Lawmakers concluded their interim reports Friday, filing committee recommendations on issues such as energy development and Workforce Safety and Insurance claims, among others.

Rep. Al Carlson, R-Fargo, chairman of the Legislative Council and newly-elected House majority leader, said he estimated the cost of the dozens of interim committee recommendations reported Thursday and Friday to be about $195 million. House Minority Leader Merle Boucher, D-Rolette, said all of the reports filed this week were still just recommendations.

"Some of these things will pass, some will be amended," Boucher said. "The amounts could be less and the amounts could actually be more."

The Workers' Compensation Review Committee put forward about a dozen recommendations, including one that would establish a new position to help injured workers understand and maneuver workers' compensation.

"The service would be separate from the services offered by claims analysts," said Rep. George Keiser, R-Bismarck, who chairs the Workers' Compensation Review Committee. "Several injured employees testified they were unable to afford legal representation to appeal a WSI decision."

Other recommendations include a bill that would provide an additional 20 months of benefits while an injured worker participates in a retraining program, and another two months of benefits while the worker searches for a job.

The Workers' Compensation Review Committee heard testimony from injured workers during the interim session and provided synopsis of their testimony in its Friday report.

Sen. Rich Wardner, R-Dickinson, chairman of the Energy Development and Transmission Committee, said his committee is recommending extending tax credits for renewable fuels such as wind, solar, geothermal and biomass.

The committee also recommended indefinitely extending a tax exemption for tertiary oil recovery projects that use carbon dioxide.

Wardner said his committee heard testimony on how carbon dioxide levels in the atmosphere have grown over the past two centuries, and that there are available, albeit expensive, technologies that could help reduce those gases, especially in coal production.

"When it comes to global warming, we'll listen to both sides of the issue," Wardner said, noting North Dakota's geology is conducive to carbon dioxide sequestering technology that would reduce greenhouse gases.

The Transportation Committee's report chronicled testimony about the condition of the state's highways and bridges, noting for every $1 spent on preventive maintenance $4 to $5 is saved.

Of the state's 5,026 bridges, only two were similar to the Minneapolis bridge that collapsed last year and killed 13 people. Those two North Dakota bridges are the Four Bears Bridge and the Fairview Bridge on Highway 58, which have been replaced, according to the report.

The Judicial Process Committee recommended the Legislature create a uniform procedure for law enforcement to use when searching for a missing person, as well as identifying and preserving unidentified human remains.

Members of the Judicial Process Committee also heard testimony on establishing a paternity registry, but offered no recommendation because the Senate defeated a similar measure in 2003, 46-1.

The Judiciary Committee also recommended that the Legislature provide an additional $550,000 for the Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation's crime victims compensation program, because offenders who pay the compensation fees rarely have the money after court and legal costs.

(Reach reporter Brian Duggan at 223-8482 or brian.duggan@bismarcktribune.com.)