Mark Owens, chair of the state House Education Committee, said he has always been "solely focused" on education and its funding.
"With our budget session all I could do was stand at the door and keep the barbarians from taking more (K-12) money," Owens, R-Grand Forks, said.
This time around, the state representative said he expects K-12 funding will have a little bit more money and some exciting possibilities.
Under the existing "pay per pupil" model, Gov. Doug Burgum has asked for a 2 percent increase each year of the upcoming biennium.
Owens said the money, which the governor said will rise from $9,646 to nearly $10,036 per student, only amounts to "just pennies statewide" due to continually rising costs and past budget cuts.
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The legislator has also said school boards and superintendents need more decision-making power over the money they receive from the state. Owens said he would support any effort that includes giving school boards more local control.
Outside of education, Owens said he is co-sponsoring the popular Prairie Dog bill meant to provide eastern North Dakota with infrastructure funding. He is also supporting bills from state Sen. Curt Kreun, R-Grand Forks, that will require drivers of electric and hybrid vehicles to pay a registration fee for road funding.
