The North Dakota House adopted the conference committee report on House Bill 13-69, the per-pupil payment funding bill, after debate over the level of increases, teacher recruitment and construction financing.

Representative Navey noted the bill’s cost and the per-pupil payment figures: the first-year rate and the second-year rate are reflected in the bill text (pages cited during floor remarks). The conference committee removed a proposed stabilization-fund construction loan and instead relied on the Coal Development Trust Fund for school construction assistance; the committee echoed precedent in prior use of that trust to support school construction. The committee report also established caps and eligibility rules for construction grants and loans and included provisions to support school districts serving Air National Guard and Air Force base communities.

Several members expressed disappointment the package did not provide larger teacher pay increases or additional recruitment and retention programs. Representative Longmeer and Representative Jonas said the bill misses a chance to do more for rural schools and teacher pay; Representative Nathie said revenue constraints limited the conference committee’s ability to move to higher increases and urged future action if revenues improve.

Floor action and outcome: The conference committee report was adopted and the House later passed House Bill 13-69. The final recorded vote on the conference motion was 63 yeas and 26 nays; on final passage the bill was declared passed with the emergency clause failing (final passage tally recorded as 61 yeas, 27 nays earlier in the transcript for this item and the emergency clause failed). The conference report removed a prior-school-construction revolving-loan proposal and used the Coal Development Trust Fund as the financing vehicle.

Why it matters: The bill sets the per-pupil payment increases that feed into school district budgets statewide and creates a mechanism for school construction assistance tied to the Coal Development Trust Fund; it also reflects continued legislative debate about teacher pay, rural school funding and long-term education priorities.

What remains unsettled: Some members urged revisiting teacher compensation and the per-pupil funding levels in future sessions depending on revenue forecasts; districts planning construction and renovation projects will need to follow the new eligibility and cap rules in the enacted statute.