A North Dakota State Fair bill that passed the Senate 44-3 hit a bump in the House of Representatives due to a law that bans the state from funding the fair.

“The State Fair came this year and asked for some funding for a couple projects, mainly security and building a facility on the east side of the grandstand for showers for camping,” Rep. Scott Louser, R-Minot, said at a legislative forum Saturday. Senate Bill 2009 seeks $1.9 million for the enhancements.

The bill was amended to indicate that, not withstanding the state’s prohibition on spending on fair maintenance and operations costs, the fair may spend the appropriated dollars on construction of a campground rest facility and for safety and security infrastructure.

“We’re working on getting language removed out of the Century Code that says the state can’t fund anything at the North Dakota State Fair,” Sen. Paul Thomas, R-Velva, said.

Sen. Randy Burckhard said efforts to remove the prohibition from the Century Code weren’t successful when the bill was on the Senate side.

“It is a state agency. I don’t know why they shouldn’t have funding like everybody else,” he said.

The state has long funded premium dollars for youth exhibit prizes, which is not prohibited in the law. Louser said the state last provided funding to the State Fair in 2015 when it replaced asphalt damaged after the 2011 flood when sand was stored there. Removing the prohibition in the law would eliminate the need for special provisions in bills to allow for appropriations, he said.

Legislators also discussed the decision to kill a bill that would have banned funding for public television.

As with the State Fair, Thomas said, he doesn’t support singling out entities to be banned from state funding.

“We really don’t want to put in law what the Legislature can and cannot do when it comes to funding,” he said.

It was noted the state uses some of Prairie Public Broadcasting’s towers for its siren and communication systems.

“If we are using their towers, we should be paying for space on it,” Rep. Dan Ruby, R-Minot, said. “I have no problem with funding that.”