AN ACT to provide an appropriation for defraying the expenses of the public service commission; to amend and reenact sections 49-01-05 and 57-43.2-19 of the North Dakota Century Code, relating to the salaries of the public service commissioners and deposits of special fuels excise taxes; and to provide loan authorization.
What changed between versions
Total appropriation increased from $23,286,172 to $23,456,172, with salary and wage funding rising from $12,134,387 to $12,174,387 and operating expenses increasing from $2,622,654 to $2,752,654.
Commissioner salaries were adjusted to $135,200 through June 30, 2026, and $143,434 thereafter, up from the previous $135,200 through June 30, 2024.
New one-time funding of $405,000 was added for drone imaging technology ($155,000) and federal intervention funding ($250,000), which will not be part of the base budget for the next biennium.
Specialized legal services funding was reduced from $420,000 to $400,166, representing a decrease of $19,834.
A new loan authorization of up to $900,000 was created to allow the commission to borrow from the Bank of North Dakota for rail rate complaint cases, with repayment coming from damages or proceeds of successful cases.