[{"_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",6080054,"mediaKeyId","2952070-c5887a9382d3125804ff76df247f767c","parentId",2952070,"title","Committee directs $60 million reduction in other-funds authority after federal COVID funding drop; staff to track FMAP change","audioSeconds",2482,"startMs",1663000,"endMs",4145000,"viewUrl","/Search/View?dp=1&key=2952070-c5887a9382d3125804ff76df247f767c&start=1663&end=4145","thumbnailUrl","https://assets.pipeline.soar.com/2952070-c5887a9382d3125804ff76df247f767c/thumbnail_1663000.jpg","articleUrl","/articles/6080054/North-Dakota/Committee-directs-60-million-reduction-in-other-funds-authority-after-federal-COVID-funding-drop-staff-to-track-FMAP-change","mediaUrl","https://secure.pipeline.soar.com/6080054-7ba8127fecf25b72e7be1274d0bf1545/orig.mp4?Expires=1771141195&Signature=JnZ7uW0kuvKX6Fy3REpLi7MHRd-8q28Uud~b8jMYNjvoEPeXP-~5jqK-L0g77xB20jsCuIYYoIhX~B4-tsnY-nPpJWrsIpklCtR31djovnPc~StPT-ocrSO7JfkhLDeu7RmcK1a7KrFX21vOJzI4zu7roZ53B-zUkPkg~6ubUFBFT46lFlLP-T0hvCp-zdCLbAKhlsdulS3tFIcxu93jtb8ik0Ea6~dSdH0ydkcvDr5yfXE1pPuqzDnEiSsoiUT~~n~0RhFPlfEzOJgxuQgowASnrXhyYK9n-c7xYtlqwhWOfc0zmEQy72ItHV0ue0MN-T-jvJfmIk6l1PFOIsAl9w__&Key-Pair-Id=KUT5TJCACFTXG","author","North Dakota State Legislature","date","2025-04-10T00:00:00Z","article","Senate appropriators directed staff to reduce the department’s other-funds authority by about $60 million to reflect federal COVID-era public-health funds they do not expect to receive, and they instructed staff to include a preliminary 1% FMAP (federal medical assistance percentage) adjustment in the long sheet.

Department budget staff told the committee that the federal government has signaled the state will not receive roughly $60 million in COVID- related public-health funding planned for fiscal 2027, and the department said it does not need spending authority for funds it will not receive. \"It is authority for me to spend money I will never get,\" Donna said. The committee agreed to reduce the other-funds authority accordingly; staff said the reduction will appear on the long sheet as a $60,000,000 decrease in other funds and does not change general-fund totals.

Members also reviewed preliminary FMAP figures. Staff reported a tentative move from 50.0% to roughly 50.99% for FFY 2027, which would shift some costs between state and federal shares; staff estimated this preliminary FMAP adjustment would change Human Services totals by a small amount and identified $8 million split across two areas as an estimate to reflect in the long sheet. Budget analyst Keith said the committee already adjusted for about a $1.9 million FMAP-related change in one line and that preliminary FMAP numbers will be final later in the year.

Staff explained that if the federal government later reverses course and sends funds, the department would request authority from the state Emergency Commission to draw down federal funding. \"We would have to go to the emergency commission and request money, federal authority through that means,\" staff said. The committee asked staff to update the long sheets to show the $60 million other-funds reduction and to note the tentative FMAP adjustment for budget purposes.","mediaType","Video","parentTitle","Senate Appropriations - Human Resources Division Thursday, Apr 10, 2025 9:56 AM - 11:40 AM","oneSentenceSummary","Budget staff and committee members agreed to remove $60 million of other-funds authority tied to federal COVID-era public-health dollars the state no longer expects to receive, and to reflect preliminary FMAP changes in the long sheet pending final federal confirmation.","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},6080059,"Panel agrees to compromise inflator of 2% then 1.5% for provider rates pending final numbers",381,3055000,3436000,"/Search/View?dp=1&key=2952070-c5887a9382d3125804ff76df247f767c&start=3055&end=3436","https://assets.pipeline.soar.com/2952070-c5887a9382d3125804ff76df247f767c/thumbnail_3055000.jpg","/articles/6080059/North-Dakota/Panel-agrees-to-compromise-inflator-of-2-then-15-for-provider-rates-pending-final-numbers","https://secure.pipeline.soar.com/6080059-d99750d35450996cb3a3c22543a6112e/orig.mp4?Expires=1771141195&Signature=a-czhbajXzSeM8cmWH-PAwsNqRO9uENSZ2xJndv20865cAtSSHWFw6Cgs-A1jTv7ZIf8Y2DCSa3P7XhokFhs7Exk4I4cIrF2HOsH44YAkl97DmATsYp5tsBj-DZ6R0jPp4N-XF-pIlLAInNN-9pgk5IOzItBRCQOgtF8nEWZlX0lay1UFlXstldimkKx-y6W923-Lw5Ah26-6eyWWGc0QvjA2d8sQ0BadQ3NvFMO86UU-bIBQvmA4IEm2C4oG9apl8RIEPCru-oaloj9-wljKrgvs3pHdE3EZPx-kWGwTegg~wL2c1PO2VZyiiN3S~UUFORyLW9lHNOubxRHnmRvew__&Key-Pair-Id=KUT5TJCACFTXG","The Senate Appropriations Human Resources Division tentatively settled on a compromise for provider inflation adjustments, recommending a 2% increase in the first year and 1.5% in the second year for use in conference committee discussions.

Members debated alternatives — keeping 2% both years (the House position), using 1.5% both years, or a split 2%/1.5% — and raised the budgetary consequence that any inflator chosen becomes part of the base for subsequent biennia. \"Whatever we land on for inflation, that's gonna just be in the base budget,\" one senator said, noting the long-term cost-to-continue implications. Keith and staff prepared figures showing approximate dollar differences; staff said the two-year 1.5/1.5 option totaled roughly $43 million while 2%/2% was about $58 million.

Senator Magrill proposed the 2% then 1.5% compromise to give the committee common ground with the House and avoid a full-floor contest. Melanie O’Brien and budget staff said they would refine and return the exact cost figures after lunch so the committee could see the midpoint impact. \"We can work on those numbers over lunch and bring them back this afternoon,\" Melanie O’Brien said.

No final floor-or-conference motion was recorded in the morning session; the committee agreed to obtain staff calculations and present the compromise inflator figures when it reconvenes.","The committee discussed provider rate inflators and agreed to pursue a compromise of 2% in year one and 1.5% in year two as a middle ground for conference negotiations, with staff to return with cost-to-continue estimates.",{"_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},6080064,"Senate HR panel trims proposed FTEs, reduces salary block-grant increase by $4.0 million",2209,561000,2770000,"/Search/View?dp=1&key=2952070-c5887a9382d3125804ff76df247f767c&start=561&end=2770","https://assets.pipeline.soar.com/2952070-c5887a9382d3125804ff76df247f767c/thumbnail_561000.jpg","/articles/6080064/North-Dakota/Senate-HR-panel-trims-proposed-FTEs-reduces-salary-block-grant-increase-by-40-million","https://secure.pipeline.soar.com/6080064-e8ec5c3d74b60b6b3655ef92d65e55ad/orig.mp4?Expires=1771141195&Signature=WLlQA1KU3qpvy7xqd7Qw937NjD9ruyiz5HZ-U5dqrSArk1ZzzSBwUHzJbg4km0mJ4gf-F-FPRvAA4ZnBEQ9ekrg15Z-fFBviyLsx-Lbo33rWcEvdkUx4Xyp4a7gNoXNVGodFHlSNiScAb5OQXXwXe-iZPxwrMAzs9pPAsGdtqe78QdKZ~D5BsHJA9djsatFBDNO58hy~~WkOJgh91Gza6nMa4PD7zhJhKUxwSKn8LAgxsFUgXWnmbc-NWDL2whm1ZzN9PPisCMYbypjTNp6jknoi0A-bzRFhfZUdpN4irlsiu1zEnvoRp11gnpNkMwilLZ8gEzGOsL0SxI~s5Q7qgw__&Key-Pair-Id=KUT5TJCACFTXG","The Senate Appropriations Human Resources Division on Tuesday moved to reduce the reinserted salary funding for the department’s block grant and to remove specific full-time-equivalent (FTE) counts from the budget long sheet.

Committee members said the change is intended to preserve dollar flexibility for the department while avoiding an appearance that the legislature is authorizing a precise headcount within a block grant. “I’d like to reduce it by 25% on the salaries,” Senator Sharon Cleary said, proposing a $4,000,749.32 reduction to the line reflecting the department’s requested restoration. Keith, the committee’s budget analyst, confirmed the cut and that the FTE positions on the long sheet would be shown as zeros.

The revision follows debate about whether to restore all 103 positions the department had requested after the House’s larger reduction. Senators said they want to give the department spending flexibility for the block grant while avoiding the optics of approving hundreds of specific positions with unclear funding. “I think we can shave a little bit off there and still meet the goal of getting folks hired,” Cleary said. Several members said they were comfortable keeping the dollar pool but not showing a definitive FTE count on the long sheet.

Department staff told the committee the block grant is intended to give programmatic flexibility and that the department can report hires and turnover quarterly under language in section 5 of the bill. “With the block grant we’re not given an FTE number. This just represents the number of positions that we put into a system, and their position numbers,” a department official identified in the record as Donna said, adding the agency will provide quarterly reports showing hires, vacancies and separations.

The committee also discussed a related revenue estimate: the certified community behavioral health clinics (CCBHCs) could generate about $4.7 million in fee-for-service revenue that would reduce general-fund need, a number staff said should be moved from general fund to other funds on the long sheet. Members asked staff to correct matching lines so the long sheet reflects generated revenues and the intended fund split.

The committee did not take a roll-call vote on the change during the morning session recorded in the transcript; staff implemented the reduction in the long-sheet worksheet during the meeting and confirmed the $4,000,749.32 change with the committee.","The Senate Appropriations Human Resources Division agreed to cut a planned increase to salary block-grant authority and remove FTE counts from the long sheet, directing department reporting and quarterly transparency for hires tied to the block grant.","actionData","errors"]

Article not found

Committee directs $60 million reduction in other-funds authority after federal COVID funding drop; staff to track FMAP change

Panel agrees to compromise inflator of 2% then 1.5% for provider rates pending final numbers

Senate HR panel trims proposed FTEs, reduces salary block-grant increase by $4.0 million