House Bill 1016 is the North Dakota Adjutant General’s appropriation bill for the 2025-27 biennium. It funds the office of the adjutant general, including the National Guard, the Department of Emergency Services, the Civil Air Patrol, veterans’ cemetery operations, tuition/recruiting/retention incentives, disaster response, and related administrative costs. The bill also sets out detailed line-item appropriations, one-time funding projects, and reporting requirements for certain uses of those funds.
The measure provides a total appropriation of $345.1 million from all funds, including $30.8 million from the general fund and the remainder from federal, special, and other funds. Major one-time items include Camp Grafton regional training institute funding, readiness center design and construction, critical infrastructure matching funds, interoperable radio network upgrades, disaster mitigation and response funding, and wildfire-related costs. It also authorizes continued use of certain unexpended prior appropriations, allows limited transfers for maintenance and repairs, and permits acceptance of gifts and donations for a North Dakota military museum.
The bill’s impact on state law is primarily fiscal and administrative rather than regulatory. It appropriates money, exempts certain funds from normal lapse provisions, creates reporting obligations for one-time funding, and includes legislative intent limiting Camp Grafton expansion to land acquisition or long-term lease without eminent domain. It also designates selected funding items as emergency measures, allowing those amounts to take effect immediately.
Overall sentiment appears strongly supportive and noncontroversial. The bill passed the House and Senate with large bipartisan majorities, including unanimous Senate approval on second reading, indicating broad agreement on funding military, emergency management, and disaster-response functions. The votes suggest the Legislature viewed the bill as a routine but important appropriations measure.
The main points of potential contention are not reflected in the vote totals but are embedded in the bill’s policy choices. The Camp Grafton expansion language, especially the prohibition on eminent domain, may be sensitive because it addresses land acquisition and local property concerns. Likewise, the large disaster-relief and infrastructure allocations, and the use of strategic investment and improvements funds, could draw scrutiny over spending priorities, but the available record shows little overt opposition.
HB 1016 amends state spending authority for the Office of the Adjutant General for the 2025-27 biennium, including the National Guard and Department of Emergency Services. It appropriates general, federal, and special funds; exempts certain prior appropriations from lapse; authorizes limited fund transfers; and establishes reporting and intent provisions for specific projects such as Camp Grafton, readiness centers, radio systems, disaster mitigation, and veterans’ cemetery operations.
The bill appears to have enjoyed broad bipartisan support and little visible controversy. It passed both chambers by wide margins, including unanimous Senate approval on second reading, suggesting legislators generally agreed with the need to fund military readiness, emergency services, and disaster response. The voting pattern indicates a routine appropriations bill with strong consensus.
The most notable areas of potential contention involve land acquisition and capital projects, especially the Camp Grafton expansion. The bill states that the adjutant general may not use eminent domain for the expansion, signaling sensitivity around property rights and local land use. Other possible points of debate include the size of one-time infrastructure and disaster-relief allocations and the use of strategic investment and improvements funds, though the recorded votes do not show significant opposition.