HB 1561 — Relating to a commercial entity's liability for publishing or distributing sexual material harmful to a minor; to provide a penalty; and to provide for application.
Last action — Filed with Secretary Of State 04/11
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✓Introduced
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✓In Committee
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✓Passed House
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✓Passed Senate
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✓To Executive
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6Enacted
This bill has been enacted into law. Introduced January 20, 2025. Enacted.
Signed by Governor Kelly Armstrong (Republican) on April 11, 2025.
Odds of enactment
High chanceBased on the sponsor, cosponsors, and committee posture, this bill has a high chance of becoming law.
Upgrade to see the exact probability and what's driving it.
A statistical estimate from our own model of past outcomes — an insight, not a guarantee. Policymaking is volatile.
Prognosis
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Enacted
Current position in the legislative process.
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11 sponsors
1 primary, 10 co-sponsors signed on.
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Single-party support
Sponsorship is currently within one party (7 R).
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Cleared a recorded vote
Passed 2 recorded votes so far.
Based on stage, sponsorship breadth, committee status, recorded votes, and cross-state momentum — a description of the observable signals, not a prediction.
Summary
AN ACT to create and enact a new section to chapter 51-07 of the North Dakota Century Code, relating to a commercial entity's liability for publishing or distributing sexual material harmful to a minor; to provide a penalty; and to provide for application.
Bill Text
What changed in the latest version
109 added · 105 removedPlain-language change summary
The recent amendment to House Bill 1561 adds specific provisions regarding the liability of businesses that publish or distribute sexual material harmful to minors. It includes a requirement for age verification and outlines the penalties for non-compliance. This change is important because it seeks to protect minors from inappropriate content by holding commercial entities accountable, thereby strengthening child protection measures in North Dakota.
25.0968.02000 Sixty-ninth Legislative Assembly of North Dakota In Regular Session Commencing Tuesday, January 7, 2025 HOUSE BILL NO.
1561 of(Representatives North Dakota Introduced by Representatives Swiontek, Bosch, Fisher, Karls, Novak, Pyle, NelsonNelson) Senators(Senators Hogan, Lee, Myrdal, AxtmanAxtman) AAN BILLACT for an Act to create and enact a new section to chapter 51-07 of the North Dakota Century Code, relating to a commercial entity's liability for publishing or distributing sexual material harmful to a minor;
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"Transactional data" means a sequence of information that documents an exchange, agreement, or transfer between an individual, commercial entity, or Pagethird No.party used for the purpose of satisfying a request or event.
2 25.0968.02000 Sixty-ninth Legislative Assembly third party used for the purpose of satisfying a request or event.
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3 25.0968.02000 Sixty-ninth Legislative Assembly SECTION 2.
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1561 - PAGE 4 ____________________________ ____________________________ Speaker of the House President of the Senate ____________________________ ____________________________ Chief Clerk of the House Secretary of the Senate This certifies that the within bill originated in the House of Representatives of the Sixty-ninth Legislative Assembly of North Dakota and is known on the records of that body as House Bill No.
1561.
House Vote:
Yeas 91 Nays 0 Absent 3 Senate Vote:
Yeas 46 Nays 0 Absent 1 ____________________________ Chief Clerk of the House Received by the Governor at ________M.
on _____________________________________, 2025.
Approved at ________M.
on __________________________________________________, 2025.
____________________________ Governor Filed in this office this ___________day of _______________________________________, 2025, at ________ o’clock ________M.
____________________________ Secretary of State
View plain text versions (2)
- Enrolled Enrollment Current pdf
- Introduced View text pdf
Action History
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Filed with Secretary Of State 04/11
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Signed by Governor 04/10
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Sent to Governor
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Signed by Speaker
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Signed by President
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Returned to House
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Second reading, passed, yeas 46 nays 0
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Laid over one legislative day
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Reported back, do pass, place on calendar 5 0 0
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Committee Hearing 02:30
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Introduced, first reading, referred Industry and Business Committee
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Received from House
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Second reading, passed, yeas 91 nays 0
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Reported back, do pass, place on calendar 11 0 3
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Committee Hearing 10:00
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Introduced, first reading, referred Judiciary Committee
Sponsors
- Steve Swiontek · Primary
- Glenn Bosch · Cosponsor
- Jay Fisher · Cosponsor
- Karen Karls · Cosponsor
- Jon O. Nelson · Cosponsor
- Anna S. Novak · Cosponsor
- Brandy L. Pyle · Cosponsor
- Michelle Sen. Axtman · Cosponsor
- Kathy Sen. Hogan · Cosponsor
- Judy Sen. Lee · Cosponsor
- Janne Sen. Myrdal · Cosponsor
Sponsorship breakdown
Export CSV (upgrade) →1 sponsors · 10 co-sponsors · 137 not signed on
Sponsors (1)
- Swiontek, Steve Republican
Co-sponsors (10)
- Bosch, Glenn Republican
- Fisher, Jay Republican
- Karls, Karen Republican
- Nelson, Jon O. Republican
- Novak, Anna S. Republican
- Pyle, Brandy L. Republican
- Sen. Axtman, Michelle
- Sen. Hogan, Kathy
- Sen. Lee, Judy
- Sen. Myrdal, Janne
Not signed on (137)
137 members have not signed on to this bill.
Show all 137 →"Not signed on" means a member has not sponsored or co-sponsored this bill — it does not imply opposition. Members flagged Voted No have a recorded No vote on this bill.
Votes
| Party | Yea | Nay | Present | Not Voting |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Unaffiliated | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Republican | 40 | 0 | 0 | 1 |
| Democratic | 5 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Total | 46 | 0 | 0 | 1 |
| % of votes cast | 98% | 0% | 0% | 2% |
How each member voted (47)
| Member | Party | Vote |
|---|---|---|
| van Oosting | — | Yea |
| Boschee, Josh | Democratic | Yea |
| Braunberger, Ryan | Democratic | Yea |
| Hogan, Kathy | Democratic | Yea |
| Marcellais, Richard | Democratic | Yea |
| Mathern, Tim | Democratic | Yea |
| Axtman, Michelle | Republican | Yea |
| Barta, Jeff | Republican | Yea |
| Beard, Todd | Republican | Yea |
| Bekkedahl, Brad | Republican | Yea |
| Boehm, Keith | Republican | Yea |
| Burckhard, Randy A. | Republican | Yea |
| Castaneda, Jose L. | Republican | Yea |
| Cleary, Sean | Republican | Yea |
| Clemens, David A. | Republican | Yea |
| Conley, Cole | Republican | Yea |
| Cory, Claire | Republican | Yea |
| Davison, Kyle | Republican | Yea |
| Dever, Dick | Republican | Yea |
| Dwyer, Michael | Republican | Yea |
| Enget, Mark | Republican | Yea |
| Erbele, Robert | Republican | Yea |
| Gerhardt, Justin | Republican | Yea |
| Hogue, David | Republican | Yea |
| Kessel, Greg | Republican | Yea |
| Klein, Jerry | Republican | Yea |
| Larson, Diane | Republican | Yea |
| Lee, Judy | Republican | Yea |
| Lemm, Randy D. | Republican | Yea |
| Luick, Larry | Republican | Yea |
| Magrum, Jeffery J. | Republican | Yea |
| Meyer, Scott | Republican | Yea |
| Myrdal, Janne | Republican | Yea |
| Patten, Dale | Republican | Yea |
| Paulson, Bob | Republican | Yea |
| Powers, Michelle | Republican | Yea |
| Roers, Kristin | Republican | Yea |
| Rummel, Dean | Republican | Not Voting |
| Schaible, Donald | Republican | Yea |
| Sickler, Jonathan | Republican | Yea |
| Sorvaag, Ronald | Republican | Yea |
| Thomas, Paul J. | Republican | Yea |
| Walen, Chuck | Republican | Yea |
| Wanzek, Terry M. | Republican | Yea |
| Weber, Mark F. | Republican | Yea |
| Weston, Kent | Republican | Yea |
| Wobbema, Mike | Republican | Yea |
| Party | Yea | Nay | Present | Not Voting |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Republican | 79 | 0 | 0 | 3 |
| Democratic | 11 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Unaffiliated | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Total | 91 | 0 | 0 | 3 |
| % of votes cast | 97% | 0% | 0% | 3% |
How each member voted (94)
| Member | Party | Vote |
|---|---|---|
| Olson | — | Yea |
| Brown, Collette | Democratic | Yea |
| Conmy, Liz | Democratic | Yea |
| Davis, Jayme | Democratic | Yea |
| Dobervich, Gretchen | Democratic | Yea |
| Finley-DeVille, Lisa | Democratic | Yea |
| Foss, Austin | Democratic | Yea |
| Hager, LaurieBeth | Democratic | Yea |
| Hanson, Karla Rose | Democratic | Yea |
| Ista, Zachary | Democratic | Yea |
| Mitskog, Alisa | Democratic | Yea |
| Schneider, Mary | Democratic | Yea |
| Anderson, Bert | Republican | Yea |
| Anderson, Dick | Republican | Yea |
| Anderson, Karen A. | Republican | Yea |
| Bahl, Landon | Republican | Yea |
| Beltz, Mike | Republican | Yea |
| Berg, Mike | Republican | Not Voting |
| Bolinske, Macy | Republican | Yea |
| Bosch, Glenn | Republican | Yea |
| Brandenburg, Mike | Republican | Yea |
| Christianson, Nels | Republican | Yea |
| Christy, Josh | Republican | Not Voting |
| Dockter, Jason | Republican | Yea |
| Dressler, Ty | Republican | Yea |
| Fegley, Clayton | Republican | Yea |
| Fisher, Jay | Republican | Yea |
| Frelich, Kathy | Republican | Yea |
| Grindberg, Karen | Republican | Yea |
| Grueneich, Jim | Republican | Yea |
| Hagert, Jared C. | Republican | Yea |
| Hatlestad, Patrick R. | Republican | Yea |
| Hauck, Dori | Republican | Yea |
| Headland, Craig | Republican | Yea |
| Heilman, Matthew | Republican | Yea |
| Heinert, Pat D. | Republican | Yea |
| Henderson, Donna | Republican | Yea |
| Hendrix, Jared | Republican | Yea |
| Holle, Dawson | Republican | Yea |
| Hoverson, Jeff | Republican | Yea |
| Johnson, Jorin | Republican | Yea |
| Johnston, Daniel | Republican | Yea |
| Jonas, Jim | Republican | Yea |
| Karls, Karen | Republican | Yea |
| Kasper, Jim | Republican | Yea |
| Kempenich, Keith | Republican | Yea |
| Kiefert, Dwight | Republican | Yea |
| Klemin, Lawrence R. | Republican | Yea |
| Koppelman, Ben | Republican | Yea |
| Lefor, Mike | Republican | Yea |
| Longmuir, Donald W. | Republican | Yea |
| Louser, Scott | Republican | Yea |
| Maki, Roger A. | Republican | Yea |
| Marschall, Andrew | Republican | Yea |
| Martinson, Bob | Republican | Yea |
| McLeod, Carrie | Republican | Yea |
| Meier, Lisa | Republican | Yea |
| Monson, David | Republican | Yea |
| Morton, Desiree | Republican | Yea |
| Motschenbacher, Mike | Republican | Yea |
| Murphy, Eric J. | Republican | Yea |
| Nathe, Mike | Republican | Yea |
| Nehring, Dennis | Republican | Yea |
| Nelson, Jon O. | Republican | Not Voting |
| Novak, Anna S. | Republican | Yea |
| O'Brien, Emily | Republican | Yea |
| Olson, Jeremy | Republican | Yea |
| Osowski, Doug | Republican | Yea |
| Ostlie, Mitch | Republican | Yea |
| Porter, Todd | Republican | Yea |
| Pyle, Brandy L. | Republican | Yea |
| Richter, David | Republican | Yea |
| Rios, Nico | Republican | Yea |
| Rohr, Karen M. | Republican | Yea |
| Ruby, Dan | Republican | Yea |
| Ruby, Matthew | Republican | Yea |
| Sanford, Mark | Republican | Yea |
| Satrom, Bernie | Republican | Yea |
| Schatz, Mike | Republican | Yea |
| Schauer, Austen | Republican | Yea |
| Schreiber-Beck, Cynthia | Republican | Yea |
| Steiner, Vicky | Republican | Yea |
| Stemen, Gregory | Republican | Yea |
| Swiontek, Steve | Republican | Yea |
| Toman, Nathan | Republican | Yea |
| Tveit, Bill | Republican | Yea |
| VanWinkle, Lori | Republican | Yea |
| Vetter, Steve | Republican | Yea |
| Vigesaa, Don | Republican | Yea |
| Vollmer, Daniel R. | Republican | Yea |
| Wagner, Scott | Republican | Yea |
| Warrey, Jonathan | Republican | Yea |
| Weisz, Robin | Republican | Yea |
| Wolff, Christina | Republican | Yea |
Subjects
Frequently asked questions
- What does HB 1561 do?
- AN ACT to create and enact a new section to chapter 51-07 of the North Dakota Century Code, relating to a commercial entity's liability for publishing or distributing sexual material harmful to a minor; to provide a penalty; and to provide for application.
- Who sponsors HB 1561?
- HB 1561 is sponsored by Swiontek, Steve (Republican), Bosch, Glenn (Republican), Fisher, Jay (Republican), Karls, Karen (Republican), Nelson, Jon O. (Republican), Novak, Anna S. (Republican), Pyle, Brandy L. (Republican), Sen. Axtman, Michelle, Sen. Hogan, Kathy, Sen. Lee, Judy, and Sen. Myrdal, Janne.
- What is the current status of HB 1561?
- This bill has been enacted into law. Introduced January 20, 2025. Enacted.
- Where can I track HB 1561?
- Track HB 1561 free on One Click Politics — get push/email alerts when it moves.
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