A BILL for an Act to amend and reenact section 4.1-09-19 of the North Dakota Century Code, relating to refunding of assessments collected by the oilseed council.
Summary
HB 1509 would amend North Dakota law governing refunds of assessments collected by the oilseed council. Under current law, a producer seeking a refund must request a refund application within 60 days after the assessment or final settlement, complete and return the application with a record of the assessment within 90 days, and the council must refund the net amount collected within 30 days of receiving the application. The bill changes that process by extending the time to complete and return the refund application and supporting record to one year after the date of the assessment or final settlement.
The bill also requires the oilseed council to make the refund application form available on its publicly accessible website through secured electronic means. It retains the rule that a producer who does not request a refund within the required time is presumed to have agreed to the assessment, and it keeps the minimum refund threshold of five dollars.
Impact
If enacted, HB 1509 would directly amend section 4.1-09-19 of the North Dakota Century Code, changing the refund procedure for oilseed assessment payments collected by the oilseed council. The practical effect would be to give producers more time to seek refunds and to modernize access to refund forms by requiring online availability. The bill affects oilseed producers and the council administering the assessment program, but it does not change the underlying authority to collect assessments.
Sentiment
The bill appears to have been broadly supported in the House, passing second reading 92-0, suggesting little opposition at that stage. It ultimately failed in the Senate, where it received only 1 yea and 45 nays on second reading. With no committee transcript available, the recorded votes indicate that the proposal was favorable in the House but did not gain Senate support.
Contention
The main point of contention appears to have been whether the refund window should be extended from 90 days to one year and whether the administrative burden on the oilseed council should be changed to provide online, secured access to refund forms. Supporters likely viewed the bill as a producer-friendly administrative fix that improves access and fairness, while opponents in the Senate may have been concerned about loosening deadlines, altering council procedures, or the need for the change at all. The final Senate vote suggests substantial disagreement or lack of interest in revising the existing refund process.