Lawmakers brace for 80-day money-grab

Talk about it

BISMARCK — With the 2013 North Dakota Legislative Assembly set to convene Tuesday, lawmakers are bracing themselves for an 80-day money-grab.

Elected officials will look to spend Republican Gov. Jack Dalrymple’s proposed $12.8 billion 2013-15 biennium budget — about $2.8 billion more than the current state budget of $9.92 billion — as the state tries to keep pace with rapid growth in western North Dakota.

Former Speaker of the House David Drovdal, R-Arnegard, said investments need to be made now while funding is plentiful, but the Legislature needs to also play it safe when spending the money.

“Everyone is going to want money,” he said. “We are going to have to learn to say no.”

Party leaders expect the session to focus on spending the state’s new wealth on infrastructure in oil-impacted areas, property tax relief and dealing with the long-term impacts of the oil boom.

According to Dalrymple’s proposal, a $1 billion surplus will be created over the next two years as state General Fund revenues will total about $4.8 billion while ongoing expenditures will only total $3.8 billion. An estimate released in September projected a $1.6 billion surplus for the current biennium, which ends June 30.

“With having a large surplus there seems to be a lot of ideas on how to spend it, and it’s our job to make sure we don’t overspend,” House Majority Leader Al Carlson said. “We are fortunate to have the funding, but when you have one-time revenues you have to use them wisely.”

Senate Minority Leader Mac Schneider, D-Grand Forks, said North Dakota has tremendous needs and an unprecedented opportunity to address them with a large budget to work with.

“The needs in the Oil Patch are great and I don’t think the state government has addressed those needs,” Schneider said. “I hope this session isn’t spent playing catch-up. I’d like to feel that we can get ahead of the game.”

Both leaders said they also plan to hear many discussions about early childhood development, drunken driving laws and statewide water development, among several others.

Long-term

Schneider said infrastructure in oil-producing counties is one of the largest priorities and is deeply needed, but so are long-term investments on North Dakotans.

With a large amount of one-time money available, he said investing now for the future of the state is critical to ensuring a strong future.

Schneider anticipates there to be discussions about North Dakota’s Legacy Fund, which deposits 30 percent of the state’s oil revenues into a fund that cannot be spent until after June 30, 2017.

“If we don’t find a way to make sound investments in people, I think we will fail as policy makers,” he said. “We should be doubling down on smart investments — people are going to be here long after the last drop of oil is extracted.”

Taxes

Legislators have heard many concerns by constituents about property tax relief during forums held in their districts.

Former Speaker Drovdal said many of those concerned are oil and gas companies.

“We need to get money back to them,” he said.

But proposals in Dalrymple’s budget for tax cuts for various businesses are proposals that “missed the mark” and will likely be scrutinized during the session, according to Schneider.

For instance, Schneider said the proposed $25 million corporate income tax cuts, which would give income tax cuts to large businesses like Target and Wal-Mart stores, is one concern among many.

“What we’ve done in the past two sessions doesn’t have people jumping up and down saying how great the Legislature is doing in regards to property taxes,” Schneider said.

Majority Party

The Legislature will convene with a Republican controlled House and

Senate.

The House, split 71-23, and the Senate, split 33-14.

Drovdal said the Republican Party has a lot of weight on its shoulders, and is in a position to elevate the state to a point where it has never been before.

“If things don’t go right, we know who is going to get blamed, and should get blamed for it,” the former speaker said. “We have an opportunity to really show our leadership.”

Schneider hopes political distractions, or legislative mischief, isn’t an issue this session.

With so much on the line, Schneider said he hopes everything is business as usual and non-germain issues stay out of discussions.

“There are 80 days once every two years. We don’t have time to get sidetracked on bills that take up too much time,” Schneider said.

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