A committee in North Dakota’s legislature voted Thursday not to advance a bill that would have eliminated the state’s funding for public broadcasting, which goes to Prairie Public in Bismarck.
North Dakota House Bill 1255, introduced Jan. 13, would have barred any “state officer” from spending “state funds or federal funds … to directly or indirectly support public broadcasting.”
Following a hearing of the bill Thursday during a House Political Subdivisions committee session, the committee voted 8-4 against advancing the bill.
According to Prairie Public’s most recent audited financial report, the station received nearly $1.5 million from the state of North Dakota in fiscal year 2023, less than 10% of its revenue.
“In this DOGE era of budgetary sense, this money would be better allocated to other public services like education, health care or infrastructure,” said Republican Rep. Jorin Johnson, who sponsored the bill, during the hearing Thursday. “North Dakota taxpayers should have the choice whether to fund media rather than it being a compulsory tax.”
DOGE is the Department of Government Efficiency, the temporary organization established by President Trump that aims to cut government spending. Elon Musk and Vivek Ramaswamy, whom Trump originally named as DOGE’s leaders, cited CPB as a target for spending cuts in a November Wall Street Journal op-ed.
Despite his sponsorship of the bill, Johnson called himself a “fan” who watches This Old House and previously listened to Car Talk and The Thomas Jefferson Hour, a former Prairie Public radio program.
“But the original mission is no longer accurate with the explosion of digital media, streaming services and content creators,” he added. “The necessity of public broadcasting is in question. There’s an abundance or free or low-cost content available online, suggesting that public broadcasting is now redundant.”
When asked by Democratic Rep. LaurieBeth Hager about how the bill might hurt access for low-income people in her district, Johnson said he could “appreciate the sentiment” and that “it would be maybe a loss for those folks.”
No other lawmakers spoke in support of the bill.
Prairie Public CEO John Harris spoke in opposition to the bill and urged committee members not to pass it. “Passage of HB 1255 would jeopardize some of our resources to homes, schools, and workplaces throughout the state,” he said.
“State money is also used to help us qualify for other support” such as grants and CPB funding, he said. The reduced funding would require Prairie Public to cut local programs and services, he said.
Nick Archuleta, president of North Dakota United and a Prairie Public board member, spoke in opposition to the bill along with a member of the public.
“North Dakota is well served by Prairie Public Broadcasting, and we are very appreciative of the investments that the legislative assemblies have historically made to our organization,” Archuleta said. “It’s my hope that support will continue.”
Members of the public submitted 29 written testimonies opposing the bill. There were none in favor.