Title 54 — State Government

The workforce enhancement fund is a special fund in the state treasury. All funds in the workforce enhancement fund are appropriated to the department of commerce on a continuing basis for the purpose of implementing and administering sections 54-60-21 and 54-60-22. Interest earn…

1. The commissioner shall administer the rural development office. The purpose of the office is to assist in the development of rural North Dakota communities. 2. The commissioner may contract with a third party for the provision of services for the rural development office. If t…

Repealed by S.L. 2025, ch. 479, § 39. 54-60-26. Division of workforce development - Annual reports - North Dakota workforce development council - Budget acceptance. 1. Annually, job service North Dakota, the department of career and technical education, the department, and the st…

1. The department may operate and administer an uncrewed aircraft systems test site, contingent upon receiving official designation by the federal aviation administration. The department may cooperate and contract with the university of North Dakota, the North Dakota aeronautics …

1. There is created in the state treasury a special fund known as the uncrewed aircraft systems fund, which may be used to defray the expenses of the: a. Operations of an uncrewed aircraft systems test site officially designated by the federal aviation administration; b. Beyond v…

At the discretion of each political subdivision, the department shall act on behalf of political subdivisions to deliver a consolidated response to the boundary and annexation survey and provide legal boundary geography data to the United States census bureau. The department shal…

There is created a global talent office within the department of commerce. Employees of the global talent office report to the commissioner. The global talent office: 1. Shall develop and implement a statewide strategy to support businesses in recruiting and retaining foreign lab…

The department may award grants to regional planning councils under chapter 54-40.1 to support local and regional implementation of state-authorized programs and initiatives, including housing, regional workforce, rural catalyst, local food and grocery, and other state-authorized…

The department shall compile a report regarding grant programs administered by the department, excluding federally funded programs, to be provided semiannually to the budget section. The report must include the following for each grant program: 1. The purpose of the grant program…

1. The commission on legal counsel for indigents is established for the purpose of developing and monitoring a process for the delivery of state-funded legal counsel services for indigents which are required under the Constitution of North Dakota and the United States Constitutio…

1. The commission shall: a. Develop standards governing the delivery of indigent defense services, including: (1) Standards governing eligibility for indigent defense services; (2) Standards for maintaining and operating regional public defender offices if established; (3) Standa…

The commission on legal counsel for indigents shall contract for public defender services at a minimum level of fifty percent of its biennial caseload.

1. The commission shall appoint a director who must be chosen on the basis of training, experience, and other qualifications considered appropriate. The director must be an attorney licensed and eligible to practice law in this state at the time of appointment and at all times du…

Except as otherwise provided in this section, any file, record, or information regarding representation of a party under sections 54-61-01 through 54-61-03 which is attorney work-product or otherwise subject to any attorney-client privilege is confidential and may not be disclose…

The commission may require a volunteer or final applicant for employment to submit to a statewide and nationwide criminal history record check. The nationwide criminal history record check must be conducted in the manner provided in section 12-60-24.

The office of faith-based and community initiatives is established within the department of commerce. The office of faith-based and community initiatives has lead responsibility to establish policies, priorities, and objectives for the state's comprehensive effort to enlist, equi…

The principal functions of the office of faith-based and community initiatives are to: 1. Develop, lead, and coordinate the state's policy agenda affecting faith-based and community programs and initiatives; expand the role of those efforts in communities; and increase their capa…

Repealed by S.L. 2013, ch. 177, § 4.

As used in this chapter, "advanced biofuel" means fuel derived from renewable biomass and includes: 1. Biofuel derived from cellulose, hemicellulose, or lignin; 2. Biofuel derived from sugar and starch other than ethanol derived from corn kernel starch; 3. Biofuel derived from wa…

The industrial commission shall consult with the renewable energy council in matters of policy affecting the administration of the renewable energy development fund. 1. The renewable energy council consists of: a. The commissioner of commerce or the commissioner's designee. b. A …

1. Materials and data submitted to, or made or received by, the council or industrial commission, to the extent that the council or industrial commission determines the materials or data consist of trade secrets or commercial, financial, or proprietary information of individuals …

1. The industrial commission may: a. Make grants or loans, and provide other forms of financial assistance as necessary or appropriate, to qualified persons for funding research, development, marketing, and educational projects or activities, feasibility studies, applied research…

The renewable energy development fund is a special fund in the state treasury. All funds in the renewable energy development fund are appropriated to the industrial commission on a continuing basis for the purpose of carrying out and effectuating this chapter. Interest earned by …

In this chapter, unless the context otherwise requires: 1. "Community action agency" has the meaning as provided in section 54-44.5-01. 2. "Division" means the department of commerce division of community services. 3. "Eligible educational institution" means a division-approved i…

The division shall allocate state funds to participating community action agencies to provide matching funds for eligible individual development accounts. The division shall allocate funds to achieve geographic balance in the eight regions served by this program. The division sha…

In order to be eligible to participate in this program, a community action agency shall: 1. Provide a separate account for the immediate deposit of program funds; 2. Establish a process to select participants and describe any priorities for participation; 3. Enter an individual d…

To be eligible for matching funds under this chapter, a household: 1. Shall sign an individual development account agreement that includes the amount of scheduled deposits into the household's individual development account, the proposed use of the funds, and the proposed savings…

1. To receive a match, a participating household must transfer funds withdrawn from the household's individual development account to the household's matching fund custodial account held by the community action agency, according to the individual development account agreement. Th…

A state-administered, means-tested program may not adversely consider a household's individual development account savings and matching funds in determining eligibility for the program.

Quarterly, the fiscal agent on behalf of each community action agency participating in a North Dakota individual development account under this chapter shall report to the division, identifying the participants with accounts; the number of accounts; the amount of savings and matc…

As used in this chapter, unless the context otherwise requires: 1. "Complainant" means an individual who, in writing or verbally, submits a complaint to the commission and is: a. A North Dakota resident; b. Subject to licensing by a state agency or other public official subject t…

1. A lobbyist who expends an amount greater than two hundred dollars to lobby shall file with the secretary of state a report that includes the known ultimate and true source of funds for the expenditure. The report must be filed with the lobbyist expenditure report required unde…

1. A lobbyist may not give, offer, solicit, initiate, or facilitate a gift knowingly to a public official, and a public official may not accept a gift from a lobbyist knowingly. 2. The prohibition in subsection 1 does not apply when a lobbyist gives, offers, solicits, initiates, …

The commission may delegate duties to the commission's executive director as necessary to assure the efficient administration of the commission's responsibilities. Delegation of duties to the executive director must be made through rules adopted by the commission at a public meet…

1. In response to a request from a public official, candidate for elected office, or lobbyist, the ethics commission may provide a written advisory opinion regarding the application of the following to specified hypothetical facts or prospective conduct: a. Article XIV of the Con…

1. A complaint may be made to the commission orally or in writing. If a complainant does not provide the complainant's name, address, and telephone number with the complaint, the ethics commission may not investigate or take other action regarding the complaint. The commission sh…

The commission shall attempt to negotiate or mediate an informal resolution between the respondent and the complainant unless the commission summarily dismissed the complaint under section 54-66-05. The respondent may be accompanied by legal counsel in a negotiation or mediation.…

1. If an informal resolution is not reached under section 54-66-07, the ethics commission may: a. Dismiss the complaint; b. Require ethics commission staff to investigate the allegations in the complaint; or c. Engage an outside investigator to investigate allegations in the comp…

1. An investigator, other than a law enforcement agency, of a complaint shall provide written findings of the investigation to the ethics commission within a reasonable amount of time. The ethics commission shall provide copies of the written findings and evidence considered to t…

A respondent may appeal a finding of the ethics commission to the district court of the county where the respondent resides.

The commission shall adopt rules for the efficient and timely disposition of complaints from receipt to resolution.

When adopting rules, the ethics commission shall follow the provisions in chapter 28-32 which are specifically applicable to the commission.

1. The following information is a confidential record as defined in section 44-04-17.1, unless the commission has determined the respondent violated article XIV of the Constitution of North Dakota, this chapter, or another law or rule regarding transparency, corruption, elections…

A knowing violation of subsection 2 of section 2 of article XIV of the Constitution of North Dakota is a class A misdemeanor. The ethics commission shall assess a civil penalty of up to one thousand dollars on any individual who knowingly violates the subsection.

The attorney general shall serve as legal counsel for the commission unless the commission objects to representation by the attorney general in a specific matter. When a conflict of interest prevents the attorney general from providing legal services to the commission, the attorn…

A lobbyist may not deliver knowingly a campaign contribution made by another person in violation of subsection 3 of section 2 of article XIV of the Constitution of North Dakota. For a first violation, the commission may assess a civil penalty of five hundred dollars upon any indi…

1. An ethics commission member may be removed from office for: a. Substantial neglect of duty; b. Gross misconduct in office; c. Violation of the commission's code of ethics; or d. Willful or habitual neglect or refusal to perform the duties of the member. 2. Removal of an ethics…

For purposes of subsection 5 of section 2 of article XIV of the Constitution of North Dakota, an individual is not disqualified from participating in any capacity in a quasi-judicial proceeding, including an adjudicative proceeding under chapter 28-32, due to an investment in a m…

1. Each legislative assembly shall adopt conflict of interest rules. The rules must: a. Require the disclosure by a member of a potential conflict of interest relating to any bill in which the member may have a unique and individual interest. b. Ensure a mechanism is in place to …

1. The ethics commission shall prepare an annual report each fiscal year. The ethics commission shall make the annual report available on its public website within sixty days of the end of each fiscal year. 2. The annual report must include: a. The number of complaints received b…