030317 Legislative Report Week 9, Rep. Rick Holman, ND District 20 

 

Lawmakers finished the first part of the three part session on February 23. During the month of March there will a number of budget and policy adjustments, and an updated revenue forecast. Creating a balanced budget in the remaining 30 plus legislative days will be difficult but must be done. 

 

The Human Services sub-committee has now passed the Human Services budget over to the Senate where it will receive further scrutiny. My focus will now switch to the budgets for Health, Corrections, Veterans, Arts, Tobacco, as well as other issues that come before the Appropriations Committee. Most of the bills have already been reviewed in the Senate so our role changes to one of reviewing and refining. If we modify what has been done, the bills will go to a House/Senate conference committee. Final action will requires that the full House and Senate approve any changes before sending it to Governor Burgum for his signature. 

 

At this point, we still need to make $512.4 million worth of reductions in all state agency budgets to bring things into balance. We’re getting a new set of income estimates on March 9th but I personally don’t see a new pot of gold at the end of the rainbow . Here are a few of them  issues we’ll be dealing with during the month of March.  

 

 HB1013 is the Legislature’s budget for elementary and secondary education which is now in the Senate. As it stands, the budget’s per-student payment to schools for the next two years would remain at the present level of $9,646.  However, funding for transportation may drop 10 percent, to $51.3 million which has more of a negative impact on rural districts like ours. As more people live in the larger cities, legislative representation for those areas increases, hence giving less representation to the rural areas like District 20. SB 2250 will continue some support for the very successful Pre-K early childhood education annual grant program for 4-year-olds. With a better financial outlook it would be wise to broaden this to a wider group of children. 

 

Another piece of legislation that is moving forward after being approved in the Senate is SB2327 which seeks to set up a new state agency called Environmental Quality. Currently this work is under the jurisdiction of the Health Department. This bill would set up a separate agency. The legislation shows it to have no additional cost but I find that hard to believe. It passed in the Senate and will certainly be a subject of debate in the House.  

 

The cuts of drivers licensing sites and highway work sites in the DOT funding bill are of concern. Having workers and equipment close to where is needed during bad weather and emergencies is always important. We have a variety of extreme weather issues each year and having the people who keep the roads open close to where they are needed is important. Likewise having state services close to the users should always be a high priority. Hopefully, as the DOT budget moves forward, the need for these sites will overshadow the need for saving money. 

 

At the Forum in Hillsboro last week, there was much discussion about Senate changes to the  implementation of Measure 5 which requires the state to set up the delivery of medical marijuana. Discussion will now continue in the House with more adjustments likely. The people of ND overwhelmingly  supported this action and we have a responsibility to follow their wishes.  

 

Finally, AARP and the Hospital Association are at odds on the Family Caregiver Act. This saves money by lowering healthcare costs and is working well in other states. HB1039 would make it easier for unpaid family members to take care of a hospital patient returning to a home setting. Hopefully a compromise can be worked out to allow implementation of this program. 

 

To access the Legislative Web site go to the following link. http://www.legis.nd.gov/assembly/65-2017/regular 

Rep. Rick Holman, ND District 20