Area legislators had little reaction to Gov. John Hoeven's budget speech Wednesday, pointing out that they have had little time to digest it.

The $5.5 billion budget was presented on the last day of the Legislature's three-day organizational session.

Some legislators were briefed on the budget, but most of them had not received any details of it until the governor gave his speech. Soon after the speech, the majority of legislators had gone home.

Rep. Todd Porter, R-Mandan, said the Legislature will need to be careful about what kind of additional spending is authorized to ensure that the state will have enough money in future years.

"It's a good blueprint for us to start with," Porter said. "Everything gets a public hearing and will be well scrutinized."

The Legislature will have the long task of taking the governor's budget and using it to form their own when the session opens Jan. 4.

Rep. Mark Dosch, R-Bismarck, said it is important to know where the money will come from to fund the priorities that Hoeven set out in his budget.

"There are a lot of spending issues we need to take a closer look at," Dosch said.

Some of Hoeven's priorities include a $37.5 million increase in K-12 education, a $28.8 million increase in higher education, $50 million to establish Centers of Excellence at colleges and universities, $5 million in bonuses and tuition assistance for National Guard members and more spending on prisons and human services to keep up with growing costs.

Hoeven's budget also includes funding for construction or improvement projects for state facilities in Bismarck, including $502,000 for a plant services building at Bismarck State College and $1.8 million for a 12-unit apartment complex at BSC.

Other projects include $3.2 million for fire suppression for the Capitol building, to be paid with bonds, $11 million for a new building for the Bank of North Dakota, $2 million for a new multipurpose building at the Missouri River Correctional facility, $320,000 for a 6,000-square-foot building to consolidate metal manufacturing for Roughrider Industries at the Missouri River Correctional facility and $135,000 to improve the ventilation system at the Youth Correctional Center in Mandan.

Hoeven also wants to give state employees a 4 percent raise the first year of the biennium and a 3 percent raise the second year, with the possibility that the second-year raise is 4 percent if state agencies can find it within their budgets.

Dosch said he is pleased that Hoeven included a raise for state employees. He did not take a position on Hoeven's proposed $15 increase for motor vehicle registration.

Dosch said he wants to know what the additional revenue will be used for before he makes a decision.

Hoeven did not mention the proposed registration increase in his speech and many legislators were not aware of it. Hoeven told reporters that the increase is needed to provide a match for additional federal highway money.

Rep. Bob Martinson, R-Bismarck, said he hadn't looked at the budget closely enough to discuss the specifics.

However, he said the governor and his staff did a good job preparing it.

"It was a very thought-out and planned budget," Martinson said.

Rep. Ron Carlisle, R-Bismarck, also hadn't had a chance to look at the budget in depth Wednesday afternoon, but he said it was well-delivered by Hoeven.

Democrats who responded to Hoeven's budget also were not fully prepared to discuss it in detail.

Sen. Dave O'Connell, the Democratic leader in the Senate, described Hoeven's budget as Santa landing with his sleigh and waiting to see if the elves will fill it up.

Rep. Merle Boucher, the Democratic leader in the House, said that although Hoeven said his budget does not include a tax increase, the Legislature should do more to provide local subdivisions with funds because they have raised taxes through the years.

"The people back home have had to deal with a significant tax increase," Boucher said.

Boucher said he is considering a bill to increase the amount of money that is given to local subdivisions.

(Reach reporter Tom Rafferty at 223-8482 or tom.rafferty@bismarcktribune.com)