Appropriations panel advances OMB budget after debate over Jamestown state hospital, funding changes

The Appropriations — Government Operations Division advanced House bill 10/15, the Office of Management and Budget (OMB) budget, after a session-long debate over funding for a proposed new state hospital in Jamestown and several line-item adjustments.

The committee voted to pass the bill as amended after adopting changes that increase guardianship grants by $1,000,000, reduce a $1,500,000 public-education contract for a pro‑life outreach campaign to $500,000, and add language authorizing OMB to transfer up to about $242,000,000 from the social services fund to the human services finance fund. Chairman Wannsee carried the budget out of the committee following the vote.

Why it matters: The Jamestown state hospital portion of the budget drew the most attention because it would commit hundreds of millions of dollars to construction and place project management with OMB. Committee members said the decision affects long-term mental‑health capacity, statewide service strategy and potential legal exposure tied to federal disability‑rights law.

Tim Mathern, a senator who asked to speak before the committee, urged members to reconsider the construction plan and to consider alternatives such as deferred maintenance and local investments. “Building an institution in Jamestown is old medicine,” Mathern said, adding that modern practice emphasizes acute care, rapid treatment and step‑down community services. Mathern also warned of legal risks, citing “Supreme Court decisions regarding Olmstead and the … disability act” as a consideration for moving away from large…