North Dakota – Governor Kelly Armstrong testified in support of Senate Bill 2308, which proposes creating a task force to review more than 150 state boards and commissions. The task force would assess which boards could be combined or dissolved to increase government efficiency.

“Today the Governor’s Office oversees more than 150 boards and commissions in state government. That’s too many,” Armstrong said, emphasizing the cost of each board, even those with volunteer members. He stressed that silos in government lead to duplicative work and that the goal is to create efficiencies while ensuring each board’s mission remains relevant.

Introduced by Sen. Kristin Roers, SB 2308 is co-sponsored by several lawmakers, including House Majority Leader Mike Lefor and Senate Majority Leader David Hogue. The bill would direct the task force to review the state’s boards and commissions, reporting back to the Legislature in 2027 with recommendations on which boards should be combined or dissolved.

Armstrong initially endorsed the bill in his State of the State address on January 7, emphasizing the need for government services to be more efficient. He took the first step by signing an executive order to dissolve five inactive groups. The current version of the bill would dissolve 18 existing boards, with state agencies taking over their responsibilities.

“I look forward to continuing to work on this bill with all of you to reduce the footprint of government and save North Dakota taxpayers money,” Armstrong told the Senate State and Local Government Committee.