North Dakota state budget
Contents |
| North Dakota | |
| Biennial | |
| Fiscal Year | 2012-2013 |
| GF Revenue | |
North Dakota has not faced a budget deficit for its 2007-2009 biennium nor for its 2009-2011 biennium. The 2009-2011 biennial budget was $7.710 billion.[1]
North Dakota has a total state debt of approximately $6,255,605,000 when calculated by adding the total of outstanding official debt, pension and other post-employment benefits (OPEB) liabilities, Unemployment Trust Fund loans, and the budget gap. [2]
| Total spending | Pension | Health care | Education | Welfare | Protection | Transport | Debt | Budget gap |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| $4.1 | $0.2 | $0.7 | $1.0 | $0.6 | $0.2 | $0.5 | $1.8 | $0 |
| Total spending | Pension | Health care | Education | Welfare | Protection | Transport | Debt |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| $2.8 | $0.0 | $0.0 | $1.5 | $0.1 | $0.2 | $0.4 | $1.6 |
[edit] FY2012-13 State Budget
- See past state budgets
The 2011-13 state budget presumes general fund revenues of $4.1 billion.[4]
The state's human resources agency recommended increases in salaries for elected officials after evaluating the salaries of elected officials in 10 other states.[5] The only position not seeing an increase in salary is that of lieutenant governor.[5] Ken Purdy, a state compensation manager, told the Legislature's interim Government Services Committee that the pay of North Dakota's elected officeholders's salaries could be set at the median of the 10 states every two years, which would cost the state approximately $483,000 in FY2012-13.[5]
The appropriations for each agency as presented in the governor's proposed budget can be found here.
The 2011-13 budget can be found here.
[edit] Budget transparency
- See sample transparency legislation at the Sunshine Standard
North Dakota currently has no statewide, official spending database online, although in May 2009, legislation (Senate Bill 2018) passed that mandates a website be created by June 30, 2011.[6]
On March 3, 2009, Joshua Culling, State Government Affairs Manager for showmethespending.com Coalition member the National Taxpayers Union, issued a letter to support transparency in North Dakota. Representative Thoreson's transparency legislation, House Bill 1377, mandated that the Director of the Budget create a searchable online database of state expenditures by January 1, 2010. This bill passed the ND House in the spring of 2009, but did not move past the Senate. The bill that the governor signed in May 2009, North Dakota Senate Bill 2018, requires that a website be created by June 30, 2011.[6]
[edit] Government tools
The following table is helpful in evaluating the level of transparency provided by a state spending and transparency database:
| State Database | Searchability | Grants | Contracts | Line Item Expenditures | Dept/Agency Budgets | Public Employee Salary |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| OMB Transparency |  | | |  | |  |
| State Procurement Office | | | | | | |
- See also: Evaluation of North Dakota state website
- The OMB Transparency site provides agency and department payrolls, but not individual employee salaries.[7]
[edit] Independent transparency sites
The North Dakota Policy Council sponsors a website on school transparency, www.sunshineonschools.org.
[edit] FY2010-11 State Budget
Find the state’s FY2011 Comprehensive Annual Financial Report (CAFR) compiled by the state government here.
Then-Gov. John Hoeven's budget recommendation for the 2009-2011 biennium included no tax increases, no fee increases and no borrowing or bonding with $400 million in tax relief. In total, the general fund budget recommendation was $3.111 billion and the entire budget recommendation, including federal and special funds, was $7.710 billion. The 2009 Legislative Assembly increased the Governor’s total budget by $1.139 billion or 14.8 percent. A large part of the increases from the Governor’s recommendation to the legislative appropriation is a result of the the federal stimulus package. Those dollars were incorporated into appropriation bills.[8]
The North Dakota Legislative Assembly increased the General Fund 2009-2011 biennium to $3.25 billion and Total Funds to $8.49 billion. Unlike most states that have included furloughs and layoffs to balance their budgets, North Dakota approved compensation package raises for state employees that include funds for a 5 percent average salary increase with a minimum increase of $100 per month effective July 1, 2009, and another 5 percent average salary increase with a minimum increase of $100 per month effective July 1, 2010.[9]
The state will receive approximately $43 million from the federal government under H.R. 1586, a $26 billion plan to give states money for Medicaid and education that the President signed into law on August 10, 2010.[10]
After gathering information from state agencies regarding their requested budget for the upcoming biennium, the Office of Management and Budget completed the Governor’s recommended budget, which was presented to the legislature in December of 2008. The legislature convened from January 5 through May 5, 2009 to consider the Governor’s budget and enact the appropriations bills which set the budget for the upcoming biennium.[11]
[edit] Oil Revenues
$71 million of the state's $3.2 billion general fund budget comes from oil revenues.[12] North Dakota has a low tax burden on its residents, ranking 33rd of the 50 states, but has high tax collections, ranking 6th in the nation.[13] The disparity comes from oil, which the state taxes before it is sold to people outside of the state.[13]
[edit] Budget Background
The 2009-11 biennium began July 1, 2009, and ends June 30, 2011.[14]
North Dakota’s Legislature meets for up to a total of 80 days beginning in January and usually concluding in April of each odd-numbered year. Prior to the completion of the Governor's recommended budget the Governor takes into account individual agency requests, prior budget figures and projected revenue data. Both the House and the Senate receive the Governor’s executive budget recommendation during its organizational session in the December preceding the legislative session. Once passed by both chambers of the Legislature, each bill is delivered to the Governor for signature. According to the North Dakota Century Code, which includes the State Constitution, states that the Emergency Commission has the authority to approve agency requests for line item transfers, for acceptance of additional federal and other funds, and for use of state contingencies appropriations. [15]
[edit] Accounting Principles
The North Dakota Office of the State Auditor (OSA) is divided into three operational divisions.[16]
- 1. Division of State Audit
- 2. Division of Local Government Audit
- 3. Division of Royalty Audit
The OSA publishes its audit reports online. The State Auditor is a constitutionally elected state official. Robert R. Peterson has been State Auditor since his election in 2000.[17]
The Institute for Truth in Accounting (IFTA) rates North Dakota “Timely” in filing the state’s Comprehensive Annual Financial Report (CAFR) – The annual report of state and local governmental entities. IFTA rated 22 states timely, 22 states tardy, and 6 states as worst. IFTA does not consider North Dakota's CAFRs, and those of the other states, to be accurate representations of the state’s financial condition because the Generally Accepted Accounting Principles (GAAP) basis does not include significant liabilities for the pension plans and for other post employment benefits, such as health care.[18] North Dakota's CAFRs are prepared and published online by the [North Dakota Office of Management and Budget] and is prepared by the Fiscal Management Division.[19]
| Credit Rating | Fitch | Moody's | S&P |
| North Dakota[20] | NR | Aa2 | AA+ |
[edit] Stimulus
North Dakota has received $0.66 billion in federal funding from the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009.[21]
[edit] Public Employees
According to 2008 Census data, the state of North Dakota and local governments in the state employed a total of 60,528 people.[22] Of those employees, 34,376 were full-time employees receiving a net pay of $125,555,635 per month and 26,152 were part-time employees paid $15,835,009 per month.[22] More than 48% of those employees, or 29,397 employees, were in education or higher education.[22]
[edit] External links
- State Budget Solutions, North Dakota
- Model transparency legislation from the American Legislative Exchange Council is available at this link.
- North Dakota Policy Council
- North Dakota Office of Management and Budget
- North Dakota Budget and Fiscal Reports
- North Dakota Government spending
- North Dakota state and local spending
[edit] Additional reading
- Gov. Hoeven,"2009 State of the State Address," January 6,2009
- Gov. Hoeven,"2009-2011 budget address," December 3,2008
- State of North Dakota,"Revised revenue forecast," February 9,2009
[edit] References
- ↑ State of North Dakota Legislative Appropriations 2009-11
- ↑ State Budget Solutions “Report reveals aggregate state debt exceeds $4 trillion” Oct. 24, 2011
- ↑ 3.0 3.1 USA Spending, State Guesstimated* Government Spending
- ↑ [1]
- ↑ 5.0 5.1 5.2 Businessweek "Plan would grant raises for ND elected officials" Aug. 19, 2010
- ↑ 6.0 6.1 North Dakota Policy Council, "State to post expenditures online," May 10, 2009
- ↑ OMB Transparency
- ↑ "f North Dakota Office of Management and Budget, Fiscal Division, "Legislative Appropriations 2009-2011 Biennium," August 12, 2009
- ↑ "f North Dakota Office of Management and Budget, Fiscal Division, "Legislative Appropriations 2009-2011 Biennium," August 12, 2009
- ↑ Federal Fund Information for States “ARRA FMAP Extension & Education Jobs Fund Totals” Aug. 11, 2010
- ↑ North Dakota Office of Management and Budget, "2009-11 Budget Highlights," July 2009
- ↑ Cite error: Invalid
<ref>tag; no text was provided for refs namedinstructs - ↑ 13.0 13.1 The Tax Foundation "Monday Maps: State and Local Tax Burdens vs. State Tax Collections" May 10, 2010
- ↑ North Dakota Office of Management and Budget, "2009-11 Budget Highlights," July 2009
- ↑ North Dakota Legislative Branch,"Budget Process," December 5,2008
- ↑ North Dakota Office of the State Auditor Web site, retrieved November 4, 2009
- ↑ Project Vote Smart Web site, retrieved November 4, 2009
- ↑ Institute for Truth in Accounting, “The Truth About Balanced Budgets—A Fifty State Study,” Page 35
- ↑ North Dakota Office of Management and Budget Web site, retrieved November 4, 2009
- ↑ State of Indiana, “State Credit Ratings-as of June 24, 2009"
- ↑ Recovery, "Stimulus Spending by State"
- ↑ 22.0 22.1 22.2 2008 North Dakota Public Employment U.S. Census Data
| |||||||
