Game and Fish department seeks targeted funds for habitat, pond liners and staffing; highlights special‑fund model

Jeb Williams, director of the North Dakota Game and Fish Department, told the Government Operations Division that his agency’s budget request seeks to preserve the department’s core, special‑fund operations while addressing habitat, access and capital maintenance needs.

“The Game and Fish Department is a special fund agency,” Williams said, noting the department receives revenue primarily from license sales and federal Pittman‑Robertson and Dingell‑Johnson grants; he emphasized the department does not draw from the state general fund.

Administrative services division chief Brian Hozik walked senators through program lines and decision packages. The department reported a governor’s executive recommendation of about $115.6 million for the 2025‑27 biennium, the House recommended $114.5 million, and its legislative base stood at $104.7 million. Hozik said decision packages total roughly $9.7 million, with about $6.6 million of that expected to be federal funds.

Major items and priorities explained during testimony included:

- Private lands / PLOTS and habitat: the department highlighted a continued emphasis on its private lands access program (PLOTS) and associated…