Appropriations committee reviews State Historical Society budget, NAGPRA compliance and multimillion-dollar museum projects

Members of the Appropriations - Education and Environment Division heard presentation and questions on the State Historical Society budget during a committee hearing on House Bill 1019 (referenced in the hearing). The discussion covered funding for compliance with the Native American Graves Protection and Repatriation Act, seasonal staff pay, digital services, a Pembina State Museum exhibit, a proposed military gallery expansion, building and archives maintenance, and multiple proposed local grant amendments.

The budget packet includes a roughly $402,000 request tied to NAGPRA compliance that would fund one permanent FTE and two temporary positions to inventory and work with tribal communities on repatriation; the last statewide inventory was done in 1992. Committee members were also shown one-time operating funds proposed to pay for collection supplies and outside expertise needed to meet new federal triggers and a five-year compliance timeline established under recent federal guidance.

Why it matters: the requests mix recurring staffing and ongoing operating costs with large one-time capital asks that would affect the state’s cash and bonding plans; the military gallery in particular would require a combination of state financing and private fundraising before it can move forward.

NAGPRA and staffing The packet submitted to the committee shows a NAGPRA-related request of a little over $402,000 and the creation of one FTE plus two temporary positions to perform an up-to-date inventory and related compliance work. Committee materials and witnesses said the federal Native American Graves Protection and Repatriation Act was enacted in 1990 and that updated federal guidance has imposed new triggers and a five-year compliance window that the state must meet.

Andrea Wieke, director of administration for the historical agency, described the request as covering personnel authorization plus one-time costs such as background checks and hardware for new positions. The committee heard that the positions are intended to support inventory work and tribal consultation; committee members asked whether the new FTE would remain in the base after the initial work, and staff said NAGPRA compliance is expected to be an ongoing agency obligation tied to continuing federal requirements.

Seasonal staff, operating costs and digital services Committee discussion covered funding for 90 to 120 seasonal, hourly employees who staff state historic sites. The budget returned seasonal-pay funding that had been reduced in a prior executive proposal; staff said pay ranges for those positions generally run from about $14 to $18 per hour and that the Armstrong proposal did not add a rate increase.

Operating expense increases were broken into three main buckets: roughly $73,000 for IT, about $44,000 for growing insurance premiums (including fire insurance for museum facilities), and about $31,000 for utilities. The packet also includes scaled-back requests for digital services and website work; the historical society originally sought near $1 million for a larger digital build but that request was reduced.

Exhibits, capital projects and preservation grants A one-time SIF (state infrastructure fund) request of $638,000 appears in the packet for a new exhibit at the Pembina State Museum, and separate line items cover marketing for that exhibit. The cultural heritage grant program — which awards modest grants (typically $10,000 to $30,000 per recipient) to preserve properties on or eligible for the National Register of Historic Places — drew committee attention after an Armstrong-budget reduction that removed $500,000. Staff said the program typically has about $1 million in requests.

The packet also includes a $3,000,000 SIF request for improvements to historical structures and buildings statewide; staff said the capital deferment list totals “tens of millions” and that the gym restoration at Fort Totten, air conditioning and irrigation at Camp Hancock, and restroom work at Double Ditch are among prioritized projects.

State archives and America250 The committee reviewed a proposed study and upgrades for state archives storage, described by staff as a plan to evaluate higher-density shelving and consolidation of widely distributed records. The Armstrong proposal reduced an earlier $7 million America250 exhibit request to $2 million from SIF; that funding would support a governor’s gallery exhibit and grants to local entities for programming tied to the 2026 semiquincentennial.

Military gallery expansion Committee members spent significant time on a proposed military gallery expansion with an overall ask the presenter described as about $83.6 million, of which roughly $78.7 million is for the gallery itself. The project has been pitched as a public–private combination and the presenters described an expected split of roughly half state funding and half private donations. Committee staff noted the state must also repay a $4.2 million line of credit from the Bank of North Dakota approved in 2023; the Armstrong recommendation suggested bonding for some of these large capital projects while others have recommended funding from the Legacy earnings or SIF.

Jackie Huber, deputy adjutant general and volunteer president of the North Dakota National Guard Foundation, told the committee that the foundation has recorded 11 pledges totaling nearly $7,600,000 and that another 11 prospects are under active solicitation for about $21,300,000. “A lot of them are kind of waiting to see what the state legislature does,” Huber said.

Fund source and timing questions Members asked whether the gallery fundraising is advanced enough to justify state bonding and whether legacy earnings should be used for the project. Several legislators said they prefer discussing large-balance bonding decisions later in the session; others urged use of legacy or other long-term resources for projects with “legacy” character.

Local grant amendments and re-referral Committee members received several proposed amendments and grant requests to add to the historical society budget: a Senator Herberly amendment seeking $200,000 from the general fund for repair of a snow-damaged county historical society museum; a Representative Greenieck amendment seeking $500,000 for the Ellendale Opera House; a re-referral of House Bill 1438 proposing a $1,100,000 matching grant to the Fargo Theatre (the House IBL Committee amended that measure to a 2-for-1 match before re-referral); and other member proposals including a $250,000 request for a Marmot/municipal movie theater restoration and a $1,000,000 request to support vintage trolley-style vehicles for Medora tourism circulation. Committee members asked questions about emergency declarations and other potential funding sources for storm damage; staff said the snow-damaged museum request appears to be a single-building event rather than a governor-declared statewide emergency.

Process and next steps Committee members said some items are easier to treat as one-time SIF or bonding questions rather than add to the base. The chair signaled a short recess to allow amendment drafting, and the committee set its schedule for the next day’s work, with a DPI student-achievement presentation scheduled the following afternoon.

Discussion versus action The hearing on the historical society budget produced extensive discussion and several proposed amendments and re-referrals, but the transcript shows no formal committee votes during the portion of the hearing provided.

Ending Committee staff will prepare amendment language for members and follow up on questions about bond debt service, SIF balances and the current status of private fundraising for the military gallery. The historical society and outside groups are expected to return with additional materials as members consider which items to include in final appropriations language.