North Dakota Senate Bill SB2055

North Dakota 2025-2026 Regular Session

• Introduced: 1/7/25
• Refer: 1/7/25
• Report Pass: 1/10/25
• Engrossed: 1/13/25
• Refer: 2/13/25
• Report Pass: 3/7/25
• Enrolled: 3/14/25
• Passed: 3/18/25

Caption

AN ACT to amend and reenact subsection 1 of section 27-20.2-23 of the North Dakota Century Code, relating to release of juvenile records.

Summary

SB 2055 amends North Dakota’s juvenile records confidentiality law. The bill revises subsection 1 of section 27-20.2-23 of the North Dakota Century Code, which governs when law enforcement and correctional facility records and files relating to a child alleged or found to be delinquent, or in need of services or protection, are open to public inspection. The core rule remains that these records are not public unless a delinquency charge is transferred for criminal prosecution, national security requires disclosure, or a court orders disclosure in the child’s interest. The bill also preserves and restates the categories of people and entities that may inspect juvenile records, including juvenile courts, counsel, certain public institutions and agencies, law enforcement in other jurisdictions, criminal courts and correctional officials for sentencing or supervision purposes, the uniform crime victims compensation program staff, and school officials for enrollment-related purposes. The measure appears to be a technical or clarifying update to existing law rather than a major policy shift.

Impact

SB 2055 updates the state’s juvenile confidentiality statute by amending the list and wording of authorized recipients of juvenile records under section 27-20.2-23. It affects law enforcement agencies, correctional facilities, juvenile courts, schools, prosecutors, and other officials who may access juvenile records for limited official purposes. The bill maintains the general privacy protections for juvenile records while clarifying the statutory framework for permitted disclosures.

Sentiment

The bill appears to have been broadly supported and noncontroversial. It passed the Senate unanimously and the House by an overwhelming margin, indicating strong bipartisan agreement. The lack of committee transcript discussion suggests the measure was treated as a routine or technical bill, likely requested by the Supreme Court to clean up or clarify existing law.

Contention

There is little evidence of substantive contention around SB 2055. The only notable policy balance in the bill is between protecting juvenile privacy and allowing access for courts, schools, law enforcement, and correctional officials when needed for official duties. The near-unanimous votes suggest no major disagreement over that balance, and any concerns would likely have centered on the scope of access to sensitive juvenile records rather than the overall purpose of the bill.