Job Service North Dakota requests state funds for IT, salaries and H‑2A staffing as federal grants remain flat

Patrick Bertin, executive director of Job Service North Dakota, presented the agency’s appropriation requests and program updates to the Senate Appropriations Education and Environment Division.

Bertin said, “My name is Patrick Bertin. I'm the executive director, for Job Service North Dakota,” and told the committee the agency is “93.64% federally funded.” He described three core agency functions — workforce services, unemployment insurance and labor market information — and summarized recent program activity and staffing pressures.

Why it matters: Job Service applied for state funds to cover costs that federal grants do not allow, including inflationary IT costs and state salary adjustments. Bertin said federal funding lines are largely flat and siloed, producing shortfalls for state‑level increases and IT infrastructure. He asked for funding to maintain current service levels during the agency’s unemployment insurance modernization.

Key requests and program highlights: Bertin asked for general fund support including a request to cover information‑technology cost increases (a $950,000 request), a one‑time general fund request of $2,100,000 to offset salary and benefit increases that federal funds do not support, and a request for $246,346 in general funds for one additional full‑time employee and related expenses to address an expanding H‑2A housing‑inspection workload.

Bertin described the H‑2A (foreign agricultural labor) workload in detail: the agency processed 1,315 applications in the most recent program year; staff drove about 91,000 miles to perform 1,910 inspections and placed 4,321 foreign workers in fiscal year 2024. He said that from fiscal year 2021–2024 Job Service facilitated placement of 13,332 H‑2A workers. Bertin told senators that rising inspections are straining staff and that the additional FTE is needed to avoid delays that could affect employers’ ability to receive workers.

On workforce programs Bertin reviewed a state‑sponsored job placement pilot targeted at justice‑involved individuals: the legislature allocated $640,000 for the program; Job Service reported 277 referrals from the Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation, 213 intakes, 86 active participants and a 73% employment rate among participants in the program to date. Bertin said those who successfully exited after six months of continuous employment showed higher quarterly earnings cited in testimony (transcript figures were presented by quarter in testimony and should be confirmed with agency data).

Unemployment insurance modernization and funding pressure: Bertin said Job Service received $45,000,000 in ARPA funds for an IT modernization project and is targeting full implementation by Q4 2026. He warned the committee that federal grants do not cover state salary increases or IT rate increases from the state Department of IT; federal grant restrictions and program changes (including WIOA reallocation) force staffing reductions and hamper service levels. Bertin noted the agency had reduced staff from 387 (2001) to 159 current employees.

Follow up and next steps: Senators asked clarifying questions about how H‑2A inspections are conducted and whether fees could be charged for inspections; agency staff (Phil Davis and others) confirmed inspections are mandated by the U.S. Department of Labor and that growers do not pay inspection fees. Bertin and staff committed to provide additional detailed budget materials and implementation specifics as the committee evaluates appropriation requests.

Quotes and source: Direct quotes in this article come from Patrick Bertin and Phil Davis during the testimony; questions and clarifications were raised by senators in committee.