AN ACT to provide an appropriation for defraying the expenses of the public employees retirement system.
HB1023 is an appropriations bill for the North Dakota Public Employees Retirement System (PERS) for the 2025-27 biennium. It authorizes a total special-funds appropriation of $14.05 million, including funding for salaries and wages, operating expenses, contingencies, and a new-and-vacant FTE pool. The bill also increases authorized staffing from 40.50 to 42.50 FTE and includes a one-time appropriation of $539,595 to automate the PERSLink business system.
The bill directs that the one-time automation funding is not part of the agency’s base budget for the next biennium and must be reported on to the 70th Legislative Assembly. It also states that the new-and-vacant FTE pool may not be spent directly, but may be transferred to salaries and wages under the guidelines established in HB1015. In practical terms, the measure funds the administrative operations of the retirement system rather than changing retirement benefits or eligibility rules for public employees.
HB1023 affects state spending and the operating budget of the Public Employees Retirement System, a state agency that administers retirement benefits for public employees. It does not amend retirement eligibility, contribution rates, or benefit formulas; instead, it appropriates special funds to cover agency administration, staffing, operating costs, and a technology modernization project. The bill also establishes reporting and transfer restrictions tied to one-time funding and vacant-position management, which affects how PERS may use its appropriated funds during the biennium.
The bill appears to have been generally supported, as reflected by its passage in both chambers with comfortable margins. The House approved it 69-20 with 5 absent, and the Senate approved it 39-7 with 1 absent. No committee transcript or floor debate was provided, so there is no recorded discussion indicating major opposition or controversy beyond the recorded no votes.
Because the bill is an agency appropriation measure, the main points of potential contention are likely fiscal rather than policy-based: the size of the appropriation, the addition of 2.0 FTE, the use of a new-and-vacant FTE pool, and the one-time $539,595 technology investment for the PERSLink system. The bill’s restrictions on spending the vacant-position pool and its reporting requirement suggest legislative interest in oversight and budget discipline. However, no committee testimony or debate excerpts are available to identify specific objections or the lawmakers or stakeholders who raised them.