Lawmakers, Ethics Commission Weigh Bigger staff, new case-management system amid rising complaints

Senators and representatives on the Appropriations - Education and Environment Division reviewed budget requests for the North Dakota Ethics Commission on March 18, focusing on proposed new positions, a case management system and professional-fee funding as complaint volume has increased.

The discussion centered on a package of staffing and technology changes proposed by Senator Tim Mathern, who presented amendments that would expand the commission’s legal, compliance and education functions and add administrative support. "Let's make it a full ethics commission," Senator Tim Mathern, who represents Senate District 11 in Fargo, told the committee, outlining an organizational chart and estimated additional costs.

Why it matters: committee members said the commission is receiving substantially more complaints than in prior years and that staffing and automation could speed handling of filings. Representative Hansen noted the commission reported 59 complaints so far in 2025 compared with 14 in 2022, a change lawmakers cited as a driver for the proposals.

Commission requests and proposals

Senator Mathern said the amendments would add a legal section (general counsel plus enforcement and compliance counsel and a paralegal) and an operations/education section (an education/communications FTE and an…