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Indian Affairs Commission outlines economic, workforce and tribal partnership work; no new FTEs requested
Summary
Brad Hawk, executive director of the North Dakota Indian Affairs Commission, and staff summarized recent government‑to‑government engagement, tribal asset inventories and workforce and food‑sovereignty efforts; the commission asked for continued support but did not request additional FTEs in this biennium.
Brad Hawk, executive director of the North Dakota Indian Affairs Commission, presented the commission’s priorities and recent activities to the Appropriations — Human Resources Division and emphasized government‑to‑government coordination, tribal economic assessments and workforce development initiatives.
Hawk described the commission’s role as liaison between the state and five tribal nations and highlighted recent projects: the annual Government‑to‑Government conference, tribal economic asset assessments to identify “plug‑and‑play” opportunities for employers, and partnerships on workforce and child‑care pipeline issues. He said the commission has four FTEs and that staff work closely with the Department of Commerce, tribal college systems, and tribal partners on entrepreneurship, capacity building and food‑sovereignty projects.
Deputy director Anthony Bauer reviewed specific activities including tribal college engagement, food‑sovereignty pilots, SNAP/SNAP‑eligible markets support, and efforts to connect tribal communities to state economic development opportunities. Economic and workforce specialist Melinda Padilla Lynch described recent outreach and programming: quarterly tribal visits, a native entrepreneurship cohort model, and organizing tribal‑legislative engagement events such as Native Day in the Hall and a Native legislative training day.
Hawk said the commission will continue to coordinate with tribes and state partners and will return to the committee with any further budget detail if requested. The commission did not propose additional full‑time positions for the current biennium but said it will continue internal strategic planning and may bring requests in the future if needs change.
Ending: Committee members thanked the commission; staff scheduled a return engagement to review any requested follow‑up when the commission completes its internal planning.
