The original bill passed the (Republican-controlled) North Dakota Senate by a close vote of 25-22 and the (Republican) Governor of ND, Jack Dalrymple, announced he would sign it. The (Republican) North Dakota House decided to split it into two bills: One bill would prohibit discrimination against LGBT people in housing -- primarily aparments and rental units -- and in employment. The second bill would prohibit discrimination against LGBT people in public accommodations such as restaurants, bars, hotels, and various other businesses. But the North Dakota House of Representatives voted down both bills.
It's unfortunate. It's the third bill that came to a vote and failed to pass in the last six years. The situation is not quite as bad as Indiana. Several large corporations and the largest universities in the state have LGBT-friendly policies (including non-discrimination policies and offering insurance to spouses or partners). Also, the three largest cities in ND (Fargo, Bismarck, and Grand Forks) have passed various local ordinances that include LGBT people as a protected class, at least within the city limits. It's the rural areas that are the problem.
More details and links under the orange rainbow.
Nobody else had writen about this, so I thought I should say something.
On the front page of the Fargo Newspaper (The Forum), they printed pictures of all the House members who voted for or against the bills. Here's a link, but note that it may be public for several days or a week or two, but then it will go behind a paywall eventually: April 3 Front Page.
And here's the article: ND denies protection for gays.
House lawmakers spent about 90 minutes debating Senate Bill 2279, which passed the Senate 25-22 in February and would have added sexual orientation to state law that already protects against discrimination based on race, color, religion, sex, national origin, age, physical or mental disability or status with respect to marriage or public assistance. Complaints would have been investigated by the state Department of Labor and Human Rights.
Some Republicans crossed over to vote in favor of LGBT civil rights:
A dozen Republicans joined Democrats in voting for the bipartisan bill, including Rep. Thomas Beadle, R-Fargo, a bill sponsor. He said many large employers and prominent businesspeople in North Dakota backed the legislation, fearing its defeat would send a message that the nation’s fastest-growing state “is only open to some.”
But both sections ultimately failed:
The House defeated the public accommodations division 30-61, with three members absent or not voting. The second division failed 35-56, defeating the bill as a whole.
Even though it failed, I'm sure the bill will be back next year and sooner or later it will pass.
If you can't read the links to the Forum (because of a paywall), here's a Fox News/AP story (note that right above the headline, Fox has put this in the "Religion" category): North Dakota GOP governor criticizes Legislature for failing to pass ban on gay discrimination.