised placements and wraparound services.

Community providers and regional models

Jenna Gallo, executive director of Missouri Slope Area United Way, described the Center for Opportunity in Bismarck, a 24‑7 emergency shelter that opened a larger building in 2023. “We shelter approximately 100 different people each night,” Gallo said, and described onsite case management, behavioral health caseworkers and housing navigation that staff say reduced returns to homelessness for clients who receive comprehensive services.

Chandler Eslinger, executive director of the Fargo‑Moorhead Coalition to End Homelessness, described a regional “United to End Homelessness” initiative designed to identify people who are high users of emergency services and pair intensive case management and flexible housing supports. Eslinger summarized an approach to make homelessness “rare, brief and one time” by expanding prevention and rapid rehousing while also shortening shelter stays where they exist.

What the committee will do next

Committee staff and agency witnesses outlined a multi‑month plan for the study: the group will collect written materials, hold follow‑up hearings with agencies and providers, and use a public input process that includes surveys and regional meetings. Committee staff suggested the new advisory group created by the 2025 Legislature for childcare matters (a separate statutory requirement) will also be asked to supply membership and technical support where topics overlap with housing stability and workforce issues.

No formal votes or final policy actions were taken at the session. Committee members asked agencies for more granular data, including longitudinal counts and maps of where households with high housing cost burden and job concentrations overlap. Several members said they wanted more detailed counts for rural counties and for populations mentioned in testimony (children, veterans, people exiting institutions and tribal communities).

Ending note: The committee’s staff plan calls for monthly working sessions through spring so members can review program design, funding flows and evidence of effectiveness before preparing final recommendations to legislative management.

","The North Dakota Legislative Management Human Services Interim Committee on Monday opened a months‑long study of homelessness after briefings from the North Dakota Housing Finance Agency, Department of Health and Human Services, Department of Corrections and community providers on population counts, program funding and service gaps.",{"_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},6131796,"Committee opens review of child‑care licensing and program evaluation; staff map multi‑month approach",1097,3235000,4332000,"/Search/View?dp=1&key=5728031-f6a108b5deddfdab4d33e931d55ad8bb&start=3235&end=4332","https://assets.pipeline.soar.com/5728031-f6a108b5deddfdab4d33e931d55ad8bb/thumbnail_3235000.jpg","/articles/6131796/North-Dakota/Committee-opens-review-of-childcare-licensing-and-program-evaluation-staff-map-multimonth-approach","https://secure.pipeline.soar.com/6131796-9adf77c2a817ed8c50f05354c9e9aec5/orig.mp4?Expires=1770424843&Signature=YRViR3GWKB7f13bcEV5fALrGcGcCkmr93uaAfn7YU8fHi090EqhTKLzObYmgKKhlVO4OQwA8wtROPHspVVlTf6eN718K5BnM1vB8zWkq7Olxb7vcn1m-zegcdVCP7XgB2NrTAhh-d0r3l5AgfmKdrhSEw0oJAlC5jojaI4a5WrT7oezG~JDta~UCmHjQhQlWEopaPg4kAP6hgE5EcdScmmaaf2C4tqLXlCUUKNP~jKf-6KRacr3qGMH~~qgb-8t0WO87aUmJOAEwJvZxQwUDOlpob8p2~tgBCKsRNEHIWfGAykX5Id-dZSQ-VVkPbRuH-RC1o1HfwCjdPrZ21SE1Cw__&Key-Pair-Id=KUT5TJCACFTXG","The Human Services Interim Committee opened a program evaluation and licensing review of childcare services after Legislative Council staff presented background materials and Department of Health and Human Services (DHHS) officials outlined next steps for a multi‑month study.

Why it matters: The 2025 Legislature required both a program evaluation of childcare services and a targeted study of childcare provider licensing. Childcare policy affects public‑sector spending, the state’s workforce participation and the ability of parents to access affordable, quality care.

What committee members heard

Legislative Council staff summarized the statutory duties created by House Bill 1119 (2025). The bill directed a Legislative Council program evaluation of DHHS childcare services that will include a review of laws, administrative rules, licensing standards, funding sources and program outcomes. The legislation separately directed a study of childcare provider licensing, with input from DHHS and a new advisory committee.

Jessica Thomason of DHHS outlined the department’s proposed sequencing. DHHS staff described licensing workloads (about a dozen full‑time licensers, roughly 250 inspections a month) and said an automated background‑check system for childcare employees will go live soon. The department proposed an October–March calendar for a combined advisory committee and public/provider input process and suggested monthly meetings to produce recommendations for delivery to legislative management by June 30, 2026.

Numbers and capacity

Committee staff presented a snapshot of licensed capacity: about 38,182 licensed childcare spaces in August 2025 across ND, with a mix of center‑based and in‑home providers. Family and group home providers account for a majority of licensed programs but a smaller share of total licensed capacity, while larger centers represent fewer programs but a larger share of capacity.

The committee also reviewed state funding streams. The Child Care Development Fund (CCDF) is the primary federal funding source; North Dakota also uses state general‑fund appropriations for targeted grants and quality improvements. Committee members heard that the state had increased CCDF‑eligible income limits to 85% of state median income and that service usage — the number of families and children receiving childcare assistance — rose sharply following recent appropriations.

How the study will proceed

DHHS proposed a combined approach: staff will help convene the new advisory committee the law requires, hold joint DHHS/advisory meetings to review rule and policy crosswalks, collect provider input via regional meetings and surveys, and request technical submissions from Head Start, public schools, childcare resource and referral agencies, and tribal programs. Legislative Council and DHHS staff recommended forward‑looking measures in four domains — availability, affordability, quality and workforce impact — and asked for committee guidance on priorities for the program evaluation.

Committee actions and next steps

No formal board or legislative votes were held. Committee members asked Legislative Council and DHHS to (1) propose advisory‑committee membership lists to legislative management for appointment, (2) prepare a one‑page status summary for future meetings, and (3) coordinate a statewide provider input schedule that includes both in‑person and virtual options.

The committee indicated it will seek county‑level maps of licensed capacity, childcare deserts and wait lists, and requested additional analysis on the childcare assistance program’s “penetration rate” — the share of eligible children receiving assistance — and how the state’s recent investments have affected service access and affordability.

","The Human Services Interim Committee began a program evaluation of childcare services and a separate review of childcare licensing that the 2025 Legislature ordered. Committee staff and agency representatives outlined how the Department of Health and Human Services enforces licensing, how federal Child Care Development Fund rules affect state","actionData","errors"]

Article not found

Interim committee launches study of accessibility for people who are deaf, hard of hearing or have hearing differences

Legislative interim committee opens statewide homelessness study after multi‑agency briefings

Committee opens review of child‑care licensing and program evaluation; staff map multi‑month approach