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Yahoo
14-04-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
Two bills focused on supporting North Dakota's rural regions see forward motion in Bismarck
Apr. 14—BISMARCK — Two bills focused on serving North Dakota's rural regions are in the midst of being seen by committees. One, targeted focused on assisting North Dakota's eight regional councils, has been discussed by the Senate Appropriations Committee, while another hoping to create a rural catalyst committee is being seen by House Appropriations. Both bills, and the legislative session in general, have drawn eyes to North Dakota's rural areas and the councils that serve them, said Dawn Mandt, executive director of the Red River Regional Council. "I feel like we're finally finding a seat at the table and trying to be a part of those conversations," she said. House Bill 1524, sponsored by Rep. David Monson, R-Osnabrock, has most recently received an amendment by the Senate Appropriations Committee to alter the nature of its funding to regional planning councils. The bill initially asked to provide $8 million to the North Dakota Department of Commerce to fund regional planning councils, before the funding was reduced to $2.4 million. On Wednesday, April 9, Senate Appropriations amended the bill from specific funding to instead say the commerce department may "award grants to regional planning councils ... to support local and regional implementation of state-authorized programs and initiatives." The amendment was introduced by Sen. Michael Dwyer, R-Bismarck, from the Senate Appropriations Government Operations Division Committee. "We understood the sentiment behind providing some additional support to the regional councils so they could be the local entity to implement all of the grant programs that the Department of Commerce has," he said. The amendment passed unanimously, and the bill received a "do pass" recommendation with a vote of 14-2. Senate Bill 2390, which has been seeking to create a rural catalyst committee, grant program and fund to support small North Dakota towns, was introduced to House Appropriations on Monday, April 7. Sponsored by Sen. Terry Wanzek, R-Jamestown, the bill was introduced by Rep. Donald Longmuir, R-Stanley. Longmuir said the bill would create a rural catalyst committee consisting of one member from each of the eight regional councils, two members at large from the rural communities appointed by the governor, one member of the Legislative assembly, the governor or his designee and the commissioner of commerce or his designee. The committee would have $5 million to support North Dakota towns of 8,500 or fewer, with 50% of the funds having to go to towns of less than 1,500, and the maximum amount of money that can be given through a grant would be 500,000. Longmuir and members of the House Appropriations Committee compared SB 2390 to Senate Bill 2097, which relates to creating a rural community endowment fund and committee, and Senate Bill 2225, which relates to creating a housing for opportunity, mobility and empowerment program. When asked which bill Longmuir preferred, he voiced support for them all, though said if he had to pick, he'd choose SB 2390. "I think 2390 has a better structure to it, in that it's already maintaining some of the things that we already have in place, so we're not creating a new level of bureaucracy," he said. "We're working with assets we already have in place, so we're not tripping on toes." House Appropriations decided SB 2390 will be discussed more at a later date. Mandt, who has provided testimony on both SB 2390 and HB 1524, said it's time to leave the bills in the hands of Appropriations. "We've been on pins and needles," she said.
Yahoo
21-02-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
Three bills to support small towns, groceries and housing see momentum in Legislature
Feb. 21—BISMARCK, N.D. — A bill that would create a rural catalyst committee, grant program and fund to support North Dakota towns with populations of 8,500 or fewer residents has received an amendment from Senate Appropriations to lower the funding by $25 million. Two other bills, both favored by rural leaders, have also made forward motion. The three bills have been on the radar of Dawn Mandt, executive director of the Red River Regional Council. She's been wondering about producing a legislative update from the council's vantage point, she said. "It's kind of a flurry of stuff," she said. Senate Bill 2390 , introduced by Sen. Terry Wanzek, R-Jamestown, initially asked for a fund of $30 million to support small towns in North Dakota. It was previously amended to ensure 50% of the funds would be designated to towns of fewer than 1,000 residents. On Wednesday, Feb. 19, Senate Appropriations amended the bill down to $5 million and added that the funds could be used for rural grocery stores. The bill as amended was given a do-pass recommendation with a vote of 14-2. Other bills that have seen activity in the Legislature are Senate Bills 2225 and 2228. SB 2225, introduced by Sen. Brad Bekkedahl, R-Williston, aims to provide an appropriation to the North Dakota Department of Commerce to address housing shortages in the state through a housing for opportunity, mobility and empowerment grant program totaling $50 million, or as much of the sum as necessary. It would be a one-time funding item. The bill also called for the act to be declared an emergency measure. SB 2225's emergency clause was carried with a vote of 37-9 and the bill has been introduced to the House and referred to House Appropriations. Testimony for the bill has included city leaders and regional leaders, including Mandt. In 2024 , Mandt said housing may be reaching a point of crisis in North Dakota during a building session as part of a housing study commissioned by the Red River Community Housing Development Organization. Lisa Rotvold, the organization's executive director, referenced the results of the study in her testimony in support of the bill. "The study identified a need for approximately 4,800 additional housing units in the rural parts of Region 4 by the year 2030," she said in written testimony. "Of course, there are nowhere near 4,800 buildable lots in the rural communities of Region 4." Another need in rural North Dakota is grocery stores. SB 2228 proposes an appropriation to the North Dakota Department of Commerce for a rural grocery store sustainability grant program. Introduced by Sen. Janne Myrdal, R-Edinburg, the bill asks for a one-time fund of $1 million or however much of the sum is necessary to prioritize supporting existing rural grocery stores, as well as feasibility costs for reopening a grocery store in a community that doesn't have one. SB 2228 was given a "do pass" recommendation by Senate Appropriations on Feb. 19 with an 11-5 vote. Food deserts, defined by the United States Department of Agriculture as areas with low access to healthy foods, have been an issue in North Dakota . SB 2228 is a continuation of previous legislation that has been introduced to combat the existence of food deserts. SB 2273 , also led by Myrdal in 2023, created a rural food sustainability grant program. SB 2228 was amended on Feb. 12 to say funds could not be used for food or off-site processing following testimony. "This is an old friend from last session," Myrdal said during a Senate floor session. "We heard several testimonies of how well it's worked. We also heard some testimony on maybe some places the money went that wasn't the intent of the legislators."
