[{"_1":2,"_88":-5,"_89":-5},"loaderData",{"_3":4,"_26":27},"root",{"_5":6,"_17":10,"_18":19,"_20":21,"_22":10,"_23":-5,"_24":-5,"_25":10},"user",{"_7":8,"_9":10,"_11":10,"_12":-5,"_13":-5,"_14":15,"_16":-5},"roles",[],"isAuthenticated",false,"isPremium","planName","subscriptionStatus","featureFlags",{},"insightsBudget","isDevelopmentHost","userPreferences",{},"recaptchaSiteKey","6LcvOJcUAAAAAHsB-gPGfGktcRlKpH7OTIU_dMTD","isImpersonating","impersonation","affiliateStatus","isFreedomPortal","routes/v2/article/layout",{"_28":29,"_30":31},"notFound",true,"relatedArticles",[32,76],{"_33":34,"_35":36,"_37":38,"_39":40,"_41":42,"_43":44,"_45":46,"_47":48,"_49":50,"_51":52,"_53":54,"_55":56,"_57":58,"_59":60,"_61":62,"_63":64,"_65":66,"_67":68,"_69":70,"_71":72,"_73":74,"_75":74},"mediaId",6296989,"mediaKeyId","2511974-d9d4538705e20e53b10e16934caa143d","parentId",2511974,"title","DOCR defends transitional facilities and requests funds for MRCC replacement, warns bill limiting placements would raise costs","audioSeconds",1702,"startMs",6330000,"endMs",8032000,"viewUrl","/Search/View?dp=1&key=2511974-d9d4538705e20e53b10e16934caa143d&start=6330&end=8032","thumbnailUrl","https://assets.pipeline.soar.com/2511974-d9d4538705e20e53b10e16934caa143d/thumbnail_6330000.jpg","articleUrl","/articles/6296989/North-Dakota/DOCR-defends-transitional-facilities-and-requests-funds-for-MRCC-replacement-warns-bill-limiting-placements-would-raise-costs","mediaUrl","https://secure.pipeline.soar.com/6296989-9fa97d3b9f8a96e3eefb9e7f63f87c93/orig.mp4?Expires=1771205667&Signature=kLX8MZK3197DB8qnZ8cp1bSsDE9epzXBlx3ldIvdJQh~185fEXi2UYZ9GhO3ZMG8WG84~5ws5FV44gHzKvWXC~iD3JvBzUMW6SFinXs3kTXIS1BVZ9bfN7o2RD-ANK-DXUiJ9Wupse~I14RZH0U1SrjOmyv05YY8rhJRlrUACREGbr4GRx-o-7gNgsvQyIvZ~KBHFxFg8WCSxBLJSlu~pPMwQjLFzxLAJ0ik~IK31wkPWTZeMCYigpN3YKuUoCUGDD~Qi5WUXlbalNf4PisCEjLnZM5vlXKEeUBYQdi49zYJWdeXCjq4KIL28AGVTJHcngNO6tEGJY6whOGaXJoWmA__&Key-Pair-Id=KUT5TJCACFTXG","author","North Dakota Legislature","date","2025-03-05T00:00:00Z","article","Colby Braun, director of the Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation, told the Appropriations Committee that transitional facilities and reentry programs have reduced return‑to‑prison rates and that removing those options would increase costs to the state and to victims.

Braun described DOCR’s population, staffing pressures, and capital requests (including design of a replacement for the Missouri River Correction Center) and urged the committee to consider the fiscal and public‑safety impacts of bills that would limit the use of transitional facilities. He provided performance figures for transitional programs and said the department is asking the Legislature to authorize capital funds and additional operating capacity to meet current needs.

\"Prison is the punishment,\" Braun said. \"Our job ... is to find them a path to success,\" which he said reduces future victims and returns fewer people to prison. He presented DOCR’s case with data on reentry outcomes, staffing turnover and requests for facility design and construction.

Braun told the committee the DOCR provides care, custody and community supervision for more than 9,500 people statewide and that the department currently serves about 200 people in transitional facilities (work‑release and reentry centers). The agency requested funding for a design for a new, 600‑bed Missouri River Correction Center replacement and additional funds to complete the Heart River (women’s) facility. Braun said the Heart River project had $30 million in prior legislative intent and the department is asking for an additional roughly $5.6 million to complete equipment and program features the agency prioritized during design.

He described the eligibility and review process for transitional placements: people must be minimum custody, compliant with work, education and treatment expectations, usually within 12 months of release (with some statutory exceptions), and approved by facility and DOCR decision‑makers. Braun said transitional placements are not a shortcut but a managed, supervised phase of reentry meant to reduce recidivism and increase wage‑earning and restitution outcomes.

To illustrate results, Braun gave examples of two program graduates who left transitional facilities with employment and savings and said agency data show high rates of success for people who complete transitional programs. He said, based on agency records, \"92 percent of violent offenders who reenter society through a transitional facility do not commit another violent act returning them to a North Dakota prison,\" and that 98 percent of nonviolent participants do not commit a violent act on return. He also said about 513 inmates transitioned through a transitional facility in the period cited and that 306 received primary substance‑abuse treatment while in those programs.

Braun warned the committee about Senate Bill 2128, which he said would change how confinement is defined and could prevent the department from using transitional facilities as part of confinement. He summarized the budgetary consequences the department provided in its fiscal estimate: increased direct operating costs to return people to higher‑security placements and loss of fines, fees, child support and tax contributions associated with the higher‑engagement transitional placements. At the hearing he characterized the agency’s estimate as in the mid‑tens of millions for the first biennium, and offered a ballpark agency figure of roughly $25–27 million for initial impacts in one biennium if transitional placements were removed; he said the department will provide the committee a detailed estimate.

On staffing, Braun said turnover and years of experience have fallen: for example, average years of service for correctional officers and probation staff are lower now than several years ago. The department has used targeted pay equity, and Braun praised recently enacted retirement changes (moving certain correctional staff into a public safety retirement plan) as helpful for recruitment and retention, but he repeated the department’s request for additional equity adjustments to reduce turnover.

Braun also described capital and equipment priorities: the Heart River women’s facility completion needs (coolers/freezers moved inside, additional visitor and industry space), design money for a new MRCC (he asked for design funding for a 600‑bed replacement), maintenance work at several facilities, and equipment such as body scanners and body‑worn cameras to reduce contraband and allegations and to improve officer safety.

Committee members asked questions about escapes and walkaways, juvenile populations, transitional facility populations and the fiscal estimate for SB 2128; Braun and other DOCR staff said escapes are rare (he offered an estimate of under five per year at MRCC historically and committed to provide detailed counts), juvenile admissions have declined over the long term and that DOCR would provide more‑detailed fiscal information to the committee. Lisa Beargard, director of the Division of Juvenile Services, added that serious and violent juvenile crime has been declining over decades and that community‑based services have expanded, reducing custodial placements for children.

Ending: Braun asked legislators to visit DOCR facilities and meet staff; he told the committee the department will provide requested data (bridge counts and staffing breakdowns were DOT items; for DOCR he committed to provide detailed fiscal estimates for policy proposals and further population and staffing tables) and to return for detailed division hearings on the budget requests.","mediaType","Video","parentTitle","House Appropriations 03/05/2025","oneSentenceSummary","Colby Braun, director of the Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation, told the Appropriations Committee that transitional facilities reduce recidivism and that restricting their use would raise state costs.","taxTitle","Appropriations, House of Representatives, Legislative, North Dakota","taxId",28310,"location","North Dakota","headline","","shortSummary",{"_33":77,"_35":36,"_37":38,"_39":78,"_41":79,"_43":80,"_45":81,"_47":82,"_49":83,"_51":84,"_53":85,"_55":56,"_57":58,"_59":86,"_61":62,"_63":64,"_65":87,"_67":68,"_69":70,"_71":72,"_73":74,"_75":74},6296994,"N.D. DOT asks for state matches for federal grants, cites bridge backlog and safety gains",5042,293000,5335000,"/Search/View?dp=1&key=2511974-d9d4538705e20e53b10e16934caa143d&start=293&end=5335","https://assets.pipeline.soar.com/2511974-d9d4538705e20e53b10e16934caa143d/thumbnail_293000.jpg","/articles/6296994/North-Dakota/ND-DOT-asks-for-state-matches-for-federal-grants-cites-bridge-backlog-and-safety-gains","https://secure.pipeline.soar.com/6296994-abea26f17ed73adc36323de4ed6226f8/orig.mp4?Expires=1771205667&Signature=I6eR6lPtohGFgsOO-3tva5IUyFPCpVmrz-8Mw9Z-jPYZcftQDZf83faM8TzFzoRAWDmqzLMyc3qpAHP5qHow36ZvgkwqKceDqWxJZ7gzn4UwBmAZQclLELR48BBW6DsAyZdVTZ23jgMUj7fGT7f9PU9Z9fgxp123-dhzlXMqIOfjzBwCgHIPSN4zz7E2h4HJZXuFitavUuUboouEYhfCj9HsK3bPH3WPtZy2PTtHc9a0emQzZgU8rl~rcoc0q0vryO5iNVj6lmHIc3O4QJx7fMGbiGC4yiq1FYx4pUj9LShlnnHmbjbUtSLfSrXPZzDk4PvONSbFvm-4Y43xt75wZg__&Key-Pair-Id=KUT5TJCACFTXG","Ron Henke, director of the Department of Transportation, told the Appropriations Committee the department needs state match money for federal discretionary grants and outlined growing costs for construction, fleet and maintenance.

Henke said the DOT is seeking state match dollars to leverage federal awards — including a $55 million federal grant for a four‑lane stretch of Highway 85 — and that the department is asking the Legislature to authorize borrowing and matching funds to move projects into construction. He also described a growing repair and replacement backlog across bridges, buildings and equipment and said recent safety programs are producing fewer fatalities.

Henke opened by thanking the committee for past transportation funding and said the DOT is shifting emphasis from only state highways to building connected corridors that include county and city roads so local traffic can feed higher‑capacity routes. \"We are working hard to get build corridors, not just state highways,\" Henke said.

The DOT overview packaged several specific requests and program notes: the flexible transportation fund created last biennium (about $222.5 million total) has allowed more local projects; the agency says it has been awarded roughly $236 million in discretionary federal grants and has applied for many more; for one major Highway 85 corridor the department received $55 million in federal funds that require an equal state match; and the DOT has requested $85 million in the executive recommendation to match discretionary grants and a $55 million loan authority from the Bank of North Dakota to provide required grant matches. Henke said the agency also asked for $171.3 million to match federal formula dollars in the next biennium.

Henke gave data points for DOT operations: the state fleet is roughly 3,500 vehicles managed by the department; the DOT manages more than 4,800 state bridges and inspects all federally reportable bridges on a two‑year cycle (the DOT inspects some bridges in‑house and uses consultants for the remainder); snow and ice control runs about $27–30 million per year in a typical heavy maintenance cycle; and Vision Zero safety efforts are showing early improvements, with eight fatalities reported as of Feb. 25 versus 10 at the same time last year. \"Vision Zero is showing positive results,\" Henke said.

On maintenance and equipment, Henke said material and labor costs have risen sharply: he said interstate concrete pavement replacement costs rose from about $2.3 million to $3.5 million per mile and lane‑mile paving costs rose as well. He told legislators the DOT experienced bid shortages on multiple projects in the prior season because contractors lacked workforce capacity, and that the overall program has contracted from about $600 million to roughly $400 million now that COVID‑era federal funds are largely expended.

Henke described several safety and innovation efforts, including LED‑ringed solar stop signs and ‘‘reduced conflict’’ intersections installed near Williston. He said the department has a rail loan program for short‑line carriers, operates state drone and aerial photographic capability, runs the driver licensing system and added extended service hours in major communities. He also said some planned electric vehicle charging projects that had federal support were pulled back by changes at the federal agency, leaving a stronger role for private sector charging deployment for now.

Committee members pressed Henke on specific items. Representative Munson asked whether LED stop signs are solar; Henke replied they are and said the department places them selectively. Representative Nelson asked where the reduced‑conflict intersections in the Williston area are; Henke said three were installed on Highway 1804 near Trenton. On bridges, Representative Nathie asked how many of the roughly 4,800 bridges need repair; Henke said he did not have a final tally ready at the hearing and offered to provide the numbers to the committee later. On a bill to allow 80 mph interstate limits, Henke said the legislation explicitly allows the director to designate lower speeds for substandard segments and mentioned Valley City, Mandan/Bismarck and Fargo as locations that would remain below 80 for geometric or congestion reasons.

Henke described the flexible transportation fund distribution formula, said about 84 percent of the fund dollars awarded in the last cycle went to local projects, and showed an online project map the DOT uses to publish awards. He also noted federal grant programs often require a state or local match, so the state match request is the mechanism the DOT is using to convert discretionary award offers into construction contracts.

Henke said priorities for the DOT budget include funding to match federal grants, carryover authority for projects not yet completed, facility repairs and replacement of aging maintenance buildings and equipment. He warned that flat revenue and rising construction costs mean the DOT will need to prioritize projects and that decisions to move large state funds into one corridor can reduce funding available elsewhere.

Looking ahead, Henke said the DOT will present more detailed explanations to the committee’s government operations and division hearings on fleet rates, operations and specific capital requests. \"We're better off to explain [fleet rates] in those division meetings,\" Henke said. The department also told the committee it will provide the bridge‑condition numbers the legislators requested.

Ending: The committee reserved detailed budget questions for later division meetings; Henke said the DOT will return with division‑level briefings and follow up data (including the bridge condition breakdown and clarifications on match requests) when the committee considers the agency’s budget language and amendments.

","Ron Henke, director of the Department of Transportation, told the Appropriations Committee the agency needs matching state dollars for federal grants, highlighted a multi‑billion‑dollar backlog of needs for roads, bridges and facilities, and said Vision Zero and other safety efforts are reducing fatalities.","actionData","errors"]

Article not found

DOCR defends transitional facilities and requests funds for MRCC replacement, warns bill limiting placements would raise costs

N.D. DOT asks for state matches for federal grants, cites bridge backlog and safety gains