North Dakota is not the only state that has looked to establish its own version of DOGE, as Iowa created such a task force earlier this month through an executive order. The federal-level DOGE was created through an executive order reorganizing and renaming the U.S. Digital Service; its work will impact state government through funding stream changes and increased decision-making responsibilities.
The state legislation, HB 1442, was introduced in January and amended Feb. 11 during a committee hearing. The amended version cleared the North Dakota House this week with an 88-2 vote. It heads now to the state Senate for further consideration.
The task force, state Rep. Jim Kasper said during the Feb. 17 legislative session, “is the first of its kind in North Dakota in at least 40 years, and it’s probably long overdue.”
The bill calls for a legislative task force on government efficiency comprised of the following members: the state chief information officer; director of the state Office of Management and Budget; chief operating officer for the office of the governor; one elected statewide officer, appointed by the governor; one member of the state Assembly, appointed by the governor; two members of the state House of Representatives appointed by its majority leader; and two members of the state Senate, appointed by its majority leader. The governor-appointed member from the Assembly would chair the task force.
Each task force member would be expected to complete a two-year term, during which they’d be required to meet at least once each calendar quarter, or more frequently at the direction of the chair.
The group’s responsibilities would include reviewing and analyzing reports and budgets from executive branch agencies, boards, commissions and the state Supreme Court. The task force would be directed to work with and receive testimony from these bodies to identify areas in which North Dakota could implement cost-saving measures, reduce redundancies and unnecessary regulations, and expand public-private partnership.
The task force would review the effectiveness and necessity of previously established programs and laws and submit an annual report to the legislative management to share its findings and provide recommendations for the next legislative session.
