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Bismarck\u00a0 (Gov. Burgum’s Office, Jan. 3, 2019) \u2013 Gov. Doug Burgum Thursday delivered his 2019 State of the State Address, reflecting on substantial progress made during his first two years in office and outlining an ambitious policy agenda that addresses the state\u2019s workforce challenges, increases accountability and budget transparency and makes major investments in people and projects that will benefit North Dakotans today and well into the future.<\/p>\n
Speaking to a joint session of the 66th Legislative Assembly on the opening day of its 2019 session, Burgum highlighted the state\u2019s record-high population of 760,000; its No. 1 quality of life ranking; strong assets derived from abundant natural resources such as soil, water, coal, wind, gas and oil; and private-sector prosperity driving the state\u2019s robust economy.
\nAs a result of these factors and the foundation laid by the Burgum-Sanford administration in its first two years, North Dakota is positioned to make smart, bold investments with long-lasting impacts while delivering a fiscally conservative and structurally sound budget that improves transparency and replenishes reserves \u2013 all without raising taxes, Burgum said.
\n\u201cWe stand at the cusp of a new era in North Dakota\u2019s history. And by harnessing the courage to dare greatly, we will cultivate a prosperous future for generations to come. With action, we will shine,\u201d Burgum said.<\/p>\n
A persistent workforce shortage remains the No. 1 gating factor for economic growth in North Dakota, Burgum said. He stressed the need to redouble efforts to meet the challenge by:
\n\u2022 Dedicating $30 million in Legacy Fund earnings to create more career academies across North Dakota, like the successful collaborative between Bismarck Public Schools and Bismarck State College.
\n\u2022 Reforming the state\u2019s occupational licensing system, which the Workforce Development Council identified as a potential barrier to filling jobs.
\n\u2022 Shifting from a single-board governance model for the state\u2019s higher education institutions to a multi-board governance model to create deeper accountability and enhanced responsiveness to market demands and increasing competition.<\/p>\n
Re-emphasizing priorities outlined in his Executive Budget presentation last month, Burgum advocated for investing significant resources in evidence-based and cost-effective programs to address the state\u2019s behavioral health crisis, while also recognizing First Lady Kathryn Burgum\u2019s leadership in efforts to eliminate the shame and stigma of the disease of addiction.
\nThe governor repeated his call for fully replenishing the state\u2019s rainy-day Budget Stabilization Fund to guard against future economic downturns; being more transparent about the use of $1 billion in oil tax revenue to balance the general fund and keep ongoing expenditures in line with ongoing revenues; investing in team members through salary increases and health insurance coverage; and injecting $265 million into the state\u2019s pension fund to help close a $1 billion unfunded liability gap, saving taxpayers hundreds of millions of dollars down the road.<\/p>\n
Burgum also encouraged action on major components of his plan to use earnings from the state\u2019s Legacy Fund on initiatives that will have regional, state and national impact, leverage the earnings and create positive, lasting effects for the state\u2019s economy and workforce, including:
\n\u2022 Dedicating $55 million for an infrastructure revolving loan fund that will leverage an estimated $370 million in borrowing power local political subdivisions to support infrastructure projects, plus an additional $25 million investment in the school construction revolving loan fund to leverage $165 million.
\n\u2022 Targeting $30 million for a statewide UAS infrastructure network to cement North Dakota\u2019s status as a proving ground for UAS and support commercial operations including automated farming, precision agriculture, and monitoring of essential energy infrastructure.
\n\u2022 Investing $50 million, with a 2-to-1 match from private donors and other sources, for the Theodore Roosevelt Presidential Library and Museum at the entrance to Theodore Roosevelt National Park, creating a major tourist attraction and educational center. Burgum noted the proposal has already received statements of support from the Theodore Roosevelt Conservation Partnership, the National Trust for Historic Preservation and Theodore Roosevelt V, the president\u2019s great-great grandson, with the National Park Service, Theodore Roosevelt Association and National Park Foundation also pledging support for the project.<\/p>\n
Burgum highlighted the considerable progress made on the administration\u2019s five strategic initiatives \u2013 transforming education, tribal partnerships, reinventing government, behavioral health and addiction, and the Main Street Initiative \u2013 while also recounting circumstances that tested their resolve during the first two years in office, from pipeline protests to crashing commodity prices, to historic drought, to the stalled Fargo-Moorhead diversion project \u2013 now moving again after last week\u2019s permit granted by Minnesota \u2013 to having to close the largest budget gap in state history.
\n\u201cOur state is ready to go to the next level because of the tremendous progress made in the last two years,\u201d Burgum said. \u201cOur forward-looking agenda is focused on solving our workforce challenges, increasing accountability and budget transparency, investing in our people and investing in our future.\u201d
\nBurgum expressed his gratitude for farmers and ranchers, energy producers and others who have continued to innovate and invest in North Dakota through difficult market conditions, and thanked members of the military, including the North Dakota National Guard, for defending our freedoms at home and abroad.
\n\u201cWe look forward to working with all of our leaders here in Bismarck, across the state and in our nation\u2019s capital to reach our fullest potential and make the most of our opportunity to empower people, improve lives and inspire success,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
Bismarck\u00a0 (Gov. Burgum’s Office, Jan. 3, 2019) \u2013 Gov. Doug Burgum Thursday delivered his 2019 State of the State Address, reflecting on substantial progress made during his first two years in office and outlining an ambitious policy agenda that addresses the state\u2019s workforce challenges, increases accountability and budget transparency and […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":3,"featured_media":129011,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[35],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-161375","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-state"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/csinewsnow.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/161375","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/csinewsnow.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/csinewsnow.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/csinewsnow.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/3"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/csinewsnow.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=161375"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/csinewsnow.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/161375\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":161376,"href":"https:\/\/csinewsnow.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/161375\/revisions\/161376"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/csinewsnow.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/media\/129011"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/csinewsnow.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=161375"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/csinewsnow.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=161375"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/csinewsnow.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=161375"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}