2 lawmakers tapped to fill powerful budget posts in North Dakota Legislature

BISMARCK — North Dakota lawmakers will likely be lobbying their superiors for most popular committee assignments throughout a three-day organizational session this week, however Republican leaders have already made up their minds about who will serve atop the highly effective budget-writing committees.

Rep. Don Vigesaa, a Cooperstown Republican, will grow to be the chairman of the Home Appropriations Committee, mentioned Home Majority Chief Mike Lefor.

Within the different chamber, Williston Republican Brad Bekkedahl will take cost of the Senate Appropriations Committee, mentioned Senate Majority Chief David Hogue.

The top funds writers from final 12 months’s session are among the many dozens of former legislators who is not going to return in 2023. The 2 majority leaders and two appropriations chairmen — typically seen because the state’s most influential lawmakers — will all be new on the job subsequent 12 months.

Former longtime Senate Appropriations Chairman Ray Holmberg, a Grand Forks Republican,

resigned in June following a Discussion board report

that exposed he exchanged textual content messages with a jailed man accused of kid pornography crimes.

Former longtime Home Appropriations Chairman Jeff Delzer

misplaced his bid for reelection in the course of the June main.

Vigesaa, a retired automotive salesman, has served within the Home for 20 years and previously occupied the assistant majority chief’s seat. The legislator outlined himself as a fiscal conservative and mentioned he needs budgets to profit the entire state — not simply his constituency.

North Dakota could have further public cash to allocate subsequent 12 months resulting from excessive oil costs and strong tax collections, and it will be prudent to spend money on one-time infrastructure tasks “to get them off the books,” Vigesaa mentioned. These tasks may embrace upgrades on college buildings, bridges and rural roads, he mentioned.

Bekkedahl, a dentist and retired member of the North Dakota Nationwide Guard, was first elected to the Senate in 2014 and has served as Williston’s finance commissioner for greater than 25 years. Bekkedahl mentioned he isn’t a micro-manager, and he needs to empower different funds writers to make selections.

Legislators ought to put credence within the funds proposal Republican Gov. Doug Burgum will unveil later this week, Bekkedahl mentioned. The governor’s workers and state companies “do a variety of good work” to craft funds proposals, he famous. Bekkedahl concurred with Vigesaa that lawmakers funding infrastructure tasks would place the state for financial development.

As excessive inflation persists, elevating pay for state workers will likely be a serious subject of dialogue in the course of the session, Vigesaa and Bekkedahl agreed.

Final session,

appropriators authorised a report $16.9 billion two-year funds

that included federal cash and coronavirus assist. That funds later grew as lawmakers

divvied up further federal assist.

The Legislature will start its biennial session on Tuesday, Jan. 3.