Attorney General outlines $29.3 million base request, seeks funds for crime lab, BCI, fraud unit and victim services

Attorney General Drew Wrigley told the Appropriations — Education and Environment Division on a hearing for House Bill 1003 that his office is seeking funding to sustain recent hires and expand services across criminal justice, forensic science and victim support.

Wrigley said the attorney general’s office now has “266 staff members in the attorney general's office and 14 different divisions” and described a multiyear plan that builds on approximately 20 FTEs added in the prior legislative session. "We have those numbers," he said, and outlined requests ranging from crime-lab equipment and staff to additional prosecutors in the Medicaid Fraud Control Unit and consumer-protection work.

The hearing focused on a mix of continuing costs and optional requests. Wrigley highlighted crime-lab improvements and staffing gains made last session, saying the lab no longer has the large backlogs it once did: “There are none that are backlogged. We always have some that are in the queue as part of investigations but those backlogs are long gone,” and he thanked Jennifer Penner, the lab director, for her work.

Why it matters: the budget requests tie directly to public-safety and legal services across North Dakota — from evidence turnaround times that affect prosecutions to expanded enforcement and recovery in Medicaid fraud and gaming enforcement. The proposals include equipment and software updates that the office says are required to meet statutory notification and records-management obligations.

Major items discussed

- Pay and personnel: Wrigley asked for ongoing funding to continue the recent raises and equity adjustments for attorneys and…