Summary — HB 1143

Title: An Act to provide an appropriation to the agriculture commissioner for a food distribution facility grant program

Summary (one sentence)
HB 1143 would authorize a one‑time appropriation from the state Strategic Investment and Improvements Fund to the North Dakota Agriculture Commissioner to create a grant program that helps finance construction of a statewide charitable food distribution and logistics facility.

Purpose and intent
- To invest state one‑time dollars in infrastructure that strengthens charitable food distribution and logistics statewide, improving capacity to store, sort, and distribute donated or emergency food.

Key provisions
- Appropriation source and amount
- Appropriates money from the Strategic Investment and Improvements Fund (SIIF).
- Versions show both $5,000,000 and $10,000,000 amounts; the first‑engrossed bill with Senate amendments establishes a $10,000,000 appropriation (other documents show an earlier $5,000,000 text).
- Time period
- Funds are authorized for the 2025–2027 biennium (for the period beginning July 1, 2025, and ending June 30, 2027).
- Eligible uses of grant funds
- Grant funds may be used only for site acquisition, architectural and engineering costs, labor, equipment, and materials directly related to construction of a statewide charitable food distribution and logistics facility.
- Matching requirement
- Each grant recipient must provide $1 of nonstate (private or other nonstate) matching funds for each $1 provided by the Agriculture Commissioner (1:1 match).
- Reporting
- Entities receiving grants must report annually to the Agriculture Commissioner on the use and effectiveness of the funds.
- Funding characterization
- The appropriation is designated a one‑time funding item (no ongoing state operating obligation is created).

Who would be affected
- North Dakota Agriculture Commissioner — responsible for administering the grant program and receiving reports from grant recipients.
- Grant recipients — entities eligible to receive construction grants for a statewide charitable food distribution/logistics facility (likely nonprofits, regional food banks, or similar charitable organizations).
- State budget — reduces available balance in the SIIF by the appropriation amount; otherwise no recurring fiscal obligation.

Fiscal impact
- One‑time state cost equal to the appropriation ($5M or, as in the amended engrossment, $10M).
- No ongoing state operating costs are specified; recipients must supply matching funds, leveraging nonstate investment.
- The bill does not create continuing appropriations or recurring obligations beyond required reporting.

Procedural / status notes
- Introduced in the Sixty‑ninth Legislative Assembly by Representatives Pyle et al. (and sponsored in the Senate by Senators Boschee, Lee, Roers, Barta, and Dever).
- Legislative documents include multiple engrossed versions (one with $5M, one with $10M after Senate amendments). Enrollment records show House and Senate recorded votes (House 71–16; Senate 36–9).
- The text describes the appropriation as a one‑time item for the 2025–2027 biennium; applicants and recipients would be subject to program rules and the Agriculture Commissioner’s administration.

If you want, I can:
- Extract the exact bill text for the currently enacted/amended version,
- Draft a short analysis of likely eligible applicants and implementation issues, or
- Prepare a plain‑language explainer for potential grant applicants.