The North Dakota House on the floor approved a package of bills Wednesday that included licensing and enforcement for pharmacy benefit managers (HB 15‑84), a state medical price‑transparency measure (HB 15‑94), and a move toward annual legislative sessions (HB 14‑08), among other measures. Several education, health and budget-related bills also passed; one education curriculum bill failed final passage.

Why it matters: the measures change oversight and disclosure rules for large health‑care intermediaries and hospitals, add state enforcement tools for price‑transparency requirements, alter how the Legislature will meet beginning in 2027, and address a range of education and public‑health topics that affect state agencies, providers and schools.

House Bill 15‑84 (pharmacy benefit managers): The chamber passed HB 15‑84 unanimously. Representative Casper, sponsor, described the bill as “an historic moment for North Dakota, our citizens and the pharmacy profession,” and outlined licensing, subpoena and penalty authorities for the insurance commissioner to regulate PBMs. The bill removes language that could implicitly reference ERISA plans to limit federal preemption risk, adds oversight of rebate aggregators and contract practices, and creates civil and administrative penalties for violations. Final recorded vote: 98 yeas, 0 nays. (Representative Casper; Industry, Business and Labor Committee discussion recorded.)

House Bill 15‑94 (medical cost transparency): The House passed HB 15‑94, aligning state requirements with federal hospital price‑transparency rules and giving the insurance commissioner enforcement authority and penalty tools. Representative Feigwey, speaking for the Human Services Committee, said the federal CMS requirements already require hospitals to disclose standard charges and negotiated rates and argued state enforcement would improve public access to pricing. Representative Hendricks urged members to support the measure, saying, “Transparency is not about price setting or additional burdens on providers. It is about accountability, fairness, and consumer empowerment.” Final recorded vote: 89 yeas, 1 nay.

House Bill 14‑08 (annual sessions): The chamber approved HB 14‑08 to move the Legislative Assembly to annual sessions beginning in 2027 while maintaining the constitutionally capped 80 legislative‑day limit. Sponsor Representative Veil said the change would increase fiscal responsiveness and provide more interim committee work; Representative Bale and others outlined mechanics that would leave scheduling details to legislative management. The House approved the bill 64 yeas, 26 nays; the effective date in the bill is January 1, 2027. The fiscal-note figures cited in committee: a general fund deduction of $2,917,380 in the 2025–27 biennium and a $2,334,180 increase in the 2027–29 biennium (as presented in the fiscal analysis).

Other notable measures (summary of action and brief context):
• HB 10‑64 (postsecondary institution standards / NC‑SARA membership): Passed 89 yeas, 1 nay. The bill clarifies distance‑education definitions, requires NC‑SARA membership unless an exemption applies, and adds consumer‑protection language after amendments to address concerns raised by out‑of‑state online universities.

• HB 11‑61 (funding for newly created full‑time positions at institutions under the State Board of Higher Education): Passed 74 yeas, 16 nays. The bill creates a central funding pool procedure to oversee and release funds for newly created or vacated positions, with reporting to the budget section.

• HB 10‑95 (child protective services liaisons in school districts): Passed 81 yeas, 9 nays. Sponsors said the liaison role would improve communication between schools and CPS; committee debate and testimony emphasized urgent child‑safety cases prompting the proposal.

• HB 13‑29 (study on a government spending database): Passed 81 yeas, 8 nays. The bill funds a legislative management study on feasibility and functionality of a searchable government spending database and included a one‑time $97,000 funding figure for the study.

• HB 15‑33 (financial literacy in high‑school curriculum): Passed 90 yeas, 0 nays. The amended bill requires school districts to offer financial‑literacy content, with options for course alignment.

• HB 15‑69 (human‑trafficking awareness curriculum): Failed 25 yeas, 65 nays. The Education Committee reported concerns about it being an unfunded mandate and bypassing established curriculum review and standards alignment.

• HB 15‑91 (county fair resiliency grants): Passed 74 yeas, 16 nays. The bill provides one‑time appropriation authority for grants up to $100,000 each (total $3,000,000) for fair infrastructure projects.

• HB 16‑12 (North Dakota Center for Aerospace Medicine / mental‑health support for aviators): Passed 82 yeas, 7 nays. Sponsors described the center as an UND‑based program to expand access to aviation medical examiners and mental‑health support for pilots; the bill carried a one‑time appropriation of $500,000 in committee.

• HB 15‑42 (confidentiality of student applications to higher‑education institutions): Passed 87 yeas, 2 nays; the bill includes an emergency clause. Committee sponsors said the bill fixes a confidentiality glitch in the open‑records statutes and board policy.

• HB 14‑73 (limitations on certain drug‑manufacturer practices tied to the federal 340B program): Passed 71 yeas, 17 nays. The bill seeks to bar manufacturers from imposing restrictions that conflict with HRSA’s 340B rules; sponsors argued the change protects rural hospitals and covered entities that rely on 340B savings for charity care and other services. Committee debate included testimony both urging state protection for covered entities and caution about attaching state criminal penalties to implementation of a federal program.

Votes at a glance (final recorded tallies): HB 15‑84 (PBM oversight) — 98‑0 (passed); HB 15‑94 (medical price transparency) — 89‑1 (passed); HB 10‑64 (postsecondary/NC‑SARA) — 89‑1 (passed); HB 10‑95 (CPS liaisons) — 81‑9 (passed); HB 11‑61 (higher‑ed positions funding) — 74‑16 (passed); HB 13‑29 (government spending database study) — 81‑8 (passed); HB 15‑33 (financial literacy) — 90‑0 (passed); HB 15‑69 (human‑trafficking curriculum) — 25‑65 (failed); HB 15‑91 (county fair resiliency grants) — 74‑16 (passed); HB 14‑08 (annual sessions) — 64‑26 (passed); HB 16‑12 (aerospace medicine center) — 82‑7 (passed); HB 15‑42 (student application confidentiality) — 87‑2 (passed; emergency clause carried); HB 14‑73 (340B-related restrictions on manufacturers) — 71‑17 (passed); HB 15‑56 (child‑protection/termination‑of‑parental‑rights language amendments) — 90‑0 (passed).

Discussion, direction, decisions: The record contains substantive committee reports and floor debate on multiple bills. Several sponsors said they worked with agencies or stakeholders to amend bills (for example, HB 15‑56 was amended with input from the Department of Health and Human Services). Committees frequently noted that details, fiscal notes, and implementation authority would require follow‑up work: legislative management, the insurance commissioner, the State Board of Higher Education, and agency rulemaking were all identified as implementation points. No bill text or committee reports were invented or assumed beyond what is reported on the floor.