[{"_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",6092822,"mediaKeyId","2852083-df910e1a50ac63967420644abf7fcadd","parentId",2852083,"title","Committee approves Department of Environmental Quality budget with added certification and inspection funds","audioSeconds",713,"startMs",3600000,"endMs",4313000,"viewUrl","/Search/View?dp=1&key=2852083-df910e1a50ac63967420644abf7fcadd&start=3600&end=4313","thumbnailUrl","https://assets.pipeline.soar.com/2852083-df910e1a50ac63967420644abf7fcadd/thumbnail_3600000.jpg","articleUrl","/articles/6092822/North-Dakota/Committee-approves-Department-of-Environmental-Quality-budget-with-added-certification-and-inspection-funds","mediaUrl","https://secure.pipeline.soar.com/6092822-406ba8f37669e8a5ceb1369e943d1c04/orig.mp4?Expires=1771198893&Signature=Sp1-AJfg9~QJFRwAfORJOJl-pjOeH8axmHopAtm8HDXMj4l6AZIegmkw5D6jM8bdtsNocYAkwhpPAspL9Qc-M~yIU9htAtrObXxuuarn-DIxF9gs4eozT4I5zOHU9RCekAX~V9ZBcb8YI23Cu7Pq8WcNjy2lPLAa3LF9BiAIWm0FkHH89qz1iAOE7KVmBHyg7zKX0Q5LVNBJPXCa1QCjXP1do85ylfn2VSlXkhgnsEgARi1Na3FjCw3FHKJ7hx355msZ9pccmBB0jLr9NzR5ApmL3rdeIgIWmDYjD0KlhDgXcHyLohvQsL~sgdcojKzzZjVS65n9gXyLmk261B16IA__&Key-Pair-Id=KUT5TJCACFTXG","author","North Dakota Legislature","date","2025-04-02T00:00:00Z","article","The Appropriations Committee voted to advance Senate Bill 2024, the Department of Environmental Quality (DEQ) budget, after Representative Berg summarized changes made in the Senate and the House and DEQ staff answered questions about federal funding and a planned laboratory.

Representative Berg told the committee the house recommendation increased special-fund support for water and wastewater operator certification testing by $30,500 (a 50 percent increase to $100,500) to expand test availability. \"With these changes, we resulted in a total budget of $132,015,373 which is 14% general funds, 62% federal funds and 24% special funds,\" Berg said.

DEQ Director Dave Glott responded to questions about federal Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act (IIJA) funding and the laboratory project. Glott said the department believes IIJA monies allocated to water infrastructure projects are as secure as other federal funds but noted one grant for radon mitigation had been pulled earlier. He said the new laboratory was funded with ARPA dollars and, to his knowledge, those obligations are moving forward: \"We feel that is as secure as any other federal money right now,\" Glott said.

The house changes previously adopted by the committee were limited, the sponsor said. In the Senate version the department had added one FTE for emerging contaminants and an additional FTE for the fuel inspection program; the Senate also included transfers for new and vacant FTE pools and special-fund support for temporary salaries tied to the state fuel inspection program. Representative Berg moved the committee to adopt the house amendment and then moved that the committee adopt the bill as amended. Representative Nelson seconded the final motion.

Committee discussion highlighted shortages of certified operators for municipal and rural water systems. Representative Nelson complimented DEQ's work to expand testing and improve passing rates for operator certifications, calling the increase in testing availability a notable improvement for rural systems where staffing and scheduling challenges limit training opportunities.

After the roll call the clerk announced the motion carried 22 yes, 0 no and 1 absent. Representative Berg will carry the bill.","mediaType","Video","parentTitle","House Appropriations Apr 2, 2025","oneSentenceSummary","Appropriations Committee recommended a do-pass on Senate Bill 2024, the Department of Environmental Quality budget, with a small house-stage increase to operator certification funding and additions for fuel inspection and emerging contaminants.","taxTitle","Appropriations, House of Representatives, Legislative, North Dakota","taxId",28310,"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},6092829,"Committee advances pilot to pay family members as caregivers for certain young people with disabilities",644,2531000,3175000,"/Search/View?dp=1&key=2852083-df910e1a50ac63967420644abf7fcadd&start=2531&end=3175","https://assets.pipeline.soar.com/2852083-df910e1a50ac63967420644abf7fcadd/thumbnail_2531000.jpg","/articles/6092829/North-Dakota/Committee-advances-pilot-to-pay-family-members-as-caregivers-for-certain-young-people-with-disabilities","https://secure.pipeline.soar.com/6092829-3ea0fd9bae60ba44a7b1c592e44e301e/orig.mp4?Expires=1771198893&Signature=oXSGYkDt2O3Z4EhmLBjE~myXhoHVgfCEPsYHFSJWq74DMutHBEtEgb1eJ5nX0Dqc5IqsOVtaO3tC5Tg5-Vgx3-1hcdgzboLS0zHFtwPKKte~eYIPpUXWqYdEYjB6k8g~K0hY-pcHMsL5IiR0OBLNaNF11WL4Qu4AbcCHqMU5lweCd0U9ZUFz3JWse0IFpK00d7TDu6Mr3B4X7ba~Q0d4BOQNrQtPfK3C9H~X5Cvd~hGxdryictVVP1QgS~cFQuBAulWZdN5hVdCest43XZIJmFb4hQGjRpjXQFKi-RFAlT3Ts8v7alcvWRURRB4GpQD5H9mO0Zi9w8jV2l4Qrqb0Pg__&Key-Pair-Id=KUT5TJCACFTXG","The Appropriations Committee gave a do-pass recommendation to bill 02/2005, a pilot program that would permit families to receive payments when they provide home-based care for certain young people with disabilities.

Representative Nelson, who explained the bill, said the policy does not increase total program spending but shifts payment from licensed caregiver agencies to eligible family members in certain cases. \"This is a very specialized area,\" Nelson said, noting that many of the cases involve intensive, 24-hour care and that families often forgo outside employment to provide care.

Nelson told the committee the appropriation in this bill is roughly $7.3 million and that the bill is currently structured as one-time pilot funding. He said the Department of Human Services had reported a waiting list for the program and that if those people were moved into institutional care the state cost could be substantially higher. Nelson also said the Legislature expects potential Medicaid participation: a cross-disability waiver could allow Medicaid to share costs on a 50/50 basis beginning in 2028, which would affect future general-fund requirements.

Committee members asked about whether family caregivers would be certified. Nelson said family members would need to go through a certification process similar to the state's qualified service provider (QSP) model and that the bill contemplates a daily rate or a 15-minute increment payment structure used in the HCBS model. Representative Martinson seconded the do-pass motion.

After discussion and motion, the clerk conducted a roll call and the committee reported the motion carried (announced as 20 yes, 0 no and 3 absent). The committee designated a carrier for further action; Representative Rohrer was named as a potential carrier with Representative Nelson on standby for questions.

The bill's proponents framed the pilot as both a family-support and cost-saving measure compared with institutional care. Committee members emphasized the workforce shortage in licensed caregiver agencies and said compensating family members could help keep individuals at home, which many families prefer.","Representatives voted to give a do-pass recommendation to bill 02/2005, a pilot that would allow family members to be paid caregivers for certain young people with disabilities; sponsors described it as a one-time pilot with possible Medicaid integration in 2028.",{"_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},6092831,"Committee advances Job Service bill that requests staff and IT support for H-2A inspections",484,2027000,2511000,"/Search/View?dp=1&key=2852083-df910e1a50ac63967420644abf7fcadd&start=2027&end=2511","https://assets.pipeline.soar.com/2852083-df910e1a50ac63967420644abf7fcadd/thumbnail_2027000.jpg","/articles/6092831/North-Dakota/Committee-advances-Job-Service-bill-that-requests-staff-and-IT-support-for-H-2A-inspections","https://secure.pipeline.soar.com/6092831-7b106cdfd00380dd5e9b5cc9526790ed/orig.mp4?Expires=1771198893&Signature=Hjf7NiOXVvBFGlPW1t2jtUafquTR3t9SIV4SQXQNnUCSCd6auKPnlevsoDUBRhufT9HptXWQaig4XqhefTY9RaOYKzQL3vrzNP2GolZVKN7y32xLxJpRjgGBBlD9OzHGxKBw9tqDJ8E~YvhShpB8ELru725E-DHsF~7W0HkQuk-9S2BiYUvLUHMyqVLyO3SvvYk5Vv8Swg0gmm3e3LL9xTDm9nRSj-da12bF66qKCNYkTLYJJQAN2myecIPsDnyhJc2i~1LWv5pi3Gm7RJUDTp7nEvqGgcvY4DsLkdc8bVsN4Vgq0ytnWLbVcLp7jMNLBfTCUYDeovcpn8~kaRFY~Q__&Key-Pair-Id=KUT5TJCACFTXG","The Appropriations Committee advanced Senate Bill 2016, the Job Service budget bill, with a do-pass recommendation after Representative Swantek summarized staffing, federal funding constraints and IT needs.

Representative Swantek, sponsor, told the committee the bill requests one full-time equivalent position for the H-2A program and funding to support information-technology work the agency needs to complete. \"The main features of the bill are the requesting 1 FTE for the H2A program,\" Swantek said. He described the agency's three primary divisions: workforce outreach and events, unemployment insurance covering more than 26,000 employers, and labor market information.

The bill matters because Job Service relies heavily on federal funding that is program-specific and has not kept pace with inflation, Swantek said. He told the committee the agency has reduced staff from 387 FTEs in 2011 to about 159, and its operating budget fell from roughly $51.3 million to about $44.5 million, a decrease of about $7 million. Swantek said the agency previously received $45 million in ARPA funds to modernize an antiquated system and that remaining IT and hosting costs will largely end after the migration is finished.

Swantek described specific requests that appear in the bill: one FTE to handle federally required H-2A housing inspections for seasonal agricultural workers; roughly $950,000 in general-fund IT support plus a proposed $950,000 transfer of federal funds for IT; an IT project cost of about $1.4 million and mainframe hosting/maintenance estimated at $475,000; and a one-time salary-related amount of about $2.1 million tied to a funding transition. He also updated the committee on a placement pilot for justice-involved individuals: 277 referrals and a 73 percent success rate for those placed, with participants' average pay rising to about $50,000 a year compared with about $20,000 for those not placed.

After Swantek moved a do-pass recommendation and Representative Brandenburg seconded, the clerk conducted a roll call. The motion carried with a tally the clerk announced as 20 yes, 0 no and 3 absent. Representative Swantek will carry the bill.

Committee members asked no substantive follow-up questions during the discussion on the floor of the committee. The sponsor said some of the bill's requests address a backlog in H-2A housing inspections—he said about 4,400 such workers come into North Dakota each year and growers are concerned about inspection delays.

The committee record shows the agency's reliance on federal grants constrains its ability to reallocate funds between programs and that the state has used one-time general funds and ARPA dollars to bridge gaps while federal funding remains program-bound.

The bill now moves to the next step with Representative Swantek as carrier; the committee indicated the motion passed by roll call and that three members were absent.","The Appropriations Committee gave Senate Bill 2016 a do-pass recommendation after Representative Swantek outlined requests including one FTE for H-2A housing inspections, IT funding and continued support for workforce programs.","actionData","errors"]

Article not found

Committee approves Department of Environmental Quality budget with added certification and inspection funds

Committee advances pilot to pay family members as caregivers for certain young people with disabilities

Committee advances Job Service bill that requests staff and IT support for H-2A inspections