---
type: "Bill"
title: "AN ACT to create and enact a new section to chapter 20.1-02 and a new section to chapter 20.1-03 of the North Dakota Century Code, relating to fishing contests, surcharge fees, and the fishing conservation fund; to amend and reenact subsection 20 of section 20.1-02-05 of the North Dakota Century Code, relating to the powers of the director of the game and fish department; to provide a continuing appropriation; and to provide an effective date."
description: "Relating to fishing contests, surcharge fees, and the fishing conservation fund; to amend and reenact subsection 20 of section 20.1‑02‑05 of the North Dakota Century Code, relating to the powers of the director of the game and fish department; to provide a continuing appropriation; and to provide an effective date."
jurisdiction: "us/states/nd"
legislature: "North Dakota Legislative Assembly"
session: "68"
identifier: "HB 1538"
citation: "North Dakota HB 1538 (68)"
classification: ["bill"]
subjects: []
status: "enacted"
primary_sponsors: ["Todd Porter"]
version_count: 7
action_count: 38
vote_count: 3
first_action: "2023-01-18"
last_action: "2023-05-18"
source: "openstates"
source_identifier: "ocd-bill/83360c9a-81a4-4c9e-92a3-479ac8af2212"
source_url: "https://ndlegis.gov/api/assembly/68-2023/data/bills.json"
source_hash: "7c4187204efb0cf608c6b3130a7584a91fcf6815f3741c420bc2a46e9469756f"
vintage: "2026-07-01"
source_snapshot: "https://data.openstates.org/daily/2026-07-01/public.pgdump"
retrieved_at: "2026-07-06"
confidence: "reported"
tags: ["legislation", "bill", "us-nd"]
---

# North Dakota HB 1538 (68) — AN ACT to create and enact a new section to chapter 20.1-02 and a new section to chapter 20.1-03 of the North Dakota Century Code, relating to fishing contests, surcharge fees, and the fishing conservation fund; to amend and reenact subsection 20 of section 20.1-02-05 of the North Dakota Century Code, relating to the powers of the director of the game and fish department; to provide a continuing appropriation; and to provide an effective date.

Relating to fishing contests, surcharge fees, and the fishing conservation fund; to amend and reenact subsection 20 of section 20.1‑02‑05 of the North Dakota Century Code, relating to the powers of the director of the game and fish department; to provide a continuing appropriation; and to provide an effective date.

## Version chain

The bill's text revisions, in order — the diff chain from filing to enrollment.

1. **INTRODUCED** (filed) — [source](https://ndlegis.gov/assembly/68-2023/regular/documents/23-1081-01000.pdf)
2. **Enrollment** (committee substitute) — [source](https://ndlegis.gov/assembly/68-2023/regular/documents/23-1081-07000.pdf)
3. **FIRST ENGROSSMENT** (committee substitute) — [source](https://ndlegis.gov/assembly/68-2023/regular/documents/23-1081-03000.pdf)
4. **FIRST ENGROSSMENT - NOT ADOPTED** (committee substitute) — [source](https://ndlegis.gov/assembly/68-2023/regular/documents/23-1081-02000.pdf)
5. **FIRST ENGROSSMENT with Conference Committee Amendments** (committee substitute) — [source](https://ndlegis.gov/assembly/68-2023/regular/documents/23-1081-06000.pdf)
6. **FIRST ENGROSSMENT with Conference Committee Amendments - NOT ADOPTED** (committee substitute) — [source](https://ndlegis.gov/assembly/68-2023/regular/documents/23-1081-05000.pdf)
7. **FIRST ENGROSSMENT with Senate Amendments** (committee substitute) — [source](https://ndlegis.gov/assembly/68-2023/regular/documents/23-1081-04000.pdf)

## Votes

- Motion for Final Passage on HB 1538 — **34–13** (pass) · upper
- Motion for Final Passage on HB 1538 — **44–2** (pass) · upper
- Motion for Final Passage on HB 1538 — **85–6** (pass) · lower

## Sponsors

- Todd Porter — primary (person)

## Timeline

The legislative action history — every referral, reading, and vote.

- **2023-01-18** Introduced, first reading, referred Energy and Natural Resources Committee `introduction`
- **2023-02-03** Committee Hearing 09:00
- **2023-02-10** Committee Hearing 10:55
- **2023-02-16** Committee Hearing 09:15
- **2023-02-16** Committee Hearing 03:55
- **2023-02-17** Reported back amended, do pass, amendment placed on calendar 10 0 4 `committee-passage, committee-passage-favorable`
- **2023-02-20** Laid over one legislative day
- **2023-02-21** Division of amendment
- **2023-02-21** Division A lost
- **2023-02-21** Division B adopted
- **2023-02-21** Amendment adopted, placed on calendar
- **2023-02-21** Second reading, passed, yeas 90 nays 2 `passage, reading-2`
- **2023-03-03** Received from House
- **2023-03-03** Introduced, first reading, referred Energy and Natural Resources Committee `introduction`
- **2023-03-16** Committee Hearing 10:00
- **2023-03-30** Committee Hearing 10:07
- **2023-03-30** Committee Hearing 03:20
- **2023-03-31** Committee Hearing 10:30
- **2023-04-03** Reported back amended, do pass, amendment placed on calendar 4 1 1 `committee-passage, committee-passage-favorable`
- **2023-04-04** Amendment adopted, placed on calendar
- **2023-04-04** Second reading, passed as amended, yeas 34 nays 13 `passage, reading-2`
- **2023-04-05** Returned to House (12)
- **2023-04-06** Refused to concur
- **2023-04-06** Conference committee appointed M. Ruby J. Olson Novak
- **2023-04-10** Conference committee appointed Kessel Boehm Patten
- **2023-04-19** Reported back from conference committee, amend, placed on calendar `committee-passage`
- **2023-04-25** Conference committee report rejected
- **2023-04-26** Reported back from conference committee, amend, placed on calendar `committee-passage`
- **2023-04-26** Conference committee report adopted
- **2023-04-26** Second reading, passed, yeas 85 nays 6 `passage, reading-2`
- **2023-04-26** Reported back from conference committee, amend, placed on calendar `committee-passage`
- **2023-04-27** Conference committee report adopted
- **2023-04-27** Second reading, passed as amended, yeas 44 nays 2 `passage, reading-2`
- **2023-04-28** Signed by President
- **2023-04-28** Signed by Speaker
- **2023-04-28** Sent to Governor `executive-receipt`
- **2023-05-18** Signed by Governor 05/05 `executive-signature`
- **2023-05-18** Filed with Secretary Of State 05/09 `introduction`

## Source

OpenStates / OpenCivicData bulk snapshot [2026-07-01](https://data.openstates.org/daily/2026-07-01/public.pgdump); origin `ocd-bill/83360c9a-81a4-4c9e-92a3-479ac8af2212`. Confidence: reported (aggregated from official North Dakota legislature records).