The Appropriations - Education and Environment Division heard an overview of House Bill 1600, which would establish an immigration law clinic at the University of North Dakota Law School and provide funding, but committee members set the bill aside for further review and agreed to take it up the next day.

Representative Emily O'Brien, sponsor on the House side, told the committee the proposal would set up a clinic at UND to train law students while providing immigration services to employers and clients. "Right now, we only have, 4 immigration attorneys in the state," she said, and the clinic would “educate students” and help employers who need specialized visas.

Committee members pressed for details about staffing, services and costs. A senator asked whether the UND‑employed attorney would both teach students and work on client cases; Representative O'Brien said yes, explaining the full‑time staff attorney would supervise clinical cases and teach, and that "the university in the bill draft ... can charge fees as well from the employers," though the bill calls them "nominal fees." She also noted some immigration matters can take several years to conclude.

Members identified an appropriation in the draft and asked about its scope. A committee member characterized section 3 as appropriating $400,000 for the biennium ending June 30, 2027, and described the proposal as a trial run to see whether the program should continue. The bill contains a reporting requirement, though the committee discussion did not clarify the report's exact frequency.

Committee members raised implementation questions: why the appropriation is routed to the Office of Management and Budget rather than directly to UND, how many cases students could handle, and whether nominal fees would sufficiently cover costs. One senator said lawyers who practice immigration law had been "in support and ... helped draft the language of the bill." Another suggested specifying whether the program should be a one‑time pilot or ongoing; members discussed that hiring and building a clinic could take more than one biennium to evaluate.

After questioning, the committee did not vote on the bill. Members agreed to hold further conversation and to take the bill up again the following day.