[{"_1":2,"_100":-5,"_101":-5},"loaderData",{"_3":4,"_26":27},"root",{"_5":6,"_17":10,"_18":19,"_20":21,"_22":10,"_23":-5,"_24":-5,"_25":10},"user",{"_7":8,"_9":10,"_11":10,"_12":-5,"_13":-5,"_14":15,"_16":-5},"roles",[],"isAuthenticated",false,"isPremium","planName","subscriptionStatus","featureFlags",{},"insightsBudget","isDevelopmentHost","userPreferences",{},"recaptchaSiteKey","6LcvOJcUAAAAAHsB-gPGfGktcRlKpH7OTIU_dMTD","isImpersonating","impersonation","affiliateStatus","isFreedomPortal","routes/v2/article/layout",{"_28":29,"_30":31},"notFound",true,"relatedArticles",[32,76,88],{"_33":34,"_35":36,"_37":38,"_39":40,"_41":42,"_43":44,"_45":46,"_47":48,"_49":50,"_51":52,"_53":54,"_55":56,"_57":58,"_59":60,"_61":62,"_63":64,"_65":66,"_67":68,"_69":70,"_71":72,"_73":74,"_75":74},"mediaId",6382918,"mediaKeyId","2125977-221355c65b04789e1eb07c415af53442","parentId",2125977,"title","Council on the Arts seeks funding for Arts Across the Prairie and flags staff turnover in appropriations hearing","audioSeconds",1458,"startMs",7929000,"endMs",9387000,"viewUrl","/Search/View?dp=1&key=2125977-221355c65b04789e1eb07c415af53442&start=7929&end=9387","thumbnailUrl","https://assets.pipeline.soar.com/2125977-221355c65b04789e1eb07c415af53442/thumbnail_7929000.jpg","articleUrl","/articles/6382918/North-Dakota/Council-on-the-Arts-seeks-funding-for-Arts-Across-the-Prairie-and-flags-staff-turnover-in-appropriations-hearing","mediaUrl","https://secure.pipeline.soar.com/6382918-1bea69e9af55c894df494f605a53fa7b/orig.mp4?Expires=1771179738&Signature=KTKGMAIyxUq-QgfgD~HBGy7VQ3QquCaXOObgCDSgnXr~iAnxblnnh~FLfv6K2HQZlHgLcumYADS0o0UhjAu5jpmNdOZzTPlKRU6924WM4oWp-CKKQxj7EDdxykPQ0YY~-pGMkOpHQ64Z6v5dlPEV4Hdw2qLZIwyJqnon5YKOBkFEQyVmxvoelEE91b6AwEJzMSp03kUEx67eJgcPoH4qvAZed70iPxl0eo1TsFnKa8UNI2qqVzyZFJXR2tLOdqB~mLmK80rfrNbkPXmhOXzsC9ERBOvaso7CdUudSE9HEBp6pybBvXVwvg76cT7ZE3d1GD9PIdoM23P~VFQHPThXFA__&Key-Pair-Id=KUT5TJCACFTXG","author","Senate Appropriations - Human Resources Division, ND","date","2025-01-13T00:00:00Z","article","Jess Christie, executive director of the North Dakota Council on the Arts, told the Senate Appropriations Committee the council awarded more than $2 million in grants in the current biennium and needs one‑time funds to move forward on a multi‑region public‑art program.

Christie testified at a public hearing on Senate Bill 2010 and described grant totals, programs and a multi‑year public art initiative called Arts Across the Prairie. \"To date, in this biennium, we have provided 396 grants, to the amount of over $2,000,000 in 71 cities, 39 counties, and across all 8 regions of the state,\" she said. Christie described programs for K–12 arts education, a Poetry Out Loud program that reached dozens of schools, institutional support grants requiring a 1:1 cash match, a folk and traditional arts apprenticeship program, and an \"Art for Life\" program that pairs arts organizations with elder‑care facilities.

A central request was funding to implement and fabricate public artworks in the Arts Across the Prairie series. Christie said the program — community driven in each region — has reached a point where five of eight works are ready to build and that the council seeks funds both for fabrication and for an endowment to help with future maintenance. The council proposed allowing up to $50,000 annually from a cultural endowment maintenance fund and requested a one‑time fabrication package from the $1,000,000 cultural endowment the Legislature provided in a prior session. She told the committee the $1,000,000 had been invested and generated roughly $200,000 in interest, and that the council was requesting $380,000 from that corpus for the Arts Across the Prairie fabrication and related site work.

Christie and fiscal officer Robin Bosch described staffing and turnover. The council’s staff totals include six FTE and two temporary full‑time members; Christie said the agency expects several long‑term employees to retire over the current and upcoming biennium, including the long‑time fiscal officer and other senior staff. \"In the past 2 years or over course of a 2 year span, our small team at NDCA will see a retirement of half of our team,\" Christie said, noting that turnover creates both budgetary and organizational challenges. The council asked the committee to consider funding for a requested additional FTE (a public information position) and to allow for leave‑payout coverage for departing staff.

During questioning Senator Mather and others pressed for clarification on fund matches and the council’s use of a $1,000,000 cultural endowment created in prior legislation. Christie said the endowment had been invested through the state Retirement and Investment Office, that its intent was to be spent down for Arts Across the Prairie fabrication as well as to support maintenance, and that the council has not yet spent the $50,000‑per‑year maintenance authority. Robin Bosch said the council must match National Endowment for the Arts (NEA) federal funds 1:1 in the aggregate, although not every subgrant requires a specific 50/50 match; she explained which grant programs require what kinds of matches and said the council regularly reviews grant guidelines to maximize reach.

Senators questioned how the state’s vacant/new FTE pool and OMB policies affected small agencies. Legislative fiscal staff explained the pool and how agencies access funds withheld for vacancies and how conference funds are accounted for when private contributions and registration fees are used to underwrite agency conferences.

Ending

The committee set the council’s request aside for follow‑up; members asked for clarification of multiple budget lines — including the cultural endowment mechanics, leave‑payout projections, and the Arts Across the Prairie one‑time needs — before advancing the appropriation.

","mediaType","Video","parentTitle","Senate Appropriations - Human Resources Division Jan 13, 2025","oneSentenceSummary","At a Senate Appropriations hearing on Senate Bill 2010, the North Dakota Council on the Arts reported it has awarded hundreds of grants statewide and asked for one‑time funding to complete Arts Across the Prairie public artworks, explained endowment and NEA match requirements, and noted planned staff retirements.","taxTitle","Appropriations - Human Resources Division, Senate, Legislative, North Dakota","taxId",28901,"location","North Dakota","headline","","shortSummary",{"_33":77,"_35":36,"_37":38,"_39":78,"_41":79,"_43":80,"_45":81,"_47":82,"_49":83,"_51":84,"_53":85,"_55":56,"_57":58,"_59":86,"_61":62,"_63":64,"_65":87,"_67":68,"_69":70,"_71":72,"_73":74,"_75":74},6382921,"Indian Affairs Commission highlights housing, workforce and cultural programs in appropriations hearing",3025,4045000,7070000,"/Search/View?dp=1&key=2125977-221355c65b04789e1eb07c415af53442&start=4045&end=7070","https://assets.pipeline.soar.com/2125977-221355c65b04789e1eb07c415af53442/thumbnail_4045000.jpg","/articles/6382921/North-Dakota/Indian-Affairs-Commission-highlights-housing-workforce-and-cultural-programs-in-appropriations-hearing","https://secure.pipeline.soar.com/6382921-cfd3ae718262a57291bba92107cb5ef1/orig.mp4?Expires=1771179738&Signature=JPECzobXvVcu2NNlnDynBGIdkA6JuuZdUrGGQEQRwVLNkysOms~8mrWcFh98yOqDmQK0p1njk60LAx5C5cmXstlZqtnQqqF~D6C8gfPk9mDTQNyXG8mn57rqmHxR5a7WpALfWbmdOpVqaBGz9Qd0s0vr7qTUML96sV5cnLf7LFMNCL4wUheKTWXWgEvIV6NVI5Tw1s5XS~anH-y0ozF0QxM0Uo8rlna-5rVMF76APZRDl7pwRtlPkpBTmRId~8CeskdXJ4KqFb6~qoxr1YGOtkhctuamjobieAw4eZmUmJjunX~QPUlAvZlmbJ0jq3E-BoEqVG6HxK--LiMDNZNVFg__&Key-Pair-Id=KUT5TJCACFTXG","Brad Hawk, executive director of the North Dakota Indian Affairs Commission, told the Senate Appropriations Committee the commission is focusing on housing, workforce development, cultural programs and increased engagement with tribal governments.

Hawk spoke at a public hearing on the commission’s appropriation and described activities since his January appointment, including the commission’s 75th anniversary, the government‑to‑government conference for tribal leaders, and wider coordination with federal partners. \"Our role has changed over the years,\" he said, and the commission has been trying to deepen engagement with each tribe’s strategic planning and priorities.

Hawk outlined program priorities the commission is pursuing with tribal partners. He said housing was a central issue for several tribes, complicated by land‑ownership and trust land issues; for example, he mentioned Standing Rock’s efforts to build a new hospital and the need for housing for medical staff. He said childcare availability and workforce development are recurring topics in meetings with tribal planners.

Deputy Director Anthony Bauer described several on‑going or planned initiatives: oral‑health efforts with tribal partners and tribal college pipelines for students, cybersecurity support for tribal entities (noting Turtle Mountain’s recent funding for tribal college cybersecurity work), a White Stone Hill monument project, coordination with the Mississippi Headwaters and Tribal Health Directors groups, food sovereignty and pilot vertical‑farming efforts, and farmers‑market pilots at tribal colleges to accept SNAP benefits. Bauer also described involvement in committees on transportation, agricultural zoning, and tribal economic development and said the commission is monitoring a regional \"Solar for All Energy\" grant.

Economic and workforce development specialist Melinda Padilla Lynch described new work to connect tribal economic developers, including a quarterly \"Native developer luncheon,\" a consultant assessment of tribal economic assets and workforce needs, and plans to pilot a Native entrepreneur cohort in cooperation with partners from neighboring states. She said the assessment found high interest in entrepreneurship among tribal members and stressed the commission’s small staff must partner to implement programs.

Committee members asked about funding, staff and the commission’s budget request. Hawk said the commission’s conference is funded partly by private contributions and tribal contributions and that the state has a conference fund that agencies can use; Larry (legislative/fiscal staff) explained that revenue exceeding expenses in a conference fund is transferred to the general fund while shortfalls are charged to the agency appropriation.

Hawk said the agency currently operates with four full‑time staff and noted the commission has requested an additional public information officer FTE in the executive budget to support outreach. He said the commission’s strategic plan work included an economic assessment delivered to tribal communities and will be used to support outreach to potential businesses and partners.

Ending

Committee members asked for follow‑up items including more detail on proposed FTE changes and clarification on how conference and donor funds are managed; the committee set the item aside for later consideration.","The North Dakota Indian Affairs Commission told the Senate Appropriations Committee about government‑to‑government work with tribes, housing and childcare priorities, workforce and economic‑development projects, and cultural events as it presented its appropriation request.",{"_33":89,"_35":36,"_37":38,"_39":90,"_41":91,"_43":92,"_45":93,"_47":94,"_49":95,"_51":96,"_53":97,"_55":56,"_57":58,"_59":98,"_61":62,"_63":64,"_65":99,"_67":68,"_69":70,"_71":72,"_73":74,"_75":74},6382928,"Office of Administrative Hearings director warns of funding strain after drop in billable hours",957,347000,1304000,"/Search/View?dp=1&key=2125977-221355c65b04789e1eb07c415af53442&start=347&end=1304","https://assets.pipeline.soar.com/2125977-221355c65b04789e1eb07c415af53442/thumbnail_347000.jpg","/articles/6382928/North-Dakota/Office-of-Administrative-Hearings-director-warns-of-funding-strain-after-drop-in-billable-hours","https://secure.pipeline.soar.com/6382928-f233431b47148e3ccac9aa5b30ee7c57/orig.mp4?Expires=1771179738&Signature=SP66IMe-MrPjvoMVYpfsMjAK8joolenNb8P8KB1vlIY1AJM~8DDV-J9wDBYPlShV1id45L0Kpy464UJoLxFs2MtVVXGjukQmMXqMddV0cu-5zpkcZHGO5PDCm3a4Zs-uvAbNnZgUsyMrTucAYRH4f8SUhjVE-Sr0VKG8OSsIxfsag4Slu8U5gfnQVyBLnDF1JDKlY1j1wKG~IiVrjojkzj6t1lXUZqO9V3zlGxDcuSkiKNAa-FQy-~DlSm~zFpBPfKX9bCON~ZmiL9DbEIbaA6YtcJSz-sAM5My~ivQFwh7iXeBSyQzqf91oFgvhxFNL0ZFrxP63WbhkJ4PCrjCfpg__&Key-Pair-Id=KUT5TJCACFTXG","Hope Hogan, director of the Office of Administrative Hearings, told the Senate Appropriations Committee that the office faces a budget challenge after a sustained drop in billable hours.

Hogan testified during a public hearing on Senate Bill 2017, which would appropriate funds to defray the office’s expenses. The Office of Administrative Hearings (OAH) is funded through fees it bills to state and local agencies and does not receive general fund dollars.

The office has seen caseload fluctuations and billing changes that reduced revenue even as some workloads remain steady. \"We are completely funded through special funds,\" Hogan said, and added that \"the decrease in hours presents a challenge for us.\" She told senators she recently raised the office’s hourly billing rate to try to respond to the revenue shortfall.

Hogan gave committee members a summary of caseload and performance metrics. OAH received 446 hearing requests in calendar year 2023 and 499 in 2024, a combined 945 requests for those two years; the prior two-year period (2021–22) had 768 requests. For the first 18 months of the current biennium she said the office received 720 requests from 26 agencies. Attachment summaries in her memo showed about 65% of hearing requests in 2023–24 went to hearing, down slightly from 66% in the prior two years. Pre-hearing conferences totaled 341 in 2023–24, down from 387 earlier. Hogan also said the office reduced average processing time for Workforce Safety and Insurance (WSI) cases from roughly 290 days to about 150 days since 2019, tracking toward a statutory target of 215 days.

Hogan described OAH’s staffing and structure. She said the prior director, Tim Dawson, retired Jan. 3, 2025; Hogan has been director for 10 days at the time of testimony. She said the office includes two other full‑time administrative law judges (ALJs) — Jessica Binder and one other full‑time ALJ — plus an office manager, Francis Zuther, and an administrative assistant, Louise Wetzel. The office also uses four part‑time contract ALJs, primarily for WSI cases, three in Fargo and one in Bismarck. Hogan said she does not plan to immediately refill Dawson’s position and expects the office to operate with four FTE if the vacancy is not filled.

Committee members pressed Hogan on billing and contracting. \"I'm a little surprised that with the reduced amount of cases that you would need to increase the per hour fee when it seems like you could just have less contract attorneys or less contract hours,\" Senator Mathern asked. Hogan replied the rate and staffing mix were set after analysis and accountants examined billable hours versus the rate; she said the contract ALJs historically were in Fargo where much of the WSI work arises and that travel and regional availability affect costs and choices. She told the committee her office is trying to shift more work to permanent full‑time ALJs rather than contract ALJs.

Senators requested additional detail. Senator Davison asked for historical operating expense figures that show how much the office paid contract ALJs in prior years and for the contract rates and splits; Hogan said she would provide the history and that the office retains an administrative portion of the billed fee while paying a contracted share to the external ALJs (she estimated roughly an 80/20 split but said she did not have exact numbers in the hearing). Senators also asked for the office’s ending fund balance for recent years and for a breakdown of operating and IT costs; Hogan said she would provide that information.

Hogan described other cost‑reduction steps the office has taken: eliminating a Westlaw subscription, testing alternative research resources available through the Bar Association, discontinuing a transcription service called Logical, and increasing the use of video conferences and in‑house ALJs to reduce contractor travel costs. She said some of those choices reflect efficiencies gained by experienced ALJs and a change in hearing modality — remote hearings bill fewer travel hours — and that some types of hearings remain in person when credibility or complexity make that preferable.

Hogan also detailed the office’s statutory role and client mix: OAH handles hearings for a broad set of state agencies, including Department of Health and Human Services, Workforce Safety and Insurance, the Public Service Commission, Human Resource Management Services for personnel grievances, and multiple licensing boards; it occasionally handles local government hearings by request. She told the committee the office has provided hearings for more than 100 different state and local agencies over the years.

The committee did not take action on the bill at the hearing. Senators directed Hogan to provide follow‑up data requested during questioning — contract ALJ dollars and rates, ending fund balances for recent years, and an operating‑expense breakdown — and the committee set the item aside for later consideration.

Ending

Hogan closed by saying the office will continue seeking ways to increase revenue and reduce costs while maintaining accessibility: \"We are always open to new areas where we could be of assistance to other agencies,\" she said, and added that she would provide the committee with the requested financial and contract details.","At a Senate Appropriations hearing on Senate Bill 2017, Hope Hogan, newly appointed director of the Office of Administrative Hearings, said improved processing times and more remote hearings have reduced billable hours and created a funding shortfall for the office, which is funded entirely from fees billed to other agencies.","actionData","errors"]

Article not found

Council on the Arts seeks funding for Arts Across the Prairie and flags staff turnover in appropriations hearing

Indian Affairs Commission highlights housing, workforce and cultural programs in appropriations hearing

Office of Administrative Hearings director warns of funding strain after drop in billable hours