New Year Brings New Laws In North Dakota
BISMARCK, N.D. (AP) — The new year brings a handful of new North Dakota laws, including one aimed at people convicted of paying for sex.
Beginning Friday, people caught hiring someone for sex can be forced to participate in a program highlighting the negative consequences of the sex industry on families and communities.
The so-called "john law" is one of several measures passed by North Dakota lawmakers in 2015 that are aimed at combating the increase in prostitution in the state. The laws hike the penalties for sex traffickers and provide funding for services for victims coerced into the sex trade.
Senate Minority Leader Mac Schneider, D-Grand Forks, sponsored the bipartisan "john law" legislation that got unanimous approval in the Senate and only two dissents in the House. The maximum misdemeanor penalty for a second conviction of paying for sex will rise from 30 days in jail to a year and from a $1,500 fine to $3,000.
"By not supplying the demand for illicit sex services, there would be no sex traffickers doing business here," Schneider said.
Most of the more than 530 laws approved by the 2015 Legislature took effect in July or August. However, all or part of a few take effect Jan. 1.
One measure effective Friday will require all property owners to be notified if the assessed value of their property increases by 10 percent and $3,000 in a year.
"Truth and transparency in the property tax system is something we've really been working on," Tax Commissioner Ryan Rauschenberger said.
Another new law effective Friday requires library boards and job development authorities to file financial reports showing ending fund balances from the prior year before seeking approval for a property tax levy.
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