Lawmakers hear wide-ranging testimony on county fair resiliency grant bill; smaller fairs urge lower match

The Senate Appropriations, Government and Operations Division opened a hearing on House Bill 15‑91, a bill to appropriate funds to the Agriculture Commissioner for a county fair resiliency grant program, drawing testimony from fair board members across North Dakota who described urgent infrastructure needs and the economic role of fairgrounds.

Why it matters: Proponents said county fairgrounds are community assets that support youth programming, local businesses and tourism; opponents and several small-county witnesses warned a 1:1 local match added by the House would put the grants out of reach for the smallest counties.

Mark Landa, secretary of the Greater Grand Forks Fair board, told the committee he “strongly support[s] the appropriation of these funds to help county fairs across the state of North Dakota maintain and upgrade facilities.” Landa summarized Grand Forks’ history as a fair host and provided impact figures from Visit Greater Grand Forks: the Greater Grand Forks Fair’s 2024 direct sales were listed at $466,166 and the broader community impact that year at $716,172. Landa also said the fair has “well over $1,000,000 worth of repairs and improvements” on its list and described…