AN ACT to create and enact a new section to chapter 1-03 of the North Dakota Century Code, relating to the designation of Prisoner of War and Missing in Action Day as a state holiday.
HB 1403 creates a new section of North Dakota Century Code designating the third Friday in September each year as Prisoner of War and Missing in Action Day. The bill directs the governor to issue an annual proclamation recognizing the day as a state holiday to honor those who were held captive and returned, as well as those who remain missing.
The measure is largely ceremonial and commemorative rather than regulatory. It does not require schools or other entities to close, and it does not create a paid state holiday or otherwise mandate changes to employment schedules, public services, or school calendars.
The bill amends chapter 1-03 of the North Dakota Century Code by adding a new state-recognition holiday for POW/MIA remembrance. Its legal effect is limited to requiring an annual gubernatorial proclamation and formally placing the observance in state law, while expressly preserving discretion for schools, employers, and other entities to remain open.
The bill appears to have been broadly supported and noncontroversial. It passed the House 93-0 and the Senate 47-0, indicating unanimous approval in both chambers. No committee transcripts or recorded debate were provided, but the voting history suggests strong bipartisan agreement around honoring prisoners of war and those missing in action.
There is little evidence of substantive opposition in the available record. The only notable policy point embedded in the bill is that the observance is not intended to force school closures or other shutdowns, which likely helped avoid concerns about operational disruption or added costs. Because the bill is symbolic and commemorative, any potential contention would most likely have centered on whether the designation should carry practical holiday effects, but the text explicitly avoids that outcome.