The Senate Appropriations Committee met Feb. 27 and considered multiple bills across education, commerce, health, economic development and corrections. The committee approved amendments and recommended several bills for passage (due pass or due pass as amended) and sent a few to carrier assignment. Below are concise summaries and the committee’s recorded outcomes for each bill discussed after the agricultural diversification item.

Votes at a glance (committee action and short note):

- Senate Bill 02/1954 (school electronic device policy): Committee approved an amendment to strike a $300,000 grant provision and remove direction for the Superintendent of Public Instruction to identify approved storage containers. The committee then voted to give the bill a due pass as amended. (Motion carried; vote recorded in transcript as affirmative.)

- Senate Bill 02/2354? (note: transcript refers to 2,354 and 02/1954 interchangeably) — amendment and due pass as amended recorded.

- Senate Bill 02/2396 (independent audit of Commerce Department, incl. Development Fund): Committee reduced requested audit funding from $350,000 to $200,000, approved the amendment, and later gave the bill a due pass as amended. The sponsor and committee noted the audit would focus on the Commerce Department’s Development Fund and related programs; committee members discussed whether the State Auditor could participate but accepted a fully independent audit. (Amendment approved; due pass as amended.)

- Senate Bill 02/1999 (reimbursement rules for psychiatric residential treatment facilities — PTRFs): Committee approved the bill (due pass). The bill directs the Department of Human Services to update Medicaid reimbursement rules to reclassify certain supervisory and family‑engagement costs as direct care and to set an administrative cost cap; the fiscal note anticipates roughly $1M in state general fund cost with federal match. (Due pass recommended.)

- Senate Bill 02/2256 (NDSU Research Technology Park grant request; amended appropriation reduced): Committee amended the request from $20 million to $15 million for the NDSU Research and Technology Park (a 501(c)(3) affiliated with NDSU). The amendment and then due pass as amended carried; sponsor described proposed uses (product design/engineering, product development/prototyping, infrastructure upgrades and equipment) and characterized the state funds as seed money to attract private partners.

- Senate Bill 02/2271 (adult residential facilities cost reporting for dementia/brain injury care): Committee approved an amendment removing an inflation adjustment and a proposed 5% operating margin and clarified the appropriation to approximately $1.7M general fund (with federal match). The bill now requires adult residential facilities to submit cost reports so the Department can better align reimbursement to actual costs. (Amendment approved; due pass as amended.)

- Senate Bill 02/1952 (mother‑infant program in corrections): Committee approved a due pass recommendation on a version that retains program permission but removes proposed liability protections. Sponsors said the state will likely see minimal operational cost for supplies, and community donations were expected to supply many immediate needs; the fiscal note projects up to $100,000 in expenditures in the 2027–29 biennium for basic care supplies. (Due pass recommended.)

- Senate Bill 02/2231 (add dental services to Medicaid expansion): Committee recommended due pass. The bill would add dental coverage for Medicaid expansion enrollees (about 34,000 people); the fiscal note shows roughly $500,000 state general fund and larger federal match based on anticipated utilization. Committee discussion noted Federally Qualified Health Centers provide many of the services and would gain reimbursement for care already being provided.

- Senate Bill 02/1936 (juvenile competency/assessment processes): Following an interim review and interagency coordination, the committee amended the bill to reduce an originally larger staffing and funding request (from near $5M) down to $500,000, then voted to give the bill a due pass as amended. The sponsor said the interim work clarified there are relatively few cases (about 15 per year) and a smaller, streamlined approach fits current needs. (Amendment approved; due pass as amended.)

- Senate Bill 02/1997 (rural community endowment fund): Committee adopted an amendment reducing the proposed endowment investment from $50 million to $5 million and removed a $5 million immediate grant tranche; the bill as amended received a due pass recommendation. Sponsors and members said the change keeps the concept alive while acknowledging current budget constraints and that the program can accept gifts and grow over time.

After completing the listed items the committee adjourned until Wednesday at 08:30 a.m.; members were reminded several bills were carried forward for the next meeting.