When the 2023 Legislature convenes, there will be a change in how the North Dakota Senate Appropriations Committee works.
The committee will now have three permanent subcommittees. It’s modeled after the House Appropriations Committee, which has had three subcommittees.
Those Senate subcommittees are Education and Environment, Government Operations, and Human Resources.
"We think we can work out issues between divisions at that level, that may prevent more issues at crossover, and may prevent some end-of-session issues, in terms of conference committees," said Sen. Brad Bekkedahl (R-Williston), who chairs the full Appropriations Committee. "It increases transparency and communication, and brings bills and the session to an end sooner."
The chairman of House Appropriations – Rep. Don Vigesaa (R-Cooperstown) – said the Senate’s decision is a good move.
"It allows them to go a little faster, and also to get more detail," Vigesaa said. "They don't have time to go into very great detail, because the whole committee would have had to go through every hearing. This way, when you're working on three budgets simultaneously, it gives them more time to dig deeper into the budgets."
The 2023 Legislative Session begins Jan. 3rd.