Chairman Koppelman opened the conference committee on House Bill 1298 and led lawmakers through discussion focusing on changes to speeding fines, driver-license points and provisions authorizing 80 mph speed limits and variable speed-limit signs.

The discussion centered on whether to simplify and raise speeding fines (one proposal would charge $5 per mile over the speed limit), how to handle doubling of local fines in some jurisdictions, and whether to pursue an interim study of the points system. Chairman Koppelman said past conference work had increased points for distracted driving "from 0 to 2 points" as part of an earlier compromise.

Senator Rummel said she had reviewed the North Dakota Highway Patrol policy and provided it to committee members, noting the patrol "addressed this issue extensively in their policy manual as to how they would approach this." Rummel told the committee the patrol treats separate violations as separate charges but exercises discretion and generally prioritizes criminal offenses over moving and nonmoving violations.

Representative Dressler said members from the House had raised concerns that some changes would "be a quadrupling no matter where," referring to how fines could increase in certain brackets. Dressler and others discussed tailoring higher penalties for lower-speed (residential) zones where collisions cause more collateral harm, while leaving interstate penalties roughly as they are.

Senator Klein said the Senate tends to pass such changes but that "the house just said it's never had an appetite to change anything," describing the political challenge of moving a significant fine or points package through both chambers. Several conferees suggested compromises such as a smaller per-mile increase (for example, $3 per mile) or a two-tier table that raises penalties more steeply at certain thresholds.

Members also discussed how local practices that double fines in some cities affect rural drivers differently. Representative Morton said the current system is "broken" because whether a fine doubles can depend on whether the stop is made by city police, a sheriff, or the highway patrol.

There were repeated calls for targeted changes rather than debating every entry on the violation list. Senator Rummel and others proposed identifying a short list of 3–5 high-priority violations (for example, distracted driving) for changes to points, and sending the remainder to a study. Rummel said she already had a study proposal drafted and would share it with the committee.

No formal motions or roll-call votes were recorded in the transcript. Chairman Koppelman said he planned to work with interested members between meetings to draft compromise language the committee could agree on before returning to conference.

The committee adjourned with plans to meet again later the same day.