ND senator introduces bill to invest millions in public safety infrastructure

NORTH DAKOTA (KXNET) — A bipartisan bill introduced in the North Dakota senate aims to establish a legacy fund to assist rural communities with their emergency services.

Sen. Josh Boschee (D-Fargo) introduced SB 2332, which would create a Legacy Earnings Emergency Services and Public Safety Fund, and invest $25 million to enhance emergency services and public safety across the state.

Sen. Boschee says the bill is intended to help communities with limited resources be better equipped to combat fires and tend to medical emergencies. The bill would do this by helping recruit and retain emergency responders, expand resources to ensure timely emergency responses, and modernize the delivery of emergency services.

“No one who calls 911 should have to worry about how long it will take for help to come,” Sen. Boschee said in a press release. “This bill will ensure that no matter where you live, you will receive timely emergency services.”

If the bill is adopted, the new fund it would create would allow emergency services agencies to apply for state grants to meet their critical needs. It would also create an advisory board for the fund, which would be made up of North Dakota firefighters, paramedics, and law enforcement, as well as representatives from the state’s political subdivisions and tribal communities.

The bill, which is co-sponsored by Reps. Alisa Mitskog (D-Wahpeton), Mike Brandenburg
(R-Edgeley), and Jon Nelson (R-Rugby), was heard this morning by the Senate State and Local Government Committee. Six people spoke in favor of the bill, and no one spoke against it.