North Dakota Among the States Reforming Policies on Sealing Eviction Records

(Mary Steurer/North Dakota Montior)

(North Dakota Monitor) – When North Dakota state Sen. Ryan Braunberger first introduced a slate of tenant protection bills this year, he knew the odds of passage weren’t in his favor. Braunberger, a Democratic lawmaker in a Republican-controlled legislature who represents a renter-heavy district in Fargo, spent years as a housing advocate — walking tenants through eviction court, helping them navigate late fees and lease violations.

But inside the statehouse, he was an outlier: one of the only legislators who rents his home.

By the end of the legislative session, just one of his five proposals passed. But that one might prove to be a major overhaul of the state’s eviction process.

The bill came together thanks to an unlikely lawmaking alliance: a renter and housing advocate with deep policy knowledge, and a Republican who hadn’t previously focused on eviction law but quickly saw its impact in his district.