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Budget Section approves two emergency requests; insurance inspection request approved after debate
Summary
The Budget Section approved two Emergency Commission requests for the Department of Public Instruction and Department of Environmental Quality, and after extended discussion approved an Insurance Department request to fund contracted fire inspections in three cities that rescinded local inspections.
The Budget Section considered three emergency commission spending requests and took separate action on them.
Joe Morissette presented the items. Request 2154 from the Department of Public Instruction would accept and spend a $37,461 federal grant to support DPI staff time for designing a comprehensive math education model; the grant would increase DPI’s salaries line by $35,000 and operating by $2,461. Request 2157 from the Department of Environmental Quality sought to move $200,000 from operating to capital to allow purchase of lab equipment instead of moving older units to the new lab.
Representative Nelson moved to approve the two requests; Senator Wojcick seconded and the committee approved the DPI and DEQ requests on roll call.
Request 2158, from the Insurance Department, asked to increase special fund spending authority by $1,500,000 to contract for fire inspections of state buildings where local jurisdictions (Fargo, Bismarck and Minot) had rescinded inspections. Members asked whether the plan would cover only those three communities, how costs were estimated, and whether providing the service would create a wider expectation the state would fund inspections if more jurisdictions rescinded services. Steph Gullickson (OMB) and Morissette said the $1.5 million figure is an estimate and could require revision; Gullickson identified the three communities by name.
A motion to reject request 2158 was made and failed on a roll call. Representative Nelson then renewed a motion to approve; after further discussion and a second, the committee approved the Insurance Department request by roll call vote.
Outcomes: requests 2154 and 2157 approved; request 2158 approved after debate and two roll-call votes. Committee members asked staff to track whether further requests will be necessary if more local jurisdictions decline inspections and to consider the issue for the next legislative session.
