Senate passes OMB budget after rejecting 'life education' amendment; debate centers on state hospital and guardianship funding

The North Dakota Senate voted to adopt amendments to House Bill 10‑15, the Office of Management and Budget appropriation bill, but rejected Division A — a provision that would have inserted a new "life education" committee and a $1,000,000 appropriation. On a roll call vote, Division A failed 23‑24; the remainder of the bill (Division B) and the amended bill ultimately passed on final passage, 31‑16, with the bill’s emergency clause failing.

The amendment package presented by Senator Tim Wojcik summarized multiple budget changes to OMB’s request, including a $110,114 custodial equity appropriation, replacement of $219,000 in rental revenue tied to changes on the 15th floor, a $1,000,000 increase for guardianship grants (raising base funding from $7.1 million to $8.1 million), a $4,000,000 pool for rent/moving/space reconfiguration, a one‑time $850,000 grant to Prairie Public Broadcasting, a retirement transfer incentive estimated at $959,904 for the biennium (44 employees electing a plan change), a $40,000,000 transfer to a statewide deferred maintenance fund, and revised funding for the state hospital of $285,000,000 (described as $200,000,000 from the Strategic Investment and Improvement Fund and $85,000,000 Bank of North Dakota line of credit). Wojcik said the package passed government operations 5‑0 and the full appropriations committee by a margin he summarized in committee votes.

Senator Janne Myrdal, identified in debate as the author of the life education language, defended the provision as aligning with an existing North Dakota Century Code policy (read in the chamber as "14 o 2 3.01" in the transcript) and described the measure as a public‑health education campaign to make people aware of services…