Appropriations Committee advances historical society, guard and health measures; rejects stiffer firearm penalty

The Senate Appropriations Committee met and voted on multiple budget and policy items, approving funding adjustments for the State Historical Society and the Adjutant General, a behavioral health facility grant and a change to the personal needs allowance for long-term care residents, while rejecting a proposal to add mandatory prison time for crimes involving firearms.

The committee advanced House Bill 10-18, the State Historical Society omnibus budget as amended, and also gave a due pass to House Bill 16-03, a NAGPRA-related matching grant and committee-formation bill intended to assist repatriation work. Senator Meyer, who led discussion on both historical society items, said HB16-03 would create a committee to identify human remains and cultural objects and direct a $500,000 matching grant to the State Historical Society to be divided among North Dakota's five tribes ($100,000 each). The motion for a due pass on HB16-03 was moved by Senator Meyer and seconded in committee; the motion passed 15-0-1.

On House Bill 10-18 (Historical Society budget), senators debated one-time and ongoing appropriations and policy language attached to SIF (special infrastructure funds), donation pledges and a Bank of North Dakota line of credit for a military gallery expansion. Committee discussion covered new FTEs (an exhibition preparator and a tribal liaison tied to NAGPRA work), a $100,000 general‑fund repatriation compliance item, a $638,000 SIF allocation for Pembina State Museum exhibit work, and a reduction of the SIF request for the military gallery from $20 million to $15 million in the Senate amendment. The amendment passed; the amended bill received a due pass recommendation (14-2).

House Bill 12-25, a measure to create a class B felony with a mandatory four‑year prison term for reckless endangerment involving a firearm, drew sustained debate. Supporters cited incidents of people firing weapons into neighborhoods; opponents and witnesses cited research that mandatory sentences do not reduce crime and noted significant fiscal costs. The subcommittee reported a fiscal note in the range discussed at the hearing (the transcript references $2.6 million to the next biennium and other larger estimates), and the committee ultimately adopted a do-not-pass recommendation on the bill (motion carried 9-6-1).

The committee gave a due pass to House Bill 14-68, a behavioral health facility grant request that would add 30 beds (bringing the project to an anticipated 48-bed facility in testimony, roughly 30 adolescent and 18 adult beds as discussed). Senator Davison described the proposal as addressing a shortage of adolescent residential capacity in western North Dakota and reducing out‑of‑state placements. The motion passed 14-1-1.

Senators also approved House Bill 14-85 as amended to raise the personal needs allowance for Medicaid-eligible residents in nursing facilities, basic care and intermediate care facilities by $15 (in addition to the prior biennial increase) and to index the allowance to inflation. Committee testimony clarified the allowance is money residents keep from their Social Security/benefit payments rather than new payments; the amendment sponsor estimated the fiscal impact would be materially lower than an earlier $50 proposal and estimated approximately $675,000 (federal/general) for the amended increase. The due-pass motion as amended passed 14-1-1.

The committee approved the Office of the Adjutant General budget (House Bill 10-16) as amended. The chair and agency staff outlined a roughly $345 million budget with heavy federal fund components and multiple disaster-relief and mitigation line items. The amendment added funding for disaster-response grants and the state’s match for the federal "safeguarding tomorrow through ongoing risk mitigation" program (the committee referenced the STORM program), among other one-time items. Jennifer Sheat, division chief for fiscal and administrative services at the Adjutant General’s office, explained that some added FTEs for the watch center are being filled by repurposing existing vacant agency positions; the amended bill received a due-pass recommendation (14-0-2).

Votes at a glance - HB16-03 (NAGPRA matching grant / committee formation): Motion for due pass by Senator Meyer; seconded in committee; result: passed 15-0-1. - HB10-18 (State Historical Society budget, as amended): Amendment moved by Senator Meyer; due pass as amended; result: passed 14-2. - HB12-25 (increase penalty to class B felony for firearm use in crime; mandatory 4-year term): Motion for do‑not‑pass by Senator Matherin; result: do not pass, 9-6-1. - HB14-68 (Behavioral Health Facility Grant): Motion for due pass by Senator Davison; result: passed 14-1-1. - HB14-85 (Needs allowance increase and indexing): Amendment moved by Senator Clary; due pass as amended moved by Senator Cleary; result: passed 14-1-1. - HB10-16 (Office of the Adjutant General budget, as amended): Amendment moved by Senator Burkhart; due pass as amended moved by Senator Burkhart; result: passed 14-0-2.

The committee adjourned for the day and scheduled earlier start times for continuing appropriations work later in the week.