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Mar. 15—GRAND FORKS — After state lawmakers pulled millions of dollars of potential funding from a bill circulating in the Legislature, a doctor from southwest North Dakota is suggesting they amend the bill and reinsert the money.
Dr. Joshua Ranum, a graduate of the UND School of Medicine and Health Sciences who practices internal medicine in Hettinger, gave testimony on Senate Bill 2286 during a March 11 meeting of the House Education Committee. Ranum also is a past president of the North Dakota Medical Association and serves on the medical school's advisory council.
During a recent committee hearing, he was among several speakers who spoke in favor of SB 2286, which
started off as a proposal that would have provided $55 million
to UND for building out the medical school's facilities. Introduced Jan. 20, SB 2286 originally sought to cover more than half of the cost of a 95,000-square-foot addition to the School of Medicine and Health Services. However, it later was amended and the funding portion was removed.
Instead, SB 2286 now only seeks to have legislative management "consider studying the funding necessary to provide education and internships statewide for all programs at an expanded University of North Dakota health professions collaborative facility."
Ranum, during the March 11 hearing, commented on the changed wording — from funding to a study.
"As we all know, the longer a proposed adjustment to or delay in construction is more cost ... " Ranum said. "The advisory council has been studying this and looking at this and talking about this for the better part of two years."
He added: "I think it is a very prudent idea to reinstate the funding for the building."
Marjorie Jenkins, who recently took over as the medical school dean, also spoke, noting how she learned soon after arriving at UND that "we have to vacate Columbia Hall" over the next 15 months. Deferred maintenance on Columbia Hall and the UND Nursing Building have a combined price tag of approximately $60 million, she noted.
A new health professions building would cost approximately $95 million, she said, of which UND could cover $40 million. The other $55 million would conceivably come from the state.
"We are still hopeful we can get (the state) funding," she said. "First the health professions building was a want. Now, it's a need."
The committee only heard testimony on March 11 and did not immediately make a recommendation on the bill, which awaits a full vote in the House.
Following are other bills still alive in the Legislature that have Grand Forks or immediate regional implications:
SB 2376: A bill to allow the Turtle Mountain Band of Chippewa to operate in Grand Forks.
Although SB 2376
failed 29-15 in a Senate vote
on Feb. 14,
it might get a second chance,
the Herald reported on March 12. Sen. Scott Meyer, R-Grand Forks, said there are discussions happening at the Capitol about ways to bring the proposal back in another form this session, although details remain limited. He expects to know more in the coming days.
The initial proposal sought to add language into state law to
allow the Turtle Mountain Band of Chippewa to operate
its gambling facilities outside of Rolette County — and specifically in Grand Forks County. Without state approval (and from federal entities later on), the tribe is not allowed to cross its own borders with gambling operations.
The $300 million resort and casino could bring as many as 400,000 non-local guests to Grand Forks annually, a recent study concluded. It would have gross revenues of approximately $80 million in its first year.
HB 1524: A bill to fund and define rural councils.
HB 1524 passed the House 60-27 on Feb. 20 and was referred to the Senate Industry and Business Committee.
It seeks to provide $2.4 million — amended from $8 million — to the North Dakota Department of Commerce
to fund regional planning councils
for the July 1, 2025, to June 30, 2027, biennium, according to past Herald coverage. Half of the funding would be allocated equally to the eight regional councils, with the remaining 50% awarded based on a "funding formula established jointly by the Department of Commerce and the association of regional councils," the bill says.
SB 2390: A bill to create and fund a rural catalyst committee and grant program.
SB 2390 passed the Senate 39-8. It then was heard by the Senate Political Subdivisions Committee on March 13.
If passed, the bill would
create a rural catalyst committee
as well as a grant program and fund to support North Dakota towns of 8,500 or fewer. The proposed $5 million — amended from $30 million — grant program would fund projects that will "address a critical need in the areas of art and culture, community and economic development, education or health and wellness" for rural communities, according to past Herald coverage. Recipients would have to match $1 for every $2 awarded.
The bill comes with a stipulation that the Department of Commerce would submit a report to Legislative Management regarding the program's results, the number of requested projects and information on projects that receive funds, as well as how many matching funds were raised and how the project affected the community. An amendment added a stipulation to the bill that 50% of the fund not used for travel, per diem, and related expenses must be
specifically distributed to communities with a population of less than 1,000.
SB 2398: A bill to create a military compatibility commission.
SB 2398 passed the Senate 47-0 on Feb. 19 and was most recently heard by the House Government and Veterans Affairs Committee on March 6. The committee has not yet given its recommendation, and it awaits its final fate before the full House.
SB 2398 would
establish a military compatibility commission and so-called "military impact zones,"
which would extend from bases and installations that already exist within the state, including Grand Forks Air Force Base. The goal of the bill, according to its prime sponsor, is to get various stakeholders "seated around a table to say
'this is what has to be done in order for you to operate here,"
according to past Herald coverage. Gone from the version of the bill passed by the House is the original verbiage to include a stipulation that the zones extend a predetermined distance from each installation. For GFAFB, for instance, the original distance was 25 miles in each direction, which prompted
early concern from the Grand Forks City Council
that it could hinder future development in and around the city.
HB 1332: A bill to establish incentives to bring big agribusiness to North Dakota.
HB 1332 passed the House 82-8 on Feb. 25 and was heard in the Senate Ag and Veterans Affairs Committee on March 7. It will next be heard before the full Senate.
The bill has been designed and discussed with
a proposed $450 million Agristo potato processing facility in Grand Forks
in mind, past Herald coverage says.
The proposal would allow Agristo to
apply for an up to $30 million grant
funded by the Bank of North Dakota through the state agriculture commissioner that would be paid in two parts. The appropriation measure would only be valid for the upcoming biennium that ends in June 2029.
But it's not just about the Grand Forks project; if approved, future potential projects throughout the state could benefit from its funding.
HB 1600: A bill to establish an immigration law clinic at UND.
HB 1600 passed the House 67-25 and was referred to the Senate Education Committee. Its hearing will be Tuesday, March 18.
If passed, HB 1600 would allocate some
$400,000 over the next biennium
to a clinic employing one full-time attorney offering low-cost immigration legal services, according to past Herald coverage. Supporters of the legislation have said it would increase access to much-needed legal services for migrant workers and their employers, and would offer law students a chance to gain experience in a niche and in-demand practice.
Opponents raised concerns about the lack of precedent for establishing a legal clinic via legislation, and whether the clinic would serve migrants whose legal status fell into a "gray area."
SB 2254: A bill to adjust the state public transportation funding formula.
SB 2254 passed the Senate 43-4 on Feb 21 and was most recently heard by the House Appropriations Committee on March 11.
Past Herald coverage has noted that SB 2254 is a proposal to increase what the state gives to the four biggest metropolitan areas for public transit services, which transit directors across the state have called
a necessity as costs climb.
In its current form, Senate Bill 2254 would provide $2 million in grant opportunities for the cities of Grand Forks, Minot, Fargo and Bismarck for their public transit services over the course of the next biennium. The bill would also require the state to conduct a study to investigate the best ways for North Dakota to fund public transit services. The original proposal had $15 million in funding, which legislators later amended to $5 million and finally $2 million.
HB 1612: A bill to establish a North Dakota center for aerospace medicine for mental health support.
In the wake of a student pilot intentionally crashing a plane in 2021, lawmakers are considering creating a first-of-its-kind mental health program for pilots at UND's John D. Odegard School of Aerospace Sciences.
The goal is to provide mental health resources for flight students and aviation professionals. State funding could be as high as $500,000.
It passed the House on Feb. 21 via an 82-7 vote and has been referred to the Senate Human Services Committee.
SB 2003: Higher education funding (and funding for a new STEM building at UND).
In another UND-related item, the university is hoping for $55.6 million for a science, technology, engineering and mathematics (commonly known as STEM) building. It's a bullet item found deep within SB 2003, the higher-education funding bill.
SB 2003 passed the Senate 44-2 on Feb. 25 and is in the midst of a number of committee hearings on the House side.
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