The Agriculture and Veterans Affairs Committee heard testimony on Senate Bill 2114 on proposed changes to how local law enforcement and dispatch centers are billed for access to the state law‑enforcement telecommunications system.

Darren Anderson, director of State Radio in the Department of Emergency Services, told the committee the system hosts the state message switch and connects to the National Law Enforcement Telecommunications System (NLETS). "If you got pulled over ... the officer goes and plugs that into his computer in the car," Anderson said, describing routine queries for driver and vehicle information.

Anderson told the committee the current statute places billing on cities and counties under a flat fee structure tied to population thresholds and that those flat rates have not been adjusted since 2017. He described how the bill would move the billing from a fixed monthly per‑terminal fee to a percentage‑based billing model tied to the same population thresholds, saying the change is intended to better align local charges with actual cost fluctuations and give State Radio more fiscal flexibility. "The proposed solution outlined in Senate Bill 2114 is its transition from a current flat fee structure to a percentage based billing model," Anderson said.

Nut graf: Committee members were presented with fiscal and operational rationales for the change — including that the 2017 statutory change removed a prior practice of the state covering roughly half of system costs — but no formal vote was taken. The chair closed the hearing and said he would hold the bill at the sponsor's request, leaving further action pending.

Most important details

- Current billing: Anderson said cities and counties pay a flat monthly fee per terminal based on population (for example, counties with fewer than 5,000 residents pay $40 per month per terminal, and counties of 10,000 to 15,000 residents pay $120 per month per terminal). Anderson said those flat amounts have not been adjusted since 2017.

- Proposed change: Senate Bill 2114 would keep the existing population thresholds but replace fixed monthly fees with a percentage‑based billing model. Anderson said the fiscal note attached to the bill translates the new percentages to amounts intended to be close to current rates (he cited an example increasing a $40 monthly fee to about $40.60).

- Scope and limits: Anderson emphasized the bill would not change the 911 surcharge or the separate state radio fee, calling that an "apples and oranges" distinction between funding streams.

- Usage and scale: Anderson described the system as heavily used by state and local law enforcement and by federal partners such as Minot Air Force Base and Child Support Enforcement. He said the system processes a large volume of queries and, while correcting himself during testimony, gave an example as "approximately 7,000 transactions per month, or 7,000,000 transactions per month, I apologize." The precise current transaction volume was not specified beyond that statement.

- Stakeholder reaction: Anderson said he had spoken with the Association of Counties and named contacts who had questions about whether the bill would affect 911 or other fees; he said clarifying that it would not seemed to resolve most concerns.

Committee procedure and next steps

Chairman Lewick closed the hearing on SB 2114 after testimony and said he would "hold it" at the request of the sponsor and reopen the hearing if further testimony was needed. No committee vote was recorded during the session.

Background and context

Anderson said the 2017 statutory change removed the prior expectation that the state would cover roughly half of system costs for general‑funded law enforcement agencies, creating a longer‑term funding imbalance for State Radio. He said the percentage model is intended to restore predictability in the face of fluctuating expenses.

Committee members asked for timeline information about deploying the statewide radio system. Anderson said the most recent published estimate expected completion between fall 2026 and spring 2027. He answered questions about stakeholder outreach and confirmed the bill's fiscal note was available to the committee.

Ending

The committee adjourned the item without a vote; the chair said he would reopen the hearing if necessary. The bill remains pending and no implementation steps were directed during the hearing.