Cass County department heads report active legislative session; road, veteran and IT bills tracked

County staff and department heads used the commission meeting to summarize legislative priorities and bills they are tracking, emphasizing road funding opportunities, veterans’ services, and state IT infrastructure that could affect county operations.

Christopher Deary, from the Federal Service Office, told the commission he is tracking HB1504 (described in meeting materials as a post-war trust fund matter) and said the state trust fund that supports veterans’ services is at a low level and affecting local service delivery. He also flagged HB1169, which the office described as intended to protect accreditation and to limit excessive third‑party fees charged to veterans seeking benefits.

Kyle Litchi, speaking about highway funding, highlighted Senate Bill 2012 (the Department of Transportation budget bill) and said the bill would expand a non-oil county grant bucket known in the presentation as the ‘‘Lehi fund’’ from $42 million to $59 million and add additional bridge and formula buckets. Litchi said Cass County previously received about $1.7 million from that fund in the last biennium and that expanded funding would be important for local road and bridge projects. He also noted House Bill 1382, a gas-tax measure that would allocate roughly $2.8 million annually to the county’s highway distribution fund if enacted.

Bob Henderson of IT warned commissioners about Senate Bill 2021, the state NDIT (North Dakota Information Technology) budget bill, which includes references to multi‑million‑dollar repairs at the state’s primary and secondary data centers. Henderson said the county relies on state data‑center services and that a failure at those facilities would be disruptive because some county connections and services route through state infrastructure.

Sheriff Johnner reported on several criminal-justice bills he tracked: a local-initiated proposal to require reimbursement to counties for fees waived under the 24/7 pretrial program failed on the House floor; a measure allowing corrections staff to collect DNA (noting bill number 1044) passed; and other bills under consideration included changes to mental-health holds, modifications to restraining-order service rules and a ‘‘truth in sentencing’’ matter. The sheriff said the county is pursuing appropriations through the Attorney General’s office as a possible alternative to the failed reimbursement bill.

Recorder and other office staff noted two bills affecting recorders’ duties: one bill would repeal a statutory duty to provide blanks and records to those doing business in recorder offices; another, the Uniform Electronic Estate Planning Documents Act (SB2127 in discussion), was amended after review to address recording certification concerns.

County administration said department heads have provided memos to the commission packet and praised staff participation during the session. Commissioners asked questions about oil‑price forecasts and potential changes in grant-bucket sizes as the session proceeds; staff said county associations and advisory boards will circulate updated revenue projections.