AN ACT to create and enact a new section to chapter 54-07 of the North Dakota Century Code, relating to the children's cabinet and designated working groups; to repeal section 50-06-43.1 of the North Dakota Century Code, relating to the children's cabinet; and to provide for a legislative management report.
SB 2176 restructures North Dakota’s Children’s Cabinet by creating a new section in chapter 54-07 of the Century Code and repealing the existing statutory provision on the cabinet. The bill formally establishes the cabinet as a coordinating body to assess, guide, and improve services for children and families across state government, the judicial branch, and tribal nations. It specifies a broad membership that includes the governor, chief justice, legislative members, agency leaders, a tribal representative, and appointed community stakeholders such as school, special education, human services, private service, and parent representatives.
The bill gives the cabinet responsibility for coordinating leadership across programs and agencies, identifying gaps in early care and education, behavioral and medical health, child welfare, and juvenile justice, and developing strategies that span prevention, intervention, service delivery, and recovery. It also authorizes the presiding officer to create and oversee designated working groups, with the governor’s office providing staffing and administrative support. The cabinet must meet at least quarterly and submit an annual report to legislative management and the governor on its activities and findings, including those of any working groups.
The bill shifts the Children’s Cabinet from its prior statutory location in chapter 50-06 to a new framework in chapter 54-07, while preserving and expanding its coordinating role. It changes state law by repealing section 50-06-43.1 and replacing it with a more detailed governance structure, membership list, meeting requirements, reporting duties, and reimbursement rules for members. The measure affects executive branch administration, legislative participation, and coordination with tribal nations, schools, human services, corrections, and health agencies, but it does not directly create new benefit programs or mandate specific services.
The bill appears to have broad bipartisan support and little visible opposition. It passed the Senate 47-0 on one second-reading vote and 46-1 on an earlier Senate second reading, and it passed the House 75-9, indicating strong overall approval. The voting pattern suggests general agreement with the goal of improving coordination for children and families, while the small number of dissenting votes indicates some limited reservations.
The main points of possible contention are structural rather than ideological: the bill expands and formalizes a cross-branch cabinet with legislative, executive, judicial, and tribal participation, which may raise questions about scope, authority, and administrative burden. The inclusion of a governor-appointed tribal representative, multiple gubernatorial appointees, and working groups overseen by the presiding officer could also prompt concern about balance of representation and control. The dissenting House votes suggest some members may have objected to the reorganization, the added administrative framework, or the ongoing reporting and staffing responsibilities, though no committee testimony is provided to identify specific objections.