AN ACT to provide an appropriation for defraying the expenses of the state treasurer; to amend and reenact section 54-11-13 of the North Dakota Century Code, relating to the salary of the state treasurer; and to declare an emergency.
HB 1005 appropriates funds for the North Dakota state treasurer for the 2025-27 biennium. It provides a total appropriation of $3.51 million, including $3.22 million from the general fund and $295,000 from special funds, to cover salaries and wages, operating expenses, coal severance payments, a new and vacant FTE pool, and a significant one-time allocation for carbon dioxide pipeline payments. The bill also identifies $295,000 in strategic investment and improvements fund money for information technology projects as one-time funding.
The bill amends North Dakota Century Code section 54-11-13 to increase the annual salary of the state treasurer. It also includes a provision preventing direct spending from the new and vacant FTE pool, instead allowing the treasurer to request transfers into salaries and wages under the guidelines established in House Bill 1015. In addition, the bill declares the information technology project funding to be an emergency measure, allowing that portion to take effect immediately.
The bill’s impact is primarily on the state treasury budget and on the statutory salary of the state treasurer. It authorizes ongoing operating funding for the office, adds one-time funding for technology improvements, and creates a specific appropriation for carbon dioxide pipeline-related payments, which is a notable new expenditure item. The salary amendment changes the compensation statute for the treasurer and updates the office’s pay level going forward.
Overall sentiment appears broadly supportive, as reflected by strong bipartisan passage in both chambers, though not unanimous. The House and Senate each approved the bill by comfortable margins, suggesting general agreement on funding the treasurer’s office and the salary adjustment. The limited opposition likely reflects concern over the size or composition of the appropriation, particularly the one-time pipeline payment funding and the salary increase, but no committee transcript is available to show detailed objections.
HB 1005 increases and restructures the appropriation for the state treasurer’s office for the 2025-27 biennium, adds one-time special-fund support for information technology projects, and amends the statutory salary of the state treasurer in section 54-11-13 of the Century Code. It also establishes a limitation on the new and vacant FTE pool and makes the IT project funding an emergency measure, affecting both budget execution and the timing of that spending.
The bill appears to have had generally favorable support in both chambers, passing with large majorities in the House and Senate. The vote totals suggest broad acceptance of the treasurer’s budget and salary changes, with only a small minority opposed. No committee discussion transcript is available, so the record does not show detailed debate, but the voting pattern indicates the bill was not especially controversial overall.
The main points of possible contention are the salary increase for the state treasurer, the $1 million appropriation for carbon dioxide pipeline payments, and the use of special funds for information technology projects. The small number of nays in both chambers suggests some legislators may have questioned the size, purpose, or prioritization of these items, but the bill still advanced comfortably. The absence of committee transcripts limits the ability to identify specific arguments or sponsors of opposition.