POLISCOPE
Back to bills
Part ofCriminal Justice →

The civic record

Read. Follow. Verify.
SB 2128NORTH DAKOTASession 69State Billdead
Did Not Advance

North Dakota bill modifies criminal sentencing, corrections transfers, work release eligibility, and penalties for fleeing law enforcement

Original title: A BILL for an Act to amend and reenact sections 12-44.1-01, 12-47-18.1, 12-48.1-01, 12-48.1-02, 12-54.1-01, 12-54.1-03, 12.1-08-02, 12.1-17-01, 12.1-32-02.1, 12.1-32-09.1, and 39-10-71 of the North Dakota Century Code, relating to transparent sentencing of criminal offenders, transfer of persons between correctional facilities, work release eligibility and conditions for criminal offenders, sentences for assaulting and fleeing from law enforcement officers, and sentences for preventing arrest; to provide a legislative management report; to provide a penalty; and to provide for application.

Last action · April 3, 2025: Second reading, failed to pass, yeas 41 nays 52

Bill progressHistory & official text ↓
Introduced
Committee
Floor Vote
Passed
Law

Track this bill to get notified when it advances a stage. One tap to stop, anytime.

Public stanceCommunity reactions are separate from the official record and reporting.

What This Bill Proposed

This failed bill would have altered North Dakota sentencing guidelines, correctional facility transfer rules, work release criteria, and mandatory minimum prison terms, while establishing consecutive sentencing for assaulting law enforcement and fleeing police. It required the Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation to submit quarterly reports to the Attorney General and legislative council.

Why it matters

The measure establishes stricter mandatory sentencing rules and consecutive prison terms for individuals convicted of assaulting or fleeing from law enforcement officers, while altering sentence reduction caps and work release eligibility standards for inmates.

Background
  • Senate Bill 2128 was introduced in the 69th Legislative Assembly of North Dakota by the Judiciary Committee at the request of the Attorney General. context

Who It Would Have Affected

Groups the bill's text would have affected, as described in the record. Being affected is not a position for or against it.

Directly affected

Criminal offenders

Offenders face modified sentence calculation rules, mandatory minimum prison terms, and strict consecutive sentencing requirements upon conviction.

Directly affected

Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation

The department is tasked with administering transfer protocols, establishing performance criteria for sentence reductions, and providing quarterly reports to state officials.

Directly affected

Peace officers

Law enforcement personnel receive enhanced consecutive sentencing protections for convictions involving assault, fleeing, or preventing arrest.

Key Facts

You don't have to trust us. Each fact below is taken straight from the official document - click any one to see the exact passage, highlighted in the original.

Frequently Asked Questions

What limits does the bill place on sentence reductions for good behavior?
The bill allows eligible offenders to earn sentence reductions of up to five days per month, capped at a maximum of fifteen percent of the total sentence served.
How are sentences handled for individuals convicted of assaulting a peace officer?
Sentences for a conviction of simple assault against a peace officer, correctional employee, or emergency worker acting in an official capacity must be served consecutively to any sentence for an underlying conviction.
What are the penalties for fleeing a police officer under this measure?
Fleeing a peace officer is a class A misdemeanor for a first offense and a class C felony for subsequent offenses, offenses committed during a felony, or offenses involving an inherent risk of death or serious injury, carrying at least thirty days of mandatory imprisonment.

What else do you want to know?

News Coverage

No news coverage found yet. Articles are indexed twice daily.

Follow the record

Votes, people, money & the original source

Where This Stands

This bill did not become law - Failed in the House.

Procedural history

17 actions
  1. Apr 3, 2025House
    Second reading, failed to pass, yeas 41 nays 52
  2. Apr 3, 2025House
    Division B lost
  3. Apr 3, 2025House
    Division A adopted
  4. Apr 3, 2025HouseCommittee
    Division of amendment
  5. Apr 1, 2025HouseCommittee
    Reported back amended, do not pass, placed on calendar 9 5 0
  6. Mar 24, 2025HouseCommittee
    Committee Hearing 09:00
Show 11 earlier actions
  1. Mar 7, 2025HouseIntroduced
    Introduced, first reading, referred Judiciary Committee
  2. Feb 25, 2025House
    Received from Senate
  3. Feb 25, 2025SenateFloor
    Second reading, passed, yeas 28 nays 18
  4. Feb 25, 2025SenateCommittee
    Amendment adopted, placed on calendar
  5. Feb 24, 2025SenateCommittee
    Reported back amended, do not pass, placed on calendar 9 7 0
  6. Feb 7, 2025Senate
    Rereferred to Appropriations
  7. Feb 7, 2025SenateCommittee
    Amendment adopted
  8. Feb 6, 2025SenateCommittee
    Reported back amended, do pass, amendment placed on calendar 4 3 0
  9. Jan 22, 2025SenateCommittee
    Committee Hearing 02:30
  10. Jan 21, 2025SenateCommittee
    Committee Hearing 11:00
  11. Jan 7, 2025SenateIntroduced
    Introduced, first reading, referred Judiciary Committee

Version history

Only one version on file - nothing to compare yet. As later stages (committee substitute, engrossed, enrolled) are captured, the redline appears here.

View official text →

Lobbying Activity

No state lobbying filings in our records match this bill. Federal lobbying reports (LDA) cover Congress, so they are not listed on state bills.

Full breakdown

Who this bill affects and the strongest case for and against it, written only from the bill’s own text.

Discoveries

1 pattern noticed across the record

Patterns POLISCOPE noticed across the record. These are observations to investigate, not conclusions.

policy shift95% confidence

Stricter Penalties for Fleeing Law Enforcement

The bill uniformly mandates consecutive sentences and minimum thirty-day prison terms for felony convictions involving flight from police or assaults on public servants.

Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation

Connected Entities

Senate Judiciary, Heart River Correctional Center, Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation and 6 more
OrganizationSenate Judiciary“Committee sponsor of Senate Bill 2128”Map →
locationHeart River Correctional Center“A designated facility where placement constitutes confinement under sentencing l”Map →
OrganizationDepartment of Corrections and Rehabilitation“Manages correctional facilities, offender transfers, work release programs, and ”Map →
OrganizationLegislative Council“Receives quarterly reports detailing names, locations, and sentences of specific”Map →
OrganizationParole Board“Authorizes or reviews participation in outside release programs for certain offe”Map →
locationJames River Correctional Center“A designated facility where placement constitutes confinement under sentencing l”Map →
PersonAttorney General“Requested the legislation and receives quarterly reports from the Department of ”Map →
locationDakota Women's Correctional and Rehabilitation Center“A designated facility where placement constitutes confinement under sentencing l”Map →
locationMissouri River Correctional Center“A designated facility where placement constitutes confinement under sentencing l”Map →

Sources

Open source document

ndlegis.gov

Analysis Score

0–100
  • Significance20
    Lowered because this bill did not pass (its text scored 80)
  • Controversy65
    Intensity of disagreement among stakeholders
  • Entertainment10
    Compellingness for a non-policy-wonk reader
  • Buzz40
    Current news / social attention level

Publisher tools

Share or embed this record

POLISCOPE publisher tools

Share or embed this record