It’s North Dakota’s version of “DOGE.”
The Legislative Task Force on Government Efficiency held its first meeting in Bismarck. Unlike the federal “DOGE” effort, the Legislature is in control of this, as it holds the purse strings.
Rep. Nathan Toman (R-Mandan) introduced the bill in the 2025 Legislature, and he chairs the task force.
"I'm excited to get going," Toman said in his opening remarks. "I don't want to make any promises on how much we are going to save, but there is money to be saved, because if you think the government is running efficiently at the local level or state level, I think you're probably kidding yourself. There's always room for efficiencies."
Task force member Sen. Kathy Hogan (D-Fargo) said the task force should work to restore North Dakota citizens' trust in government.
"People are so suspicious of government now," Hogan said. "If we can demonstrate we're effective in what we're doing, so often people don't know. We take government for granted. If we can restore the trust of citizens in the integrity of what we do, that's a really important objective."
The task force received presentations from the Departments of Health and Human Services, Commerce and Information Technology. It is tasked with meeting at least once a quarter. But Toman said he would hope to meet more often.
