Section 24-02-37 - State highway fund - Priorities for expenditure - Use of investment incomeThe state highway fund, created by law and not otherwise appropriated and allocated, must be applied and used for the purposes named in this section, as follows:
1. Except for investment income as provided in subsection 3, the fund must be applied in the following order of priority:a. The cost of maintaining the state highway system.b. The cost of construction and reconstruction of highways in the amount necessary to match, in whatever proportion may be required, federal aid granted to this state by the United States government for road purposes in North Dakota. Notwithstanding any other provision of law, the department of transportation may repay the United States department of transportation for previous related expenditures from current biennium appropriations to allow the department to reobligate the federal aid to other federal aid projects.c. Any portion of the highway fund not allocated as provided in subdivisions a and b may be expended for the construction of state highways without federal aid or may be expended in the construction, improvement, or maintenance of such state highways.2. All funds heretofore appropriated or hereafter appropriated or transferred to the department, whether earmarked or designated for special projects or special purposes or not, must be placed or transferred into a single state highway fund in the office of the state treasurer and any claims for money expended by the department upon warrants prepared and issued by the office of management and budget and signed by the state auditor under this title must be paid out of the state highway fund by the state treasurer; provided, however, that the commissioner shall keep and maintain complete and accurate records showing that all expenditures have been made in accordance with legislative appropriations and authorizations.3. The state treasurer shall deposit the moneys in the state highway fund in an interest-bearing account at the Bank of North Dakota. The state treasurer shall deposit eighty percent of the income derived from the interest-bearing account in a special interest-bearing account in the state treasury known as the special road fund. The special road fund may be used, within the limits of legislative appropriation, exclusively for the construction and maintenance of access roads to and roads within recreational, tourist, and historical areas as designated by the special road committee. A political subdivision or state agency may request funds from the special road fund by applying to the committee on forms designated by the committee. The committee may require the political subdivision or state agency to contribute to the cost of the project as a condition of any expenditure authorized from the special road fund. Any moneys in the fund not obligated by the special road committee by June thirtieth of each odd-numbered year must be held for an additional two years after which the funds revert to the state highway fund.Amended by S.L. 2017, ch. 37 (SB 2012),§ 9, eff. 7/1/2017.