A BILL for an Act to create and enact a new section to chapter 54-05.1 of the North Dakota Century Code, relating to restrictions on legislative lobbyists; to amend and reenact section 54-05.1-07 of the North Dakota Century Code, relating to penalties for legislative lobbyists; and to provide a penalty.
Summary
SB 2315 would have added a new restriction to North Dakota’s lobbyist laws by prohibiting registered legislative lobbyists from entering the chambers of the House or Senate during a regular or special session. The only exceptions would have been being in the public balconies or receiving written permission from the chamber’s majority leader to enter that leader’s office. The bill also would have amended the state’s lobbyist penalty provisions to make a violation of this new chamber-access restriction an infraction rather than a class B misdemeanor.
In addition to the access restriction, the bill would have adjusted the enforcement framework for lobbyist violations under chapter 54-05.1 of the North Dakota Century Code. It preserves the Secretary of State’s authority to assess civil penalties for certain lobbyist violations, including conduct tied to acting as a lobbyist without registration, and it clarifies that those penalties must be paid before registration is issued. The bill also retains the limited right to appeal a civil penalty to district court on the narrow ground that the Secretary of State’s determination was clearly erroneous.
Impact
If enacted, SB 2315 would have narrowed where registered lobbyists may physically go inside the legislative complex during session and would have changed the legal consequences for violating that restriction. It would have amended chapter 54-05.1 governing lobbyist registration, conduct, and penalties, creating a new enforceable boundary around the House and Senate chambers and modifying section 54-05.1-07 so that a violation of the new rule is treated as an infraction. The bill would have affected registered legislative lobbyists, the Secretary of State’s enforcement role, and legislative chamber access rules.
Sentiment
The bill appears to have had little support and ultimately failed on the Senate floor by a wide margin, with only 1 yea and 46 nays on second reading. With no committee transcript available, the voting record is the clearest indicator of sentiment, and it suggests strong opposition to the proposal. The lack of recorded committee debate also means there is no evidence of organized support in the available materials.
Contention
The main point of contention is the bill’s proposed physical exclusion of lobbyists from the House and Senate chambers, which would have significantly altered customary access for registered lobbyists during session. Supporters likely viewed the measure as a way to tighten ethics, reduce direct pressure, or improve chamber security and decorum, while opponents likely saw it as an unnecessary or overly restrictive limitation on lobbying and legislative access. The bill’s penalty changes may also have been controversial because they would have reclassified a chamber-access violation as an infraction while leaving other enforcement tools in place.