NORTH DAKOTA
State Recovery Act Website: http://nd.gov/recovery/
North Dakota's state Recovery Act website scored 20 out of 100 possible points (ranking 28th) on Good Jobs First's 51-state study of state stimulus websites entitled Show Us the Stimulus. The score reflects a breakdown of spending by broad and narrow program categories and a centralized website with clear links to relevant state agency websites. Contractor information: none.
North Dakota scored modestly better-38 out of 100 (ranking 26th)-on its disclosure of information specifically about highway projects funded by the Recovery Act. The state's transportation data website includes mapping of individual projects, descriptions of projects, contractor award amounts and names, listing the number of actual jobs created by each highway project, how far along the project is, and an indication that the information had been updated within the last month. Contractor information: available here.
For detailed scoring information, see the North Dakota appendix of Show Us the Stimulus.
Coordination & Oversight
Sheila Peterson, Fiscal Director of North Dakota's Office of Management and Budget, will be overseeing stimulus spending in the state. In cooperation with Gov. John Hoeven's office, Peterson and the Fiscal Management Division of the OMB have created an Economic Stimulus Executive Recommendation, which was presented to the legislature and is currently posted on the Division's web page.
House Bill 1487, introduced in January and signed in to law in late April, requires all stimulus funds be appropriated by the legislature.
Policy Debates
Eight Republican legislators in the House - all members of the Industry, Business and Labor Committee - sent Gov. Hoeven a statement saying that unemployment insurance stimulus funds should not be accepted at this time and that the state laws governing unemployment insurance should not be changed. Hoeven has stated he wants to see the results of a study on the unemployment insurance program before agreeing to accept the money. He claims the state can wait as long as August 2011 to accept these funds.
Some House members are pushing for a 50 percent increase in the Department of Transportation's budget (including stimulus funds), given that roads and bridges are in poor shape after a rough winter. The push for funding is strong among city, township officials. Lawmakers on the House Appropriations Committee are split over the amount of transportation spending, with the majority in support of dedicating $43 million in state funding to transportation over the next two years, and the minority proposing $120 million. The state is receiving an estimated $170 million in stimulus funds for transportation.
The Republican leadership in the legislature would like to dramatically cut current state spending and backfill with stimulus funds. Democrats have come out against this policy of "hoarding."
Quick Facts
Population:
641,481
Median Household Income:
$43,753
Unemployment Rate:
4.3%
Poverty Rate:
12.1%
Estimated Recovery Act Funding:
$596 million
