Senators received testimony on Senate Bill 2265, a bill to provide contingent state assistance to complete a Veterans Memorial Center adjacent to Fargo National Cemetery.

Senator Scott Meyer, the bill sponsor (District 18), said private fundraising has generated roughly $1.5 million and architects estimate a roughly 7,400‑square‑foot building would cost about $500 per square foot plus site work. Meyer described the requested state support as a $3 million line of credit through the Bank of North Dakota so funds would not sit idle if the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) ultimately approves the project and assumes ownership and operating costs.

"The VA then would assume the ongoing costs of owning, operating, staffing, and maintaining the facility," Meyer said. He and witnesses said Senator John Hoeven had worked with the VA and that the VA purchased 30 acres to expand the Fargo National Cemetery to 35 acres; witnesses said VA approval of the non‑profit’s proffer remains pending.

Jim McGrawlom, fundraiser and project coordinator for the Fargo Memorial Honor Guard, and Jason Hicks, commander of the Honor Guard, described operational problems at the site including lack of restrooms, no shelter for family members during ceremonies and insufficient parking. They said the nonprofit intends to build the facility on VA land and donate the completed building to the VA so the federal government will take over maintenance and operations after construction.

Committee members pressed several questions: why the federal government would not finance the building; whether the site and land ownership already are federal; what ongoing maintenance obligations would be; and how the proposed state line of credit would be repaid if the VA did not take the project. Witnesses and the sponsor said the VA owns the 35 acres and that prior federal funding does not include money for a building at this rural initiative cemetery.

Committee members also probed financial details, fundraising status, design changes (the building scale was reduced from an earlier 10,000 square feet to roughly 7,300–7,400 square feet), and contingency planning for site utilities. Nonprofit leaders said they expect to complete fundraising and begin construction as early as next fall and estimated completion by 2027 if state assistance and VA approvals align.

No formal committee vote on the bill was recorded in the hearing.