[{"_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",6272736,"mediaKeyId","3026201-0bdcf75e623421a5b86da749c62a14d5","parentId",3026201,"title","House leaders outline $541.3 million SIF transportation plan, propose flex fund, airport allocations and gas tax change","audioSeconds",2595,"startMs",2000000,"endMs",4595000,"viewUrl","/Search/View?dp=1&key=3026201-0bdcf75e623421a5b86da749c62a14d5&start=2000&end=4595","thumbnailUrl","https://assets.pipeline.soar.com/3026201-0bdcf75e623421a5b86da749c62a14d5/thumbnail_2000000.jpg","articleUrl","/articles/6272736/North-Dakota/House-leaders-outline-5413-million-SIF-transportation-plan-propose-flex-fund-airport-allocations-and-gas-tax-change","mediaUrl","https://secure.pipeline.soar.com/6272736-cccfbeaaf0ee05ec7d199f99a1a68043/orig.mp4?Expires=1771137080&Signature=gthMXYZlnzn8VO3wDbi-hgrcRWu5xjrqPR3-8w337RaVTHTaEprl~hq4X8XZ6dV3mI1H5Uys6yUXcexSwibJUJIKpqIFwpOhqcyUdVISaMGSWdooDEr0fT861CoRtSoE07YSALpTiP6uPAJgdNdW2x860mEKnO1PG-aSGUvY9k0iU4dvsYiZDUNcUR7RnARnnbxARWZgmh8-53xcQQ3plk~JZMvDE2MQVjuUOze0nq-WSewXT-XGcVwObCMAZBUIlTOfKxCs3TthvDqW0y1SCALYnNZDBiA4eIzgNW8M~b2~tx4uoyRrj5ZXf~GA~ezUrXdlbfmcf~RFQ7sTg2--og__&Key-Pair-Id=KUT5TJCACFTXG","author","North Dakota State Legislature","date","2025-04-16T00:00:00Z","article","House Appropriations - Government Operations Division members spent the committee's session on a broad transportation funding outline that leaders said would move $541.3 million of State Infrastructure Fund (SIF) money into consolidated buckets for highways, flexible transportation grants and specific projects, and would preserve a vehicle for major airport grants.

Speaker Weiss told the committee the leadership amendment being drafted would add airports into the Department of Transportation (DOT) budget with a proposed $95 million for airport projects, broken down as $40 million for Fargo, $30 million for Dickinson and $25 million for Grand Forks, and that those airport allocations would be contingent on the recipients having obtained their federal grants. \"The amendment that will be given to you will have 95,000,000 for Airports, 40000000 for Fargo, 30000000 for Dickinson, and 25,000,000 for Grand Forks,\" Speaker Weiss said. He noted Fargo had already received its federal grant.

Speaker Weiss and other members described the broader SIF rollup this way: the fiscal vehicle would hold $541.3 million total, made up of a $171.3 million federal-match bucket already in 2012 and a newly proposed $370 million deposit into a flexible transportation fund. The flexible fund, as described to the committee, would include a mix of grant and formula distributions: roughly $159.1 million for political subdivision grants, a city distribution earmark (about $34 million, similar to prior Prairie Dog distributions), $49.9 million for statewide discretionary projects (described to committee as a $50 million DOT discretionary slice), and a $50 million bridge allocation for counties.

The chair and Speaker Weiss said leadership favored grant funding to better target larger local projects instead of issuing small formula checks. Committee members discussed qualifying criteria; townships, counties and cities would be eligible for grants under the flex fund. Committee members discussed mill-rate and savings thresholds for townships (discussed comparisons of 18 mills in the Senate and 24 mills in the House proposals) and said those eligibility specifics would be decided in conference.

Members also discussed consolidation of the Prairie Dog program into the SIF/flex structure and noted some previously separate buckets would be eliminated or combined. Speaker Weiss said the flex fund would allow cities the same flexibility Prairie Dog once allowed, including use of funding for non-transportation infrastructure where statute permits.

On overall highway financing, the leadership plan described $171.3 million of SIF federal-match funding already in statute plus an estimated $146 million from legacy earnings (percent-of-market-value distributions) going to the highway fund. The committee discussed a proposed 5-cent increase in the gas tax (a nickel) and a change in the distribution formula. Under the proposed distribution adjustments, DOT's share would decrease slightly from about 61.3% to 60% of the distribution pool, cities and counties would receive an increased share (together moving to about 35%), townships would move from about 2.7% to 3.4%, and transit would move from roughly 1.5% to 1.6%.

Committee members requested flow charts and draft amendment language to review. Staff (Brady, Adam and others) were asked to put the proposal in writing and circulate an amendment, flowchart and long-sheet entries so the committee could consider final statutory language at the next meeting. Speaker Weiss said the amendment text and supporting materials would be provided for review the following morning at the committee's scheduled meeting.

No formal roll call votes on the transportation funding framework were taken in the session covered by this transcript; committee members asked staff to draft the amendment and to coordinate placement (and conferee handling) to keep the bill as clean as possible while preserving the vehicle for airports and other targeted allocations.","mediaType","Video","parentTitle","House Appropriations - Government Operations Division Wednesday, Apr 16, 2025 3:26 PM - 4:44 PM","oneSentenceSummary","House leaders told a House Appropriations committee they planned to roll $541.3 million of SIF money into consolidated transportation buckets, put $370 million into a flexible transportation fund and reserve $171.3 million for the highway fund, while leadership's forthcoming amendment would also add $95 million for airport projects contingent on federal grants.","taxTitle","Appropriations - Government Operations Division, House of Representatives, Legislative, North Dakota","taxId",28887,"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},6272741,"Panel rejects request to exempt state mill and elevator from vacant FTE pool",318,1228000,1546000,"/Search/View?dp=1&key=3026201-0bdcf75e623421a5b86da749c62a14d5&start=1228&end=1546","https://assets.pipeline.soar.com/3026201-0bdcf75e623421a5b86da749c62a14d5/thumbnail_1228000.jpg","/articles/6272741/North-Dakota/Panel-rejects-request-to-exempt-state-mill-and-elevator-from-vacant-FTE-pool","https://secure.pipeline.soar.com/6272741-ebb0acec40f9bd774f3dc545154b70c8/orig.mp4?Expires=1771137080&Signature=n3N8Ab51G0s60tNeWqf9bDqQ9-M1XdACAGwtpM8aF10NjnbAAXxTVcEuOTt9370W3BxRnUjqDLLBMmv3YvAAnGhLY8UgCP37254-g06zdCMdYLhL0TDcg1Vin2HaxyR2zxMp2yKujW3efuN5H53-OCtRiDJ0cnZjoqbCJ4Z6UwgvpibCWGxy3e36WyLuESPHFb5mIZjmcOKa3h5l9bznpD-4m6JLr-XoX1RiJWVpEuhFl9kACsvdr4CVOlHAF~YOeftpOGT2qfpcwl07AfydrOGwDSbzHRRw5iSZeXJtqIrAYFaPi1uyWLU5RfjIOEVpPsEFppkSTaS6ZVxp70io~w__&Key-Pair-Id=KUT5TJCACFTXG","A motion to exempt the North Dakota mill and elevator from the state's new vacant full-time-equivalent (FTE) pool failed in the House Appropriations Government Operations Division.

Representative Kempnick moved to exempt the mill and elevator from the vacant FTE pool, saying the operation runs under union contracts, its FTE counts \"ebb and flow,\" and the facility had to be \"creative in their accounting\" under the existing arrangement. \"They're a union... it ebbs and flows, their FTE count and who's their employment,\" Kempnick said.

Representative Bowie and other members pushed back, saying changes this session to how the vacant FTE pool is administered should make the pool easier for agencies to manage. Bowie noted the prior process required a two-step request to the Office of Management and Budget and said the panel had changed that process this session so agencies would not have to leave funds sitting in OMB. \"I think they would find it to be a little easier to manage this time rather than last time,\" Bowie said.

Representative Brannberry seconded Kempnick's motion. The clerk took a roll call on the exemption. The record shows members voting against the motion, and the chairman declared the motion failed. After the vote, the committee said it would let the mill participate in the new FTE pool under the revised rules and revisit an exemption if the mill later demonstrates the pool does not work for its operations.

No formal amendment was attached to any bill as a result of the failed motion.","A motion to exempt the North Dakota mill and elevator from a new vacant FTE pool was defeated after committee debate about union contracts and recent changes to the pool's administration.",{"_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},6272745,"House panel approves amendment to expand pipeline authority borrowing to $180 million",649,577000,1226000,"/Search/View?dp=1&key=3026201-0bdcf75e623421a5b86da749c62a14d5&start=577&end=1226","https://assets.pipeline.soar.com/3026201-0bdcf75e623421a5b86da749c62a14d5/thumbnail_577000.jpg","/articles/6272745/North-Dakota/House-panel-approves-amendment-to-expand-pipeline-authority-borrowing-to-180-million","https://secure.pipeline.soar.com/6272745-83e6549b908c7074d6c9bedc6d1d985d/orig.mp4?Expires=1771137080&Signature=dNNvSg0jTlUaNEAJSpp9Be4AI5Yt7sk2iqqW2jtCMq2SLKGaajd5IIV2E~be06WXpo3RpNZq2xNphIu1H5CsPZEfuBrGjKGVm1w2Ju0-oVrtLoAR4JOu3v~1WkS8Us4oHrZ22wwKVlyjn~z-HHhmnwhFM6xChr7eFhoGD7UCIkpn3C91JFDVzbetl37pUBRVGeBLoCXsraX6mCenN1MKBRDXVwE0lpyvci7UzPBGUNQf70pRJ2Ofr~pBkQnLP1CZ6r5Dvr3k-MGUJ8jMS3hj9ZHFHY6Fc5GK7RK0e83c4rxV--iebURqGjTjcOnwL-mbrJReyl7g8R-3wvIyXWuVCg__&Key-Pair-Id=KUT5TJCACFTXG","The House Appropriations Government Operations Division on an unrecorded date approved an amendment to increase the borrowing authority tied to a proposed west'to'east natural gas pipeline, a move sponsors said is intended to help secure permitting and provide capacity certainty to a project still years from construction.

Representative Bosch, who moved the amendment, said the change adjusts a single numerical limit in legislation from last year to expand the state's capacity commitment to the pipeline authority. \"I've got an amendment to change... it's just increasing the capacity, authority of the pipeline,\" Representative Bosch said, explaining the amendment increases the pipeline authority's borrowing from $60 million to $120 million.

Committee members said the expanded commitment is intended to help the pipeline company obtain necessary federal approvals, including a Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC) certificate, by demonstrating sufficient committed customers and capacity. Vice Chair Brandenburg described data centers and a Grand Forks potato plant as potential large customers that are changing the pipeline's economics: \"That's the game changer... you gotta have enough capacity, enough load,\" he said.

The amendment also reflects a change at the Bank of North Dakota (BND). Committee discussion recorded that BND currently lists $80 million of authority in its related program but told staff it only needs $60 million for the bank's present portfolio. The amendment moves the pipeline authority's statutory borrowing cap to $120 million and maintains the combined line-of-credit figure at $180 million by reducing the bank-side program to $60 million. Committee staff clarified the change will appear as amendments to two sections of the bill and will create a new box on the long sheet.

A staff member noted the original pipeline-capacity program carried a delayed effective date; committee counsel said the amended section becomes law starting July 1, 2025, aligning it with the existing delayed-effective provision. Committee members directed staff to draft a clean amendment for the next session day so the committee could review the full text.

The clerk recorded a roll call on the amendment. The motion to attach the amendment to the bill (as described above) was moved by Representative Bosch and seconded by Representative Kempnick and carried on a roll call with the following recorded votes: Chairman Munson, yes; Vice Chair Brandenburg, yes; Representative Bosch, yes; Representative Fisher, yes; Representative Kempenek, yes; Representative Meyer, yes; Representative Pyle, yes. The motion was carried and the amendment attached to bill 2014.

Committee members said the pipeline remains a long-term project if pursued, with speakers repeatedly noting it could take roughly five years to build even if planning begins immediately. Supporters framed the change as a way for the state to be a partner and to help secure the permitting and financing needed to move the pipeline toward construction.

The committee directed staff to prepare the written amendment and to circulate it to members before the next meeting so members could review the precise statutory language and placement in the long sheet.","The House Appropriations Government Operations Division voted to attach an amendment increasing the pipeline authority's borrowing capacity to support an east'west natural gas pipeline, raising the authority to $120 million and preserving a combined $180 million line of credit with the Bank of North Dakota.","actionData","errors"]

Article not found

House leaders outline $541.3 million SIF transportation plan, propose flex fund, airport allocations and gas tax change

Panel rejects request to exempt state mill and elevator from vacant FTE pool

House panel approves amendment to expand pipeline authority borrowing to $180 million