AN ACT to authorize the department of health and human services to transfer real property to the office of the adjutant general to construct a new training and storage facility; and to declare an emergency.
Summary
HB 1520 authorizes the North Dakota Department of Health and Human Services to convey approximately 25.2 acres of state-owned real property adjacent to the North Dakota State Hospital in Jamestown to the Office of the Adjutant General. The stated purpose of the transfer is to allow construction of a new training and storage facility. The bill also declares the act an emergency measure, indicating it is intended to take effect immediately upon enactment.
The bill is narrowly focused on a specific parcel of land in Stutsman County and creates a direct exception to the usual statutory procedures governing certain state land transfers. By exempting the transfer from sections 54-01-05.2 and 54-01-05.5, the bill removes standard requirements that would otherwise apply to the disposition of state property. Its practical effect is to streamline the transfer process so the Adjutant General can proceed with the facility project without delay.
Impact
HB 1520 changes state law only for this specific transaction by authorizing a transfer of land from the Department of Health and Human Services to the Office of the Adjutant General. It affects state property administration and the use of land adjacent to the North Dakota State Hospital, while carving out an exception from general statutory rules for state land transfers. The bill primarily impacts the Department of Health and Human Services, the Adjutant General, and the state hospital site in Jamestown.
Sentiment
The bill appears to have received strong, unanimous support in both chambers, passing the House 91-0 and the Senate 47-0. The absence of recorded opposition and the emergency designation suggest broad agreement that the transfer was necessary and noncontroversial. Overall, the legislative sentiment was favorable and pragmatic, centered on enabling a state facility project rather than debating broader policy issues.
Contention
There is little evidence of substantive contention in the available record. No committee transcripts were provided, and the floor votes were unanimous, indicating no recorded opposition on the chamber floors. The only potentially notable issue is the bill’s exemption from the normal statutory procedures for state land transfers, but the unanimous votes suggest legislators were comfortable with that exception in this specific case.