[{"_1":2,"_100":-5,"_101":-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",[32,76,88],{"_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",6090946,"mediaKeyId","2865622-9368556bdc56c9ee17b97798761ac627","parentId",2865622,"title","Committee approves $75,000 appropriation for agriculture commissioner's irrigation expansion study","audioSeconds",380,"startMs",1406930,"endMs",1787545,"viewUrl","/Search/View?dp=1&key=2865622-9368556bdc56c9ee17b97798761ac627&start=1406&end=1787","thumbnailUrl","https://assets.pipeline.soar.com/2865622-9368556bdc56c9ee17b97798761ac627/thumbnail_1406930.jpg","articleUrl","/articles/6090946/North-Dakota/Committee-approves-75000-appropriation-for-agriculture-commissioners-irrigation-expansion-study","mediaUrl","https://secure.pipeline.soar.com/6090946-9d6beeebca52a3e728c2d42d89ca90ce/orig.mp4?Expires=1770430792&Signature=CFPrvlPwuZVlxbxuiLFojM0kPrMB~k4YSqlJTswReyuXkIp7YBsYIlJyEPZZa7-sjG8adIh1CZU-mRTy-E1fn8wqZtzj2wwhu4i9xiV~DLqPOYTEuboUZN9v87Loc3-nW~y6dfUkP4LMslu~smfXOyeeu4uod-eOPnsZRbpu8vK8kmnra0aUIVBRzDWLfLb5~VYrEWDvnvueQFWuO0vi4vNTnXQl8oQwtKUayu6MQIiGRMPylCNwAfA1Gurayf~dL8OarUIaozqEwP7sEL4de8yZyaOmHnS2OcTKikYiuZcBeoK-RvSYBqWkoPCLu2Up2KwkW4ZB4Gc3vL4F3ISAEw__&Key-Pair-Id=KUT5TJCACFTXG","author","North Dakota Legislature","date","2025-04-03T00:00:00Z","article","The Appropriations Committee approved House Bill 1531, allocating $75,000 to the agriculture commissioner to fund a one‑year study of irrigation expansion in North Dakota. The committee recorded a unanimous vote in favor of a due‑pass recommendation.

Senator Dwyer, presenting the bill, told the committee the study will update economic impact research last done 20 to 40 years ago and will examine opportunities for irrigation expansion across northwest, central and eastern North Dakota. \"This is a proposal to allocate $75,000 to the agriculture commissioner to do an irrigation study,\" Dwyer said. He said irrigation expansion previously helped uniform potato production and pointed to opportunities to develop remaining authorized acres under an existing fixed‑loan program.

The agriculture commissioner requested that the one‑year study be exempt from the procurement process so the work could begin promptly; committee discussion noted the commissioner had existing contractor relationships and estimated the total study cost at roughly $125,000 to $150,000 with additional matching funds provided by private firms. The study will also compare tile drainage technologies alongside irrigation options.

Senator Eberly noted the study may examine consequences from federal projects that did not deliver promised irrigation water, referencing the Garrison diversion and its unfulfilled distribution to some areas. Committee members discussed using the updated study to support future irrigation investment decisions.

The committee recorded a roll call vote in favor of a due‑pass recommendation for House Bill 1531; the clerk announced \"Motion passed sixteen‑zero.\" Committee leadership said they would identify a policy carrier for the bill and finalize paperwork for the appropriation and any procurement exemption requests.

No additional programmatic details or reporting deadlines were included in the committee transcript.","mediaType","Video","parentTitle","Senate Appropriations Apr 3, 2025","oneSentenceSummary","The Appropriations Committee voted unanimously to pass House Bill 1531, allocating $75,000 to the agriculture commissioner for a one‑year study of irrigation expansion and its economic impacts; the commissioner requested a procurement exemption and expects private matching funds to increase total study resources.","taxTitle","Appropriations, Senate, Legislative, North Dakota","taxId",28312,"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},6090951,"Committee approves amendment and forwards bill creating missing Indigenous persons task force with $250,000 appropriation",256,1155035,1411330,"/Search/View?dp=1&key=2865622-9368556bdc56c9ee17b97798761ac627&start=1155&end=1411","https://assets.pipeline.soar.com/2865622-9368556bdc56c9ee17b97798761ac627/thumbnail_1155035.jpg","/articles/6090951/North-Dakota/Committee-approves-amendment-and-forwards-bill-creating-missing-Indigenous-persons-task-force-with-250000-appropriation","https://secure.pipeline.soar.com/6090951-3aa2ad607a70e6fca73dcb99a20525b3/orig.mp4?Expires=1770430791&Signature=R58iKQ97on4nifSrHO5TOgdNQA~5bGBPjcJK2Qtm5eFzumIIiKT~k8El69n3i5FzIb9l3RiRH-ukRa3eMI3Jk0yuiGP5C88KmcwemDkHkQZ9cv1B-0WwLGzL-CqaQyjUFj0KBMLtLakZj3bhxN-pE1cc-ZhvF3RAPk4pwLlECJw8qYZ43fK~Sacp0K6pu7pRYio7AZMEjyvitz4ygqbRDMK9rmup7KJFhv1szeNOUANcuNwRukI6XyKfhzJBfq9wVIUAp6gmip8m8TOAx~r6H-f9A8TIHhIU9ijXx-gVVGv3Nvsjhe5QH~W42gXC9orw0NMQxE3IPVJPvKfQ-IOaXw__&Key-Pair-Id=KUT5TJCACFTXG","The Appropriations Committee voted to approve an amended version of House Bill 1199, establishing a criminal‑justice information‑sharing mechanism and a task force focused on missing persons, including missing Indigenous people, and appropriating $250,000 from the general fund to the attorney general's office for ongoing data and education activities.

Senator Scheibely (committee sponsor for the amendment) told the committee the bill will create a criminal‑justice data sharing structure to be administered by the attorney general's office and will also create a task force. \"It also creates a task force,\" Scheibely said while explaining the amendment.

The amendment offered in committee replaces an explicit reference to \"the attorney general\" with language allowing the attorney general or the attorney general's designee to perform the work; the sponsor described this as a technical change requested by the attorney general's office. The appropriation was described in committee as ongoing general‑fund support; the transcript records that the $250,000 was requested but not narrowly designated to a specific list of deliverables.

Senator Dwyer asked why tribal entities had been removed from a section of the bill earlier in the legislative process: \"Why on page 3 did were all the tribes removed...\" The committee record shows that deletions on page 3 occurred during prior policy‑committee work, not in the Appropriations Committee.

The amendment (identified as version 02/2002 in committee materials) was moved by Senator Scheibely, seconded by Senator Sorbog, and recorded as passed on the amendment roll call. The committee later moved a due‑pass recommendation on the bill as amended; the roll call for the due‑pass recorded the measure as passing 15–1. Committee members noted that the appropriation appears to be ongoing and that the attorney general's office will determine the specifics of data services and educational efforts supported by the funding.

Committee records indicate the bill will be carried to the floor by the policy committee; committee leadership asked staff to identify a policy carrier for the bill.","The Appropriations Committee approved an amendment to House Bill 1199 that adds an attorney general designee to lead an information‑sharing effort; the bill creates a task force on missing persons, allocates $250,000 to the attorney general's office for data and education work and passed out of committee 15–1.",{"_33":89,"_35":36,"_37":38,"_39":90,"_41":91,"_43":92,"_45":93,"_47":94,"_49":95,"_51":96,"_53":97,"_55":56,"_57":58,"_59":98,"_61":62,"_63":64,"_65":99,"_67":68,"_69":70,"_71":72,"_73":74,"_75":74},6090954,"Committee adopts amendment on bill banning copay accumulators for certain high‑cost drugs",330,348605,679205,"/Search/View?dp=1&key=2865622-9368556bdc56c9ee17b97798761ac627&start=348&end=679","https://assets.pipeline.soar.com/2865622-9368556bdc56c9ee17b97798761ac627/thumbnail_348605.jpg","/articles/6090954/North-Dakota/Committee-adopts-amendment-on-bill-banning-copay-accumulators-for-certain-highcost-drugs","https://secure.pipeline.soar.com/6090954-898f47f28783578284d86c473d2da7c7/orig.mp4?Expires=1770430791&Signature=Yg7lQrEuJ3M6G~nco4j3CUsoRBq1bU3bJZO1hRM7KSe6twCWRbcFJf7k5t~-zIXt7nA90ddC0U9UZj4UbadJIW7YNAXbhFRBrQ460mRpqjHj0quELj0~HSiMX0qp6UIXVojBkUcnzUGII5hRAFAJFSxBma5sHbvrwi8XiGmEiOkxz-1VjQpIUdcYK4VS2P-~GleT8-xmB51IhHCFbaaCVROllO6n16dXxdP9YAxyX4TFoEqiSDjIeKRlz3aX4XMX~4ub4R8i92-7eVRxEELuFws2D2jGkMgFHxKTatx5P5moCSQNWNDd6pt2qzQ1HrULqo0HGF0gg4zobXPuhR2~yA__&Key-Pair-Id=KUT5TJCACFTXG","At an Appropriations Committee meeting, members voted to adopt an amendment to House Bill 1216, a proposal that would prevent insurers from using copay accumulator programs to block third‑party payments from counting toward a policyholder's deductible and out‑of‑pocket maximums.

Representative Karen Karls, the bill's prime sponsor, said the measure is aimed at patients who rely on manufacturer or nonprofit assistance for high‑cost drugs. \"House Bill 12 16 deals with copay accumulators,\" Karls said. \"...for people with rare diseases for whom this bill is targeted, they meet their deductible the first month.\" She described Trikafta, a cystic fibrosis therapy, as an example of an expensive drug that lacks a generic and can create severe out‑of‑pocket burdens for patients.

The amendment clarifies effective dates. It makes the act effective for most health benefit plans on Aug. 1, 2025, and specifies that the Public Employees Retirement System Uniform Group Insurance Program (PERS) will apply the bill on Jan. 1, 2026, regardless of contract issuance or renewal. The bill expressly excludes plans governed by the Employee Retirement Income Security Act (ERISA).

Rebecca Fricke, identified as executive director of CURS, told the committee the PERS renewal cycle led to a requested adjustment. She said adopting the PERS effective‑date amendment would allow the state's insurance consultant to issue an updated fiscal analysis and \"it would take 6 months off,\" a change expected to reduce the fiscal note. Committee discussion referenced an existing fiscal estimate and staff stated the full biennial fiscal note would be reduced roughly in proportion to the shortened coverage period.

The committee voted to adopt the amendment. The motion to adopt amendment 25.0068 0.01005 was moved by Senator Mathers and seconded by Senator Cleary; the clerk recorded the vote as \"Motion passed, 16.\" Committee leadership said they would place the bill on the Monday schedule for further work and asked staff to secure an updated fiscal note from Deloitte Consulting after the amendment's adoption.

No final due‑pass or engrossment vote on the bill was recorded in the meeting transcript; committee members scheduled additional consideration for the following week.","The Appropriations Committee adopted an amendment to House Bill 1216, which would prohibit insurers from excluding third‑party patient assistance from deductible and out‑of‑pocket calculations for high‑cost, no‑generic prescription drugs; the amendment clarifies effective dates for PERS coverage and is expected to reduce the bill's fiscal note.","actionData","errors"]

Article not found

Committee approves $75,000 appropriation for agriculture commissioner's irrigation expansion study

Committee approves amendment and forwards bill creating missing Indigenous persons task force with $250,000 appropriation

Committee adopts amendment on bill banning copay accumulators for certain high‑cost drugs