The 2025 North Dakota Legislative Session is in full swing. Every odd-numbered year, starting in January, the North Dakota Legislature meets for a maximum of 80 days to pass new legislation and approve the state’s budget for the next biennium, which begins July 1.
Legislative activities are followed closely by state agencies, including North Dakota Vision Services/School for the Blind, as agencies’ budgets for the next two years are set by appropriations bills. Each agency plays an active role in the budget bill process, with the leader of each agency often making multiple trips to Bismarck, either virtually or in-person, over the course of the 80-day session to propose and defend their agency’s budget request. But preparations for the legislative session begin months before the legislature convenes in January.
During the summer before a legislative session, NDVS/SB begins working on a budget. Superintendent Paul Olson surveys staff and stakeholders to find out what needs there are, how improvements can be made, and what is or isn’t working. Based on these findings, he and Business Manager Paula Solheim prepare a budget request. Building improvements, new staff positions, and any other changes that affect the budget must be explained and justified. In the fall, this preliminary request is submitted to the governor’s office and the Office of Management and Budget (OMB). This past year, the preliminary budget was given to Governor Burgum, even though it was known that North Dakota would have a different governor by January. The governor and OMB may suggest changes to the budget and provide some insight into the health of the state’s economy over the next couple of years. These suggestions are carefully considered before NDVS/SB creates a final budget proposal to present in January to the legislature.
This year, the bill that determines the budget for the Department of Public Instruction (DPI), as well as the four sister agencies who all report to the Superintendent of Public Instruction – NDVS/SB, the School for the Deaf, the State Library, and the Center for Distance Education – began in the House. On January 16 of this year, Paul and Paula presented NDVS/SB’s budget request to the House Appropriations Committee. That committee decides whether to leave a budget request intact or remove pieces of it before it goes to the floor of the House for a vote. This year, a request to add an assistive tech position was removed before the House voted to approve the budget request.
In March, halfway through the legislative session, crossover occurs. This means that all bills that started and passed in the House move over to the Senate side to be considered, and vice-versa. Paul returned to Bismarck in mid-March, this time to testify to the Senate Appropriations Committee. This committee can leave the bill as it was passed in the House or make changes to it before it heads to the floor of the Senate for a vote. This year, NDVS/SB hopes that the Senate will add the request for an assistive tech position back into the budget before passing the bill. If it is, or if other changes are made, each chamber will have a 3-person subcommittee meet to negotiate a compromise and decide on a final budget. This version of the budget bill will then head to Governor Armstrong’s desk to be signed. By April, NDVS/SB should know their budget for the 2025-27 biennium.
A lot is at stake every two years, but the legislative process is a well-oiled machine, and NDVS/SB’s Superintendent Paul Olson has been greasing the wheels for many years. Here, he shares his thoughts on the legislative process and this year’s budget request.
What role does the superintendent and other staff play in the budget request process?
Prior to becoming the superintendent, I had the opportunity to testify in support of our agency budget along with my predecessor, Carmen Suminski. So, I had a little experience going before the legislature before assuming my job in 2013. As superintendent, it is one of my main responsibilities to build a budget and bring it to the legislature for approval. I have to sell it by justifying how and why we need taxpayer support to provide services to our citizens.
NDVS/SB Business Manager Paula Solheim is a huge part of putting the budget request together. Lilly Dunrud has helped prepare the budget request document numerous times so that is as professional and attractive as possible. We include a lot of information about our services in this document and it serves as a kind of record for historical purposes as well.
As you said, you’ve been doing this for over a decade. Has the process changed over the years?
The process is much the same, but the technology we use has changed along with the opportunity for citizens across the state to participate in real-time through video streaming. (You can watch all legislative activity online at https://video.ndlegis.gov/.) That is actually really cool because people can see the process up close and even provide written testimony for or against bills.
You testify before the House and Senate Appropriations Committees every two years and sometimes have to answer some really tough, direct questions from legislators. Is that nerve-wracking?
I feel a little nervous but also excited because I love telling our story. On occasion legislators will have hard questions but that is their job. They are supposed to ensure that agencies are doing their work efficiently and in a cost-effective manner.
Is the legislature typically supportive of NDVS/SB?
Over the years I believe we have received good bipartisan support from legislators across the state. We have a mission that people basically understand. They do not understand all of the complexities of delivering good services to a diverse population of children and adults, but I feel that in general our agency is looked at favorably.
Do you expect anything to change now that we have a new governor?
There will be change no doubt, but I am not sure what will change for us. Governor Burgum did take a special interest in NDVS/SB. One of his best friends from grad school is now President of the Perkins School for the Blind. I would suspect that Governor Armstrong will be supportive. We met, and I invited him to visit NDVS/SB. I hope he will be able to make time for that when he is in the Grand Forks area.
How would you compare our services and budget compared to other states’ agencies that serve the blind?
I am a little biased, but we do a ton of amazing work on a small budget. We have an amazing, dedicated staff that work their tails off because they love their work. North Dakota taxpayers are getting an excellent bargain. I am proud and blessed to be here and work with great co-workers and partners across the state.