A BILL for an Act to create and enact a new subsection to section 12-60-24 of the North Dakota Century Code, relating to criminal history record checks; to provide an appropriation; to provide for application; and to provide an effective date.
SB 2194 would require the North Dakota Bureau of Criminal Investigation to accept digital fingerprints for statewide criminal history record checks and to return the results to the requesting agency, official, or entity within four business days after receiving authorization to conduct the check. The bill also creates a new statutory requirement within section 12-60-24 of the North Dakota Century Code to formalize this faster, digital process for background checks.
The measure includes a $5 million general fund appropriation to the Attorney General for the 2025-27 biennium to cover equipment and other costs needed to implement the new criminal history record check system. The bill would apply only to requests received after its effective date, and the new requirement would become effective on February 1, 2026.
If enacted, SB 2194 would amend North Dakota law governing statewide criminal history record checks by adding a mandate for digital fingerprint acceptance and a four-business-day turnaround for results. It would also authorize a substantial one-time appropriation to the Attorney General for technology and implementation costs, affecting the Bureau of Criminal Investigation, the Attorney General’s office, and any agencies, officials, or entities that request background checks.
There is no recorded committee transcript or vote detail in the provided materials, so the bill’s sentiment can only be inferred from its structure. The bill appears aimed at improving efficiency and modernizing criminal history record check processing, suggesting a generally administrative and operational purpose rather than a controversial policy change. However, the bill ultimately failed, indicating it did not advance successfully despite its modernization goals.
No specific points of contention are documented in the available transcripts or votes. Based on the bill text, likely areas of concern would have been the $5 million appropriation, the feasibility of meeting a four-business-day deadline, and the operational changes required to accept digital fingerprints statewide. Any opposition would likely have centered on cost, implementation burden, or whether the timeline was realistic for the Bureau of Criminal Investigation and requesting entities.