At a conference committee meeting on House Bill 1143, lawmakers representing the House and Senate postponed a final decision on whether to increase state funding for a new Great Plains Food Bank distribution center, saying they need more information about overall budgets before altering the House position.

The bill would appropriate state funds to the Agriculture Commissioner for a food distribution facility grant program. The House originally moved a $10,000,000 appropriation in committee but amended that to $5,000,000 before advancing the bill; the Senate later amended the measure in Senate Appropriations to restore the $10,000,000 figure. Sen. Burkhart, speaking for the Senate side, described the Great Plains Food Bank in Fargo as the state’s only food bank and said the organization serves all 53 counties through roughly 200 partner agencies and regional service in Bismarck. “They have outgrown its current facility,” Sen. Burkhart said, citing failing HVAC, a leaky roof, drainage and structural issues and a plan backed by a $30,500,000 capital campaign.

“The fundraising feasibility study is confident in raising $20,000,000, leaving a $10,000,000 gap,” Sen. Burkhart added, noting that the bill includes a 1-to-1 state-to-private matching requirement. He framed the increased state contribution as part of efforts to reduce hunger statewide: “10,000,000 by the state today would amount to 250,000 every year for the next 40 years,” he said, and cited figures from testimony that roughly 312,000 North Dakotans face food insecurity and that one in three children have visited a food pantry or soup kitchen.

Representatives on the House side urged caution about raising the appropriation. Representative Hoke noted additional private fundraising since earlier hearings but said appropriators have been “pushed hard on other areas to watch our spending,” explaining why the House position had moved to $5,000,000. Sen. Dwyer recommended waiting until the House Appropriations Committee finished acting on its final bills and suggested the conference committee could reconvene next week with updated budget status. The committee chair sided with keeping the House position for now and agreed to adjourn and reschedule the conference committee meeting.

The committee also discussed the source of the appropriation: the funding would come from the Strategic Investment and Improvement Fund, commonly called SIF. One senator noted the SIF had an estimated remaining balance reported in committee, though the transcript record of that dollar figure was unclear.

Background: In committee and chamber actions recorded before the conference meeting, the bill’s path included an amendment in the House Agriculture Committee reducing the appropriation from $10,000,000 to $5,000,000 (committee vote 8–4); approval in the House Appropriations Committee as amended (18–2); a House floor vote in favor (71–16); a Senate Agriculture Committee approval (5–0); a Senate Appropriations amendment restoring the $10,000,000 figure (15–1); and final Senate passage as amended (37–9). The conference committee did not take any final votes at this meeting.

The committee left the matter open and will schedule another conference committee meeting to revisit House Bill 1143 after appropriations committees on both sides complete their remaining actions and provide updated budget context.