AN ACT to provide an appropriation for defraying the expenses of the office of the governor; to amend and reenact sections 54-07-04 and 54-08-03 of the North Dakota Century Code, relating to salaries of the governor and lieutenant governor; to provide an exemption; and to provide for a report.
HB 1001 is the biennial appropriations bill for the North Dakota Governor’s Office for the 2025-27 biennium. It provides a general fund appropriation of $6.85 million and authorizes 19 FTEs to cover salaries and wages, operating expenses, contingencies, rough rider awards, a children’s cabinet, and a new-and-vacant FTE pool. The bill also identifies $30,000 in one-time funding for children’s cabinet consulting services and requires a report to the Seventieth Legislative Assembly on the use of that one-time money.
In addition to funding the office’s operations, the bill amends state law to increase the annual salaries of the governor and lieutenant governor on a staged basis. It also allows the governor’s office to receive and use additional non-federal funds, subject to reporting requirements, and permits federal funds to be accepted but not spent until authorized under existing budget procedures. The bill further exempts $130,000 in unexpended constituent management software funds from the normal lapse provisions so the money can carry forward into the next biennium.
HB 1001 directly affects the state budget by appropriating general fund dollars to the governor’s office and by setting the office’s staffing and operating authority for the 2025-27 biennium. It amends North Dakota Century Code sections 54-07-04 and 54-08-03 to raise the governor’s and lieutenant governor’s salaries, and it creates a limited carryover exemption for prior constituent management software funding. The bill also establishes reporting and spending controls for additional funds and one-time appropriations, shaping how the governor’s office may use both state and outside money.
The bill appears to have been broadly supported in both chambers, passing the House 79-12 and the Senate 45-1. That vote pattern suggests general agreement with the governor’s office budget and the salary adjustments, along with limited opposition rather than deep controversy. No committee transcript was provided, so the available record shows strong overall legislative approval with only a small minority voting against it.
The most likely points of contention are the salary increases for the governor and lieutenant governor, the size and composition of the governor’s office appropriation, and the inclusion of funding for the children’s cabinet and consulting services. The new-and-vacant FTE pool may also have drawn scrutiny because the bill bars direct spending from that line item and instead requires a transfer request process. The small number of negative votes indicates some legislators may have objected to executive branch spending levels or compensation increases, but the record does not identify specific arguments.