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Appropriations committee debates Commerce budget changes including grant authority and rural loan options
Summary
Committee members discussed several Commerce budget amendments: a proposal to let the development fund use a portion of new money for matching grants and limited grant authority; a Myrdal amendment to allow bank‑partnered low‑interest loans for non‑primary sector businesses; a tribal college grant request; base enhancement grants for military‑adjacent sites; and a transparency reporting amendment for Commerce grants.
The Appropriations Committee (Government Operations Division) spent the second half of its meeting on the Commerce budget and a slate of amendments aimed at economic development, small‑business financing and grant transparency.
Levi Andrist of GA Group, speaking for manufacturer Vorbeck, asked the committee to allow the Commerce Development Fund to ‘dip its toe’ into expanded grant making by using a portion of any new appropriation for matching grants to recruit businesses and secure federal contracts. Andrist said existing statute already authorizes certain grant uses and asked for several days to refine amendment language with the department and economic development partners.
Committee members raised governance and oversight concerns because the development fund is governed by a statutory board (not directly by Commerce). Andrist and other supporters said the board provides independence and that Century Code section 10‑30.5 already contains grant authority in some subdivisions; counsel agreed and pointed committee members to subdivision references for review.
Senator Myrdal’s amendment, as presented, would allow limited low‑interest loan programs or bank‑partnered financing targeted at non‑primary (non‑agricultural/manufacturing) rural businesses that currently fall through existing programs — the example cited was a welding shop that needs equipment upgrades. Supporters said the program would emphasize bankable deals, shared collateral positions and not duplicate Bank of North Dakota or other existing products.
Other Commerce items discussed:
- A Davis amendment requesting $1.5 million in one‑time grants to a tribally controlled community college in the Turtle Mountain area; last session the committee provided $500,000. - A base enhancement package proposed by Senator Burkhart totaling $1,000,000 (split 600k Minot, 250k Grand Forks, 150k Fargo) for retention/enhancement related to military test sites and infrastructure. - Senator Hogue offered a short, transparency‑focused amendment to require periodic reporting to the budget section about grant windows, applicant counts and award status to improve legislative oversight of grant programs.
Committee requests and clarifications included a better visual/fact sheet explaining relationships among Grand Sky, the Northern Plains UAS Test Site and Ventas; and clarification that $8 million in federal spending authority appears in the base but that current federal contract funding is about $300,000 (Allison Wimmer, Commerce accounting). Members said they will continue working with staff and the new Commerce commissioner to refine amendment language and dollar amounts and will consider the items in next week’s amendment package.
No final committee votes on the Commerce amendments were recorded in this meeting; chairs directed staff to prepare language and circulate it ahead of next week’s work.
Who said it: quotes and attributions in the article come from on‑the‑record committee discussion.
