AN ACT to provide an appropriation for defraying the expenses of the state auditor; and to amend and reenact section 54-10-10 of the North Dakota Century Code, relating to the salary of the state auditor.
HB 1004 is the biennial appropriations bill for the North Dakota State Auditor for the 2025-27 biennium. It authorizes $18.19 million in total funds, including $12.18 million from the general fund, to cover salaries and wages, operating expenses, information technology consultants, and a new-and-vacant FTE pool. The bill also identifies $64,000 in one-time funding for peer review, audit software migration, and costs related to new FTEs, and requires the auditor to report on the use of those one-time funds to the 70th Legislative Assembly.
In addition to funding the office, the bill amends North Dakota Century Code section 54-10-10 to update the annual salary of the state auditor. It also limits direct spending from the new-and-vacant FTE pool, instead allowing the auditor to request transfers into salaries and wages under the guidelines established in House Bill 1015. The appropriation reduces authorized full-time equivalent positions from 65 to 59, reflecting staffing adjustments within the office.
HB 1004 increases and reallocates state funding for the State Auditor’s office, affecting the office’s operating budget, staffing authority, and technology-related expenditures for the 2025-27 biennium. It also changes state law governing the auditor’s salary, updating the statutory compensation amount in section 54-10-10. The bill’s provisions on one-time funding and FTE pool transfers create reporting and budget-control requirements that shape how the office may use appropriated funds.
The bill appears to have been broadly supported and noncontroversial. It passed the House 93-1 and the Senate 46-0, indicating strong bipartisan agreement on funding the State Auditor’s office and updating the auditor’s salary. The absence of committee transcript debate in the provided materials suggests little public or legislative opposition.
No major points of contention are evident in the provided record. The only visible dissent was a single no vote in the House, but no explanation is included. The main policy choices in the bill are administrative rather than ideological: the size of the appropriation, the reduction in FTEs, the use of a new-and-vacant FTE pool, and the statutory salary increase for the state auditor.