Bill > HB1003

This bill appropriates funds for the Attorney General's office for the biennium beginning July 1, 2025, and ending June 30, 2027, totaling $114,722,230 from various funds. * **Salaries and Wages:** $61,331,305 from the General Fund and other funds for employee compensation. * **Operating Expenses:** $16,590,654 from the General Fund and other funds for the general operations of the office. * **Capital Assets:** $1,997,280 from the General Fund and other funds for the purchase of equipment and other capital items. * **Human Trafficking Victims Grants:** $2,452,514 from the General Fund for grants to organizations providing services to human trafficking victims. * **Statewide Litigation Funding Pool:** $5,000,000 from the General Fund for litigation expenses, with specific restrictions on its use. * **Criminal Justice Information Sharing:** $7,329,417 from the General Fund and other funds to support information sharing systems. * **Law Enforcement:** $3,669,398 from the General Fund and other funds for law enforcement-related activities. * **North Dakota Lottery:** $5,585,162 from the General Fund and other funds, with a portion allocated to the Attorney General's office. * **One-Time Funding for Specific Projects:** $9,780,000 from various funds for items such as laboratory equipment, undercover vehicles, and system replacements, which are not part of the base budget for the next biennium. * **Additional Federal or Special Funds:** $250,000 from federal or special funds for office expenses, considered a one-time appropriation. * **Community Health Trust Fund Transfer:** $239,716 from the Community Health Trust Fund to the Attorney General Operating Fund for enforcement related to tobacco settlement agreements. * **Strategic Investment and Improvements Fund Transfer:** $7,466,000 from the Strategic Investment and Improvements Fund for various purposes including crime lab equipment, undercover vehicles, and system replacements. * **Prosecution Witness Fees:** An increase in the maximum amount per county per biennium for prosecution witness fees from $25,000 to $30,000, with provisions for inter-county transfers. * **Attorney General Salary Increase:** The annual salary of the Attorney General is increased. * **Twenty-Four Seven Sobriety Program Fees:** District court judges or judicial referees are prohibited from waiving program fees for offenders in the twenty-four seven sobriety program. * **Criminal History Record Check Fees:** The Attorney General is authorized to establish and collect fees for criminal history record checks. * **Contingent Fee Arrangement Exemption:** The Attorney General is exempted from certain restrictions to allow for contingent fee arrangements in ongoing multistate technology litigation. * **Attorney General Refund Fund Exemption:** The Attorney General may retain the balance in the Attorney General Refund Fund that would otherwise be transferred to the General Fund. * **Continuation of Unexpended Appropriations:** Several specific appropriations are exempted from reversion and may be continued into the next biennium.