North Dakota House passes campaign finance bill changing deadlines, donor disclosures – InForum
BISMARCK — The North Dakota House of Representatives on Friday, April 18, passed a number of changes to campaign finance disclosures.
Senate Bill 2156 was introduced by Sen. Sean Cleary, R-Bismarck, but has been amended by both the Senate and House since its introduction.
The version passed by the House solidifies reporting deadlines for political candidates, district parties and committees so they are based on dates — May 1, Oct. 1, and Jan. 1 — instead of a certain number of days before or after an election, with the exception of special elections.
It also raises the bar for when a contributor must be disclosed by a political candidate from those who donated $200 to those who have donated over $250 in aggregate during a reporting period. However, it makes it so the contributor no longer needs to be identified by their name and full address. Instead, they simply need to be identified by name, city and state.
The bill adds two new expenditure categories that can be used in reports — political donations and volunteer appreciation — and it changes fines for failing to submit a financial report on time. The fines for missing the first two deadlines were unchanged from Century Code, but the fine for filing over 11 days late would be raised by $300.
Candidates who file up to six days late would be fined $25; those who file between six and 11 days late would face a $50 fine; and filings more than 11 days late would result in a $500 fine.
The fine increase adopted by the House is less severe than the $100, $200 and $500 fines for failing to file on time passed by the Senate, and far less severe than the $100, $500 and $1,000 fines proposed originally by Cleary.
Rep. Vicky Steiner, R-Dickinson, said information on those who fail to pay their fines would be made publicly available as part of an incoming update to the Secretary of State’s website.
“We thought, ‘If there’s public disclosure, perhaps there would be pressure for that person to pay their fine,” Steiner said.
The changes to the reporting system would take effect on Jan. 1, 2026.
“This is going to make things much easier for us filers, much easier for contributors, and most importantly, easier for the public to look at our system that I believe is antiquated,” Rep. Scott Louser, R-Minot, said on the floor.
The bill passed the House in a 85-5 vote. It previously passed the Senate with a unanimous 45-0 vote. It now goes back to the Senate for a vote of concurrence. Louser indicated on the House floor that the bill would likely be going to a conference committee.
