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Committee moves to remove general‑fund backstop as NDHIN loan fund is converted to operating cash
Summary
Appropriators discussed shifting North Dakota Health Information Network (NDHIN) funding from a general‑fund contingency to special‑fund authority by using cash transferred from a loan fund; lawmakers asked that general fund authority be removed and special fund authority increased to reflect the current operational funding mix.
The committee reviewed the North Dakota Health Information Network’s budget and an internal transfer of loan‑fund cash into its operational account, and instructed staff to reflect that change on the long sheet.
Committee members recalled that the Health Information Network (NDHIN) historically received a mix of federal grants, participation fees, and a loan fund seeded with roughly $9 million. Greg Hoffman and other presenters explained that over time loan recipients repaid loans into the fund and that the agency had not issued new loans for several years. Roughly $3 million of loan‑fund cash was moved into NDHIN operating authority in March to remove the revolving loan‑fund accounting and better reflect the network’s operational funding.
"We actually did that this month in March," an NDIT presenter said about the $3 million transfer. Committee discussion noted that the $2 million general‑fund backstop previously appropriated would be removed from the general‑fund column and that the operational side of the NDHIN budget would show more special and federal funds and less general fund going forward.
The committee instructed staff to adjust the long sheet to show no general‑fund appropriation for NDHIN going forward (removing $2,000,000 in general fund authority that had been included as a contingency) and to increase the special‑fund column by the remaining base amounts as the loan fund cash is now available for operations. Staff confirmed the loan fund repayments will continue for a few accounts over the next several years and that only a small residual balance may remain after those obligations are completed.
Ending
The committee directed staff to amend the long sheet to remove future general‑fund authority for NDHIN and to reflect the March transfer of roughly $3 million from the loan fund to operating authority; staff will add the change to the amendment and remove the now‑unnecessary section that had provided one‑time transfer authority.
