701-566-9300The SWC (State Water Commission budget, HB1020) was pretty much settled Monday in Conference Committee about 5 p.m. They need to approve the settled language after it is typed up by attorneys this morning. Rural Water was put in its own bucket or category of funding which presumably makes them happy. The big deal is that the Red River Water Supply Project appears to be on its way with $17 million for planning and $13 million for initial construction in the 2017-19 biennium.
The property tax cap bill (HB1361) passed the House last week and was unanimously defeated Monday afternoon in the Senate.
SB2013 was the budget which included some money for township roads. The question was whether oil counties (the biggest 9 producers) and their townships, many of which are unorganized out west, would have some money for all the other townships in the state wrested away. Turns out they did, so all oil townships will get the money they usually do in their formula and in an unexpected finding of money somewhere, all other townships will get approximately $16.1 million to divide. That means your townships can expect around $10,000 in August of this year, but no bonus in 2018.
Now, on Tuesday, HB1020 has passed the House and goes over to the Senate Wednesday.
The State Mill and Elevator portion of SB2014 came out with the employee pay incentive intact but the mill must surrender 75 percent of their profit to the general fund of the state. My understanding is that 5 percent of the mill profit is surrendered for the benefit of the Ag Products Utilization Commission.
Tuesday at 6 p.m., both majority leaders were having the remaining conference committees meet with the last scheduled for 7:30. They said that we could be done Wednesday night, but it depends on how the two houses interact. It will be the wee hours or Thursday, would be my guess.
