Rebecca Binstock, left, executive director of the North Dakota Ethics Commission, Logan Carpenter, center, general counsel for the Ethics Commission, and Alisha Maier, right, operations manager for the Ethics Commission. (Michael Achterling/North Dakota Monitor)
(Mary Steurer – North Dakota Monitor) – The North Dakota Ethics Commission may grow its staff by one after the Senate on Tuesday narrowly approved the agency’s budget bill.
Senate Bill 2004, if adopted without further changes, sets aside roughly $250,000 for a new employee focused on education and communications.
In January written testimony to the Senate Appropriations Committee, Executive Director Rebecca Binstock said the new staff member would help free up time for the commission’s other staff to focus on handling complaints and other responsibilities. The commission currently has three employees.
“This role is critical to the Ethics Commission’s role in supporting an open, ethical and accountable government,” Binstock stated in her testimony.
Complaints to the ethics commission increased considerably last year. The commission received roughly 40 complaints in 2024, compared to 17 in 2023.
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