[{"_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",6187430,"mediaKeyId","5070539-089d97457d6aa8a44e3cd977bb27bc44","parentId",5070539,"title","Budget section reviews agriculture and NDSU research and extension spending changes","audioSeconds",984,"startMs",5866000,"endMs",6850000,"viewUrl","/Search/View?dp=1&key=5070539-089d97457d6aa8a44e3cd977bb27bc44&start=5866&end=6850","thumbnailUrl","https://assets.pipeline.soar.com/5070539-089d97457d6aa8a44e3cd977bb27bc44/thumbnail_5866000.jpg","articleUrl","/articles/6187430/North-Dakota/Budget-section-reviews-agriculture-and-NDSU-research-and-extension-spending-changes","mediaUrl","https://secure.pipeline.soar.com/6187430-6af846e9055b632d007a9197ea3d158a/orig.mp4?Expires=1770982900&Signature=J0oCqgYicj8kfH21aLAmiYfEWd-NaXbMpPIDcZ7nYIYdMEVTTA8xgrxHmmrDYmo2umiP~yduFWUkhPUWoowuM6tVPhK9sZ6scWdUbFD0Mezj-bvJ06WSxSvMOsXirscQi69LXDF7ygvn4TyCPGH8fwvcC1HEjB9S1No6OnhKDeEwOYcbxX6kgyO0xCw0UiaztOGi-rW1GUDGfgp1Xwx7uY0WQPTikyla2lksWEC9XhQvEkvyE2MYX1Y3EDwPCOgu9mPJf8x0tFlZQTC2cNyxPDaXRqz1JBkN2zYvGvH-zuUIWIc7ehpSZxZ9B0NbWbvfl5PPPHk4zIv9mpMOTFDf5A__&Key-Pair-Id=KUT5TJCACFTXG","author","North Dakota Legislature","date","2025-06-25T00:00:00Z","article","Legislative staff summarized the legislative changes to the Department of Agriculture and related research and extension budgets, including newly authorized positions, one‑time grants and transfers to the agriculture diversification and development fund.

Grant Gator, fiscal analyst, told the committee the Agriculture Commissioner’s budget saw a net increase of one FTE and one‑time general fund items including $3,000,000 from Bank of North Dakota profits for an APUC program, $3,000,000 in grassland grazing grants, and a $5,000,000 SIF food‑distribution facility grant in House Bill 1143. He said ongoing funding included transferring administration of the farm management program (about $1,900,000 of general fund authority) from the Department of Career and Technical Education to the Agriculture Commissioner via Senate Bill 2274 (as cited in the after‑session summary).

Gator summarized research and extension changes at North Dakota State University. Branch research centers received partial funding for a grape and vineyard research specialist (no additional FTE authority) and $40,000 of general funds per center for operating expenses. NDSU Extension Service received an FTE extension carbon specialist position (approximate biennial cost $290,000). The main research center received about $1,567,000 in one‑time general fund authority for equipment storage sheds at the Dickinson Research Center and added a veterinary toxicologist FTE ($275,000 in appropriation authority). Several previously vacant FTE authorities were removed (authority for about 4.98 positions and associated funding were eliminated) because those positions had been vacant for some time.

Gator said the Agriculture Diversification and Development Fund received a $15,000,000 one‑time general fund transfer in the recent session; staff noted the fund had previously received $25,000,000 in the prior biennium and had about $10,000,000 remaining to obligate. Other one‑time items include CIF money for fair association grants and consulting funds to study irrigation expansion. Gator said the after‑session state budget actions book will include detailed schedules of these changes once it is finalized and published online.

","mediaType","Video","parentTitle","Budget Section Government Operations Division Jun 25, 2025","oneSentenceSummary","Legislative Council staff summarized legislative changes affecting the Agriculture Commissioner, branch research centers, NDSU extension service and main research center, including new FTEs, one‑time grants and transfers to the agriculture diversification fund.","taxTitle","Legislative, North Dakota","taxId",28306,"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},6187435,"Budget section hears statewide fiscal trends: oil forecast, federal funds decline and sector spending",1189,790000,1979000,"/Search/View?dp=1&key=5070539-089d97457d6aa8a44e3cd977bb27bc44&start=790&end=1979","https://assets.pipeline.soar.com/5070539-089d97457d6aa8a44e3cd977bb27bc44/thumbnail_790000.jpg","/articles/6187435/North-Dakota/Budget-section-hears-statewide-fiscal-trends-oil-forecast-federal-funds-decline-and-sector-spending","https://secure.pipeline.soar.com/6187435-159eaed1cff8544009171b72f964ad88/orig.mp4?Expires=1770982900&Signature=Fk-Yd1nwjUCKBcM0ENh2SSXttAekn6Xe0O51tB1OHI1zTc72fSz9vx2OI-2DTSGOfAP~r3CcvkUHM9gGcDA-TdH27kWwQgUxgITdSE8dtX~LvZL2C~dRpLzc6BwEkh9kbIDohd17vibUvQa8MEsZIbicME12fdTpHQdxQNqpOC6zdaKPdWL4JAX9-azOLVQR3GNWqCHvcHsPwJKMIgir-dsyLd72V88pnxX3knoLZD6xKZqz5K0zh7KVSA9Hi-niGjq3-Q2ADDpyJeSKSfKuxu-9tKEfuPc2kXSypCJovzXt3oNx2IcArQeuSajtk7agwtzB9W998VHKG2GqKxuJ3g__&Key-Pair-Id=KUT5TJCACFTXG","Legislative staff presented an overview of state budget and fiscal trends to the Legislative Budget Section, including general fund composition, oil and gas forecasts, federal fund variability and major appropriation categories.

Brady, fiscal analyst with the Legislative Council, walked members through charts showing the structure of general fund revenues (beginning balance, tax and fee revenues, and transfers). He said transfers such as Bank of North Dakota profits have been used in past biennia but were reduced for the 2527 biennium, which was balanced without the large SIF transfers used previously. Brady told the panel the largest revenue type at the top of the revenue stack is sales and motor vehicle excise taxes, followed by individual and corporate income taxes; he cautioned that corporate income tax collections can fluctuate with global events.

On oil and gas, Brady said the forecast for the 2527 biennium is approximately $4.27 billion of collections with a state share of roughly $1.3 billion. He said the forecasted oil price assumption is $59 per barrel in the first year of the biennium and $57 in the second, with production at about 1,100,000 barrels per day. Brady summarized the state share allocation “buckets” and noted $500,000,000 is the portion currently estimated to go into the general fund for the 2527 biennium, up from roughly $300,000,000 in the 1517 biennium.

Brady highlighted that federal funds appropriations were comparatively larger during the 2021–23 biennium (approximately $6.8 billion) and declined to about $5.7 billion in 2325 as federal COVID assistance wound down. He emphasized special funds now account for a larger share of total appropriations, citing uses such as foundation aid stabilization for K‑12 and county social human services projects.

On appropriations, Brady said the Department of Health and Human Services is the largest general fund recipient (about $2.2 billion) followed by K‑12 education; the four largest agencies together account for over 80% of general fund appropriations. He discussed Medicaid composition and matching, noting roughly $2 billion in federal and special funds for Medicaid grants and about $1.28 billion of general fund match. He noted an estimated FMAP of about 52.52% for federal fiscal year 2027 and described the increase in home and community‑based care related to a federal Department of Justice lawsuit that changed service emphasis and spending.

Brady also reviewed corrections funding, reporting a roughly 26.5% general fund increase for the Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation in 2527 and an estimated daily inmate count increase of about 14.4% for the same biennium. He noted department FTE increases tied to increased services at correctional centers.

Other highlights: foundation aid stabilization fund contributions to K‑12 (about $233,000,000), higher education appropriations versus tuition and fee revenue (two‑year campuses receive a larger state appropriation share), and the Department of Water Resources’ dependence on the Resources Trust Fund (oil and gas tax dependent). Brady closed by summarizing aid to political subdivisions (about $6,000,000,000 for 2527) and said the state budget actions book, which summarizes after‑session changes for each agency, will be published online once finalized.

","Fiscal analysts told the Legislative Budget Section that oil and gas forecasts, federal COVID funding declines and changes in special funds have reshaped the state budget, with major appropriations remaining concentrated in Health and Human Services, K‑12 and higher education.",{"_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},6187440,"Legislature, DOT set flexible-transportation fund rules; DOT outlines distribution, timeline and three added projects",2306,750000,3056000,"/Search/View?dp=1&key=5070539-089d97457d6aa8a44e3cd977bb27bc44&start=750&end=3056","https://assets.pipeline.soar.com/5070539-089d97457d6aa8a44e3cd977bb27bc44/thumbnail_750000.jpg","/articles/6187440/North-Dakota/Legislature-DOT-set-flexible-transportation-fund-rules-DOT-outlines-distribution-timeline-and-three-added-projects","https://secure.pipeline.soar.com/6187440-d7f674d64fef880f7d992d7f9290181b/orig.mp4?Expires=1770982900&Signature=WhByr2pi2~87y1QjjymeKrsc-JvIadi6pdiTF0Jyx6gNaxJe1PtP7HZIbSvDNOYDpaW0Yzdb6ZogTlPM73SlhMfw9Ere9~IQn25~7J4rgZ~qJtWsAAXAp8r1gpSqLjWS7tuqt0R7qvBR3RfDw3Zt1w23m7hEf6YsCdrePQdSvuzAt6dCtdgT6d~X7BfDWrqLkYKqt8CQor1KGg4ar7XWLSFiEHiY-NujjsJON2PGpMV86xVdXR1xprAU6nzRPslzCUIXZGxHMucRCkpWxHDVLrQpyCQR1we8WWjmQY7lQSiALpVwPoBzHvSP0P4pM8wg8LwK3FQxXvgBzDu-N3B~Xw__&Key-Pair-Id=KUT5TJCACFTXG","The Legislative Budget Section heard a presentation from the North Dakota Department of Transportation on how the legislature’s changes to transportation funding will be implemented, including the flexible transportation fund, set‑aside distributions and project selection process.

The budget changes approved by the 69th Legislative Assembly direct several new streams of money into transportation: $287,100,000 from SIF to DOT, a legacy‑earnings share (about $175,200,000 to DOT after bond payments), and a flexible transportation fund that includes a 25% set‑aside of motor vehicle excise taxes for non‑oil producing counties and townships. DOT staff told the committee the 2325 biennium flexible fund totaled about $222,500,000 and that the set‑aside produced roughly $43,000,000 in requests; DOT awarded 44 projects from that set‑aside and recently added three more projects to reach the 25% statutory threshold.

Ron Henke, director of the Department of Transportation, described how the 25% set‑aside was split and scored. He said DOT used a committee of local and state partners — including county, city, township and economic development representatives — to score applications. Townships received a guaranteed 10% of the set‑aside, with the remaining 90% competitive among counties, because DOT staff found township applications were often less complete than county applications. Henke told the panel the department reimburses local sponsors on a pay‑for‑cost basis after they submit bills and that DOT retains separate project codes so monies and spending for the 2325 projects can be tracked apart from 2527 projects.

Henke also described the department’s partner allocation (the grant portion open to cities, counties and townships) and said DOT selected 23 partnering projects for roughly another $44,000,000 and had spent about $88,000,000 of the program to date. Because bids on some projects came in lower than expected, DOT picked the next projects on the list to make sure statutory set‑aside percentages were met. The three projects added in the last three weeks were a bridge replacement in Trail County, a stream crossing structure in Dickey County and grading and graveling on a county major collector in Towner County.

DOT staff explained the 2527 biennium priorities and changes: separate grant pools for non‑oil townships ($31,100,000) and non‑oil counties and cities ($44,800,000), a new $40,000,000 local bridge grant program and formula distributions that the tax commissioner or state treasurer will administer. DOT noted additional statutory criteria apply to township eligibility (for example, organized townships must have a mill levy at or above 18 mills and a general‑fund balance under $100,000 to receive priority in some distributions). Henke said DOT will use existing bridge inspection scores to prioritize bridge grant funding and, where counties own multiple qualifying bridges, will work with counties to pick the first priorities.

On discretionary funds, DOT reported it will receive $48,300,000 of flexible fund dollars that come directly to the agency and can be used broadly for transportation needs — Henke said DOT expects to use part of that as grant match for a rail crossing project in Grand Forks and to hold the remainder to match other federal grants or to respond to emergency needs. Henke told the committee, “That 48,300,000 will be flex fund dollars so we can use it for whatever basically is transportation related.”

DOT described the 2527 application and awarding timeline: applications to open in early July, webinars in mid‑late July, application close in September, scoring through fall, selection and agreements by mid‑December, with construction and reimbursements expected through 2026–27. Staff said they will attempt to allocate roughly 50% of program dollars the first year and the rest the second year to keep steady workload for contractors. DOT plans to reuse the same application and scoring list for the prairie‑dog fund and flex fund to reduce applicant burden.

Committee members pressed DOT about program administration and contingencies. Henke confirmed DOT intends to award projects based on the published scoring criteria and that the 48.3 million discretionary pot provides the only readily available source for emergency or off‑cycle needs. He also warned the percentages written into statute leave little flexibility if project bids change; he said DOT will “do our best to get to 19.5%” distribution targets but may face tough choices if bid prices vary.

The committee asked for and DOT agreed to provide a final report for the 2325 flex fund in July showing all selected projects, expenditures and remaining work.

Less critical details: DOT said construction bidding competitiveness remains strong and that many projects award below engineer estimates; the department plans to post project maps and application materials online and to provide periodic reports to the budget section.

","The Legislative Budget Section heard Department of Transportation officials explain how the legislature’s allocations and formula changes will fund flexible transportation projects, including a 25% set-aside for non‑oil counties and townships, a $48.3 million discretionary pot for DOT and a timeline for application and awards.","actionData","errors"]

Article not found

Budget section reviews agriculture and NDSU research and extension spending changes

Budget section hears statewide fiscal trends: oil forecast, federal funds decline and sector spending

Legislature, DOT set flexible-transportation fund rules; DOT outlines distribution, timeline and three added projects