Committee hears bill to move vacant higher‑ed salaries into OMB reserve pool

Summary

Representative Eric Murphy told the House Education Committee HB 1161 would create an OMB-held pool for salary and benefit funding for vacant positions at public institutions; the North Dakota University System opposed the bill, saying it would infringe on the State Board of Higher Education's constitutional authority.

Representative Eric Murphy, a member of the House Education Committee, introduced House Bill 1161 at a committee hearing to establish an Office of Management and Budget (OMB) “pool” that would hold salary and benefits appropriations for vacant full‑time equivalent positions at institutions governed by the State Board of Higher Education.

“An OMB pool that would be where positions that are new positions and or, other positions, for instance, when people leave, where the money would go and sit in a reserve pool in OMB for both the salaries as well as the benefits,” Murphy said. He told the committee the model is similar to a mechanism enacted for executive‑branch positions last session and said early results show roughly $32,000,000 in net savings, with possible biennial savings “in excess of $50,000,000.”

The bill would require institutions to transfer appropriated salary funds…

Committee hears bill to move vacant higher‑ed salaries into OMB reserve pool

Summary

Subscribe to keep reading