Section 44-08-04.5 - Prepayment and direct billing of lodging expenses of state officers and employees1. The office of management and budget shall seek to obtain sales tax exemptions for state employee travel lodging expense from all other states and the District of Columbia. If available from other states, the office of management and budget shall file exemption records, documents, or numbers for use by state agencies. Whenever any state agency, board, bureau, or institution makes out-of-state travel plans involving a lodging expense, the agency may contact the office of management and budget to determine if a sales tax exemption has been obtained from the destination state or states. If an exemption has been obtained, and if travel plans are sufficiently certain, the agency, board, bureau, or institution may obtain the required documentation from the office of management and budget and arrange with the out-of-state lodging provider to have the agency prepay the lodging expense or to have the lodging expense directly billed to the agency and obtain the benefit of the sales tax exemption.2. If a state agency, board, bureau, or institution makes travel plans involving a lodging expense, the agency, board, bureau, or institution may arrange with the lodging provider or travel agency to have the lodging expense prepaid by the agency or billed directly to the agency.