Protection and Advocacy asks for staff, retirement funds and to continue assistive-technology pilot during HB1014 hearing

The Human Resources Division of the Senate Appropriations Committee held a public hearing on House Bill 1014 to review the budget request for the North Dakota Protection and Advocacy Project (P&A), and heard testimony asking the Legislature to fund a permanent workforce-technology coordinator, cover an expected retirement payout and consider a communications specialist.

Veronica Cazitz, executive director of the North Dakota Protection and Advocacy Project, told the committee P&A is an independent state agency established in 1977 that provides free advocacy and protective services to eligible individuals with disabilities across North Dakota. "P and A provides free services to eligible individuals with disabilities across North Dakota," Cazitz said, describing investigation, monitoring and legal representation work the agency performs.

The agency presented data showing protective-services investigations made up roughly 63 percent of its caseload in the last two federal fiscal years, and that P&A handled 2,390 cases and 1,771 clients in the most recent biennium compared with 2,264 cases and 1,668 clients in the prior biennium. Cazitz told the committee that 99 percent of cases were resolved completely or partially in the client's favor last federal fiscal year and that P&A completed 6,126 information-and-referral requests over the last two federal fiscal years.

Why it matters: committee members pressed for detail…