[{"_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",6370314,"mediaKeyId","2151830-0fa56f51646f77c5a2b5a263803935fa","parentId",2151830,"title","Department of Mineral Resources outlines budget changes, staffing needs and potential impacts of reclamation bill","audioSeconds",1644,"startMs",2588000,"endMs",4232000,"viewUrl","/Search/View?dp=1&key=2151830-0fa56f51646f77c5a2b5a263803935fa&start=2588&end=4232","thumbnailUrl","https://assets.pipeline.soar.com/2151830-0fa56f51646f77c5a2b5a263803935fa/thumbnail_2588000.jpg","articleUrl","/articles/6370314/North-Dakota/Department-of-Mineral-Resources-outlines-budget-changes-staffing-needs-and-potential-impacts-of-reclamation-bill","mediaUrl","https://secure.pipeline.soar.com/6370314-802f6c1645302931b550ac6d5689b636/orig.mp4?Expires=1771179515&Signature=HaxOVuZ3r3LuMmA83879zHXfJyXiz77mWWC1S6YrCS7nP7DjrIj9AwjyvrF2bhVKbOCv8ADQiodg2w-4Bp9qn6fEosNg2uHdLImMCXCrbLmFCGkvBsM1Bk45sMKaS9zF3nuJz57sijUn9Xa8PyYgCGL1pivDd-PeAzTZV39fV4pm3gHlwuxVxQjejljmxpDaZsHvIePFaveMRxFyVwHiZR9WCNMVzL~hGzU0dQWFDQ2MlC9FGcM-YMQsZQcFJ2tYzvaZs0jdSpA7xPAfoZvRjKguVNJ7eWp4It1kSnpslBfe4XfUOsS5qIvjqZpTImucZJeSSVWFwP447h5owIY8~A__&Key-Pair-Id=KUT5TJCACFTXG","author","Senate Appropriations - Education and Environment Division, ND","date","2025-01-24T00:00:00Z","article","The Department of Mineral Resources (DMR) presented budget comparisons and outlined staffing priorities to an Appropriations - Education and Environment Division subcommittee, identifying an added FTE in one governor recommendation and several optional requests that were partially funded by the prior governor.

Nathan Anderson, DMR director, told the committee that a recent analysis of total compensation shows state benefits lagging private-sector packages when pay is factored in, and he said flexibility in an approved budget would help the agency recruit and retain staff. Finance manager Robin Lumer walked the panel through the long-sheet comparisons showing that the Armstrong recommended budget reduced total funds slightly (about $35,000) compared with the Burgum recommendation while adding one FTE and shifting funding sources for certain projects.

DMR described several optional requests; the department requested three reclamation technician positions (one for each district office) but said both governor recommendations included only a single position from that request. Robin said a number of other optional requests — including a paleontology technician, Class 6 programmer and a professional land legal assistant — were not included in the governor budgets.

Assistant director Mark Boren explained a smaller optional request: $15,000 to compile and market enhanced recovery potential for legacy wells, aimed at attracting small companies that lack research capacity. Geologic survey staff (Ed Murphy) described a paleontology excavation where mammoth bones dated to roughly 13,500 years were recovered and said further work could clarify whether the site is an archaeological kill site; the department requested $300,000 in optional funds to support paleontology work.

DMR staff also alerted the committee to Senate Bill 2313, which would require a pre-disturbance, on-site meeting between the commission and the operator proposing land disturbance to document preservation of suitable plant growth material. Mark Boren said the department had 706 sites constructed in 2024, which averages to about 2.8 sites per workday; he said DMR currently has one reclamation inspector for the entire state and that the three reclamation inspectors requested in the optional list were intended to address current workload. If SB 2313 becomes law, Boren said, the department may need additional field inspectors because on-site meetings would increase travel and inspection time.

Committee members asked for clarification on an earlier ordinary high-water mark litigation matter; DMR officials said most litigation is settled but a remaining chance exists that expert-witness expenses or related costs could arise and that a small reserve was being considered in planning. The committee did not take votes on the DMR optional requests at this meeting but was advised the department will return for deeper review in subsequent sessions.","mediaType","Video","parentTitle","Senate Appropriations - Education and Environment Division Jan 24, 2025","oneSentenceSummary","DMR officials told the Appropriations subcommittee about small net changes between governor budgets, requested optional positions including reclamation inspectors, and warned that proposed legislation requiring on-site pre-disturbance meetings could substantially increase inspection workload.","taxTitle","Appropriations - Education and Environment Division, Senate, Legislative, North Dakota","taxId",28899,"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},6370319,"North Dakota Mill and Elevator seeks staffing, wage funding in $108 million request",911,850000,1761000,"/Search/View?dp=1&key=2151830-0fa56f51646f77c5a2b5a263803935fa&start=850&end=1761","https://assets.pipeline.soar.com/2151830-0fa56f51646f77c5a2b5a263803935fa/thumbnail_850000.jpg","/articles/6370319/North-Dakota/North-Dakota-Mill-and-Elevator-seeks-staffing-wage-funding-in-108-million-request","https://secure.pipeline.soar.com/6370319-d79219f58a2aa829df1135ca6b28e076/orig.mp4?Expires=1771179515&Signature=YfIX1GGQksBo9LFeWbiQthlJHOUR9QiCp7-PYDxCwOp1cMIliiVSfdo3tBbUh7egI-p8Hl0iJCdhQKVqmXQ2gh0z8VJqgBxBYnWVEdU52If37eDA65cMu-p6m5MFuuAwyTVhcNLWhaNHYcjggP4R9Yz~uus24wmliu2pwjf6zMcmrDqClM-nYbmW16gAYNbGKloJi2BXfKmqnTDJSLIS8YdQg-AAN~ZUg3bhQ8lw4AbkxxMbrXjRb-ioGY3C84uq7l~DRBRVh0DGSUS3c~8arz49SFwc6eARVqtgZzJnetx4-Z1N8dHGEQc6ncGmlFsFkDlYir0svd5LLvLTym66VA__&Key-Pair-Id=KUT5TJCACFTXG","Officials from the North Dakota Mill and Elevator told an Appropriations - Education and Environment Division subcommittee they are seeking additional budget authority and staff to meet rising production and shipment volumes.

CFO Kathy Dube said the agency requested a total operating budget of $108,000,000 and asked the committee to approve full FTE funding restoration (\"a little over $4,100,000,\" she said) and additional pay-related amounts for wage increases, overtime and shift differentials (an additional $3,800,000 requested). Dube told members the governor’s recommendation reduced the agency’s request by about $2,700,000.

The agency asked specifically to add two positions in the load-out/car-checker area to handle a roughly 10% increase in shipments this year and a projected additional 10% increase in each of the next two fiscal years. Director Vance (no last name provided in testimony) and Kathy Dube also explained that four previously authorized milling crew positions were never filled during the last biennium; those four are intended to enable a fourth milling shift if demand requires the mill to run seven days per week.

Adam, a staff member presenting budget comparisons, said the mill’s recommended and executive budgets show no changes between the two governor versions on several lines and that the mill’s total operating budget walking to the executive recommendations would be about $105,500,000, all special funds. Adam described how salary increases, health insurance and vacancy-pool accounting appear across the sheets and noted that the mill’s payroll practices — where employees rotate into higher-paid roles for short periods and utility workers are entry-level — make FTE tracking and budgeting \"quite different than the rest of the state agencies.\"

Kathy Dube described the mill’s staffing and seniority rules under its long-standing union contract with the AFL-CIO, saying the contract expires June 30 and that management expects to negotiate a successor agreement soon. She explained that internal bidding and seniority usually determine who fills newly posted positions and that external hires enter as utility workers.

Committee members pressed on whether it would be more efficient to hire the fourth-shift positions earlier to reduce overtime; agency officials said they considered that but preferred to wait until demand justified the permanent shift.

Committee discussion also covered the mill’s balance sheet and transfers to the state general fund. Dube estimated the mill’s equity position at about $135,000,000 and projected transfers of roughly $20,000,000 to the general fund for the next biennium if the transfer rate remains at 50 percent. The committee chair noted the mill operates as a business owned by the state and that expansion investments have increased profitability.

No formal committee vote on the mill’s requests was recorded during the session; committee members said they would perform a deeper review in upcoming work sessions.","Officials from the North Dakota Mill and Elevator asked the Appropriations subcommittee to restore full FTE funding, add two positions for load-out and car checking, and include wage and overtime increases in a $108 million operating 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},6370323,"Panel approves do-pass on Senate Bill 2023, Racing Commission budget amended",496,200000,696000,"/Search/View?dp=1&key=2151830-0fa56f51646f77c5a2b5a263803935fa&start=200&end=696","https://assets.pipeline.soar.com/2151830-0fa56f51646f77c5a2b5a263803935fa/thumbnail_200000.jpg","/articles/6370323/North-Dakota/Panel-approves-do-pass-on-Senate-Bill-2023-Racing-Commission-budget-amended","https://secure.pipeline.soar.com/6370323-0cdfb33178dc2b5609188530c2a5fa76/orig.mp4?Expires=1771179515&Signature=iApyjifzsgS-WpuLtDFpblnlJ~mTNTzxXLi~zEfPmKH7FK2KjpdUZwm2eyg~kW9rhbuHnk10aRgiTPzXmPyMPbIdZt6FP7wDioyWk9FiAklOzmOre6ndUtm8wBClx2Ki7gfjs6kYUosxT~NARjaLIP2XDY97zTTPEht8l4CGSogSU7WnH0MpfV2XUP22~DBCnwAs1DKf1ciaGjgZmnarnu1t8GWBnju9SPerwm0uXNhhM9AKaJ-xJOq-PB2j6f7cFC~kTq-48wM6FvDg5BIXbcwYoqDf-XyWKU51WBQwfklCxG5mgkbOJ0MJrWbDXlG5tX8b-OwFlwO55MCqIYy3tg__&Key-Pair-Id=KUT5TJCACFTXG","An Appropriations - Education and Environment Division subcommittee voted to approve Senate Bill 2023 as amended, sending the Racing Commission budget to the full Appropriations Committee.

The amendment (25.0190.01001.K) and the do-pass motion were adopted by roll call after staff described the changes to the bill’s salary and vacancy accounting. The committee recorded unanimous “aye” votes during both the amendment and final passage roll calls; the item will be carried to the full committee, with Senator Meyer identified as the bill carrier.

Staff member Adam walked the committee through the supplemental statement of purpose for the amendment and explained the change in how vacancies and the new-and-vacant FTE pool are handled. Adam said the amendment transfers funding out of agency line items into a new agency-specific vacancy pool and does not add new net dollars: \"we pulled out $7,076 from the racing commission line item, but only added $49.53 to this new line item. So it results in savings,\" he said.

Committee members asked whether creating agency-level vacancy pools was practical for very small agencies. Adam said thresholds differ by agency size and that smaller agencies typically receive a smaller percentage for vacancy calculations; agencies can request deficiency appropriations later if needed.

The committee took a roll-call vote on the amendment and then on the bill as amended. The recorded yes votes on the amendment and final passage included the committee chair and the senators on the panel who answered during roll call. According to committee remarks, the division passed Senate Bill 2023 and will forward it to the full Appropriations Committee, where Senator Meyer is expected to carry it.

The action affects only the Racing Commission budget as described in the amendment; no other policy changes were adopted during the vote.","An appropriations subcommittee approved an amended version of Senate Bill 2023, moving the Racing Commission budget to the full Appropriations Committee after a roll-call vote.","actionData","errors"]

Article not found

Department of Mineral Resources outlines budget changes, staffing needs and potential impacts of reclamation bill

North Dakota Mill and Elevator seeks staffing, wage funding in $108 million request

Panel approves do-pass on Senate Bill 2023, Racing Commission budget amended