VALLEY CITY, N.D. (NewsDakota.com) – Even though the next Legislative Session is over a year away, interim committees continue to meet to conduct legislative designated studies and will report back it the Assembly at the beginning of the 2025 Legislative Session.

Some of the committees will prepare bills to address some of these issues. I serve on three interim committees, the Agriculture Committee will be meeting on November 28th , I will highlight some of our duties.
Study the roles of the Insurance Commissioner, Department of Emergency Services, and Department of Water Resources in relation to the tracking and updating of the relevant primary land use authority on lands outside a municipality’s jurisdiction. The study must include a method of tracking all organized townships within the state and maintaining updated contact information, certified annually by December 31st; consider a formal process
for organized townships to request, establish, and track the yielding of land use authority to an adjacent jurisdiction; consider how insurance producers access the necessary information, including updated contact information of the authority, to appropriately associate potential insurance policyholders with the relevant land use authority for the purposes of the Federal Emergency Management Agency’s national flood insurance program; and consider how a member of the public may access the relevant land use authority associated with a
specific parcel of land.

Study the number of persons that own or control any real estate or commercial assets or operate a business within this state which is owned by, controlled by, or subject to the jurisdiction or direction of foreign adversaries or individuals acting on behalf of or in conjunction with foreign adversaries or persons listed on the Office of Foreign Assets Control sanctions list. The study must attempt to craft a definition of foreign adversary and ascertain the number of such persons residing in this state which operate a business or a charitable enterprise or have obtained a beneficial interest in real estate, commercial assets, or a business or charitable organization in this state. The study must consider which federal foreign adversary list would be best suited for use for the security of this state and the impact of implementing and using a federally created list. The study must determine how to define, create, and implement a security review verification system that monitors and reviews the actions of foreign adversaries that operate a business or a charitable enterprise or have obtained a beneficial interest in real estate, commercial assets, or a business or charitable organization in this state. The study must identify optimal methods for state officials to work and collaborate with national intelligence agents at the state and federal level regarding background checks, national security, and state security; outline what constitutes a national security threat and which person or agency has the authority to declare a national security threat and security threat to this state; identify which state agencies are best equipped to create, implement, and operate a security review verification system that monitors and reviews foreign adversaries operating a business or a charitable enterprise or that have obtained a beneficial interest in real estate, commercial assets, or a business or charitable organization in this state; identify the proper structure and function of a security review verification system; identify the individuals and persons eligible to operate a business or a charitable enterprise or that have obtained a beneficial interest in real estate, commercial assets, or a business or charitable organization in this state, under the security review verification system; and identify other necessary changes to current industry
practices relating to ownership of real property or commercial assets and the operation of business or charitable entities by a foreign adversary. The study also must include under which circumstances, if any, foreign adversaries are prohibited from owning real property in this state, and under which circumstances, if any, foreign adversaries are permitted to own real property in this state.

Study plans for mitigation of adverse wildlife and environmental impacts and monetary payments made to state agencies, contractors, nongovernmental organizations, and others by applicants or other persons for mitigation during the siting and operation of energy conversion or transmission facilities. The study must include consideration of the provisions of law that affect the ability of developers to effectively mitigate adverse wildlife habitat and environmental impacts, applicant payments used for the purchase of perpetual or non-perpetual conservation easements, the distinction between an adverse direct environmental effect or an adverse indirect environmental effect, methods to monetarily quantify adverse direct or adverse indirect environmental effects, and alternative programs that may be used or developed for the mitigation of adverse wildlife and environmental
effects.

If you have any concerns or input on these studies please feel free to contact me. You can submit written testimony or appear in person at the meeting.

Representative Dwight Kiefert