Committee advances bill to fund Legacy Fund transparency website

The Appropriations - Education and Environment Division voted to advance House Bill 1319, clearing funding for a stand-alone website intended to publish information about North Dakota's Legacy Fund and make fund data easier for the public to search.

The bill would authorize up to roughly $476,000 for the website build and approximately $55,000 for operating costs covering the next biennium, according to discussion in the committee. Interim Retirement Investment Office Executive Director Jody Smith told the panel the project's fiscal note ranged from about $280,000 on the low end to $500,000 at the high end and that the agency provided the higher estimate "with an abundance of caution." Smith said the work likely would roll out in phases so not all costs would occur in year one.

The bill responds to public requests for more user-friendly access to fund information, Smith said. "If you go on our website, you have to look for the information. It is out there. It's all on our website in a PDF format,"…