Committee trims NDSU research requests, rejects $500,000 for autonomous truck center

Members of the Appropriations - Government Operations Division reviewed changes to the Senate version of Senate Bill 2020 on agency budgets for NDSU and related research units and voted down a motion to add $500,000 in general funds to create an autonomous truck research center.

The committee heard a line-by-line explanation of the Senate adjustments from legislative staffer Grant (legislative staff member), who detailed removals of one-time and base budget items from the Senate version of the bill. Grant said the Senate removed funding for an artificial-intelligence-in-surface-transportation project and a one-time carbon dioxide transportation network study, and reduced or removed multiple new-and-vacant FTE pool allocations across the main research center, branch research centers and NDSU Extension.

NDSU representatives described the projects and funding needs. Dr. Lardy (NDSU official) confirmed two privately funded construction projects to be added by authorization: a $6,000,000 private fundraising project to renovate a swine facility and a $3,250,000 privately funded addition to the Jack Tomerpole Agricultural Research Complex greenhouse. Lardy said both would be privately funded and would require statutory authorization in the bill for NDSU to proceed.

Denver Tolliver (representative, Great Plains Institute), who joined by phone, urged the committee to consider a proposed autonomous truck research center he had requested earlier. Tolliver said his division’s base general-fund appropriation is modest relative to grant activity and that a one-time appropriation would help leverage federal and private funds. “$500,000 would make a difference. It absolutely would,” Tolliver said, adding that he had requested $1,400,000 in one-time funding but could begin work with less.

Committee members debated whether to provide start-up funds. Senator Burkhart moved to add $500,000 in general funds for the autonomous truck center; the motion lacked broad support and failed on a roll call: Senators Burkhart and Wansick voted yes; Senators Sickler, Eberly and Dwyer voted no. The committee recorded the outcome as failed.

On research center specifics, Grant summarized several Senate adjustments to the main research center budget (budget number 640): removal of $7,150,000 from salaries and wages offset by adding $5,060,000 to a new-and-vacant FTE pool line item, removal of funding for two requested FTE positions (an FTE scientist and an FTE research specialist, $495,000), addition of a veterinary toxicologist resident position funded at $275,000, and removal of $1,191,000 tied to about 4.98 positions vacant more than 24 months. The Senate also omitted $1,500,000 in deferred-maintenance one-time funding that appeared in the Armstrong executive budget.

Capital projects received targeted funding in the Senate draft. The Langdon seed conditioning plant received $2,600,000 in the Senate version (reported as $950,000 from SIF and $1,650,000 from agency special funds). The Neslin/Nesson Valley Irrigation Research Site was shown as $2,300,000 (reported as $400,000 from SIF and $1,900,000 from agency special funds), with carryover authority for $1,700,000 appropriated in the prior biennium. The Senate included additional funding for equipment storage sheds (total around $1,567,000 across Dickinson, Central Grasslands and Carrington research centers) and a $200,000 increase for the Williston equipment storage shed using local/special funds to cover a bidding premium.

Committee members asked about carryover provisions. Grant explained section language: section 10 would authorize carryforward of unspent general funds from the 2025–27 biennium into 2027–29; section 11 would authorize carryforward for SIF and special funds appropriated in the current biennium. Senators asked for clarification and were told these sections are routinely included for higher-education-related budgets.

After debate, the committee instructed staff to draft amendments adding the two privately funded projects to the bill and to include the carryover and appropriation-transfer language described in the sessions. Later, the committee voted to adopt the discussed amendments and forward the bill package to the House for further negotiation.

Ending: The committee adjourned and planned to reconvene the following day to review final amendment language before voting on the bill as amended.