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HB 1051

AN ACT to amend and reenact subsection 3 of section 24-02-37 of the North Dakota Century Code, relating to the special road fund.

69th Legislative Assembly (2025-26)

Directs 80% of interest from the state highway fund into a dedicated special road fund to finance designated recreational/tourist site access roads.

Filed with Secretary Of State 03/14
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Bill Summary · HB 1051

HB 1051 — Special Road Fund (North Dakota)

Bill: AN ACT to amend and reenact subsection 3 of section 24‑02‑37 of the North Dakota Century Code (special road fund)

Purpose / Intent

The bill updates and restates the statutory language governing the State of North Dakota’s “special road fund.” Its purpose is to (1) specify how interest income derived from the state highway fund is to be deposited and allocated, (2) reaffirm permissible uses of the special road fund, and (3) set application, contribution, and reversion rules for funds that are not obligated within specified timeframes.

Key provisions

  • Deposits and accounts

    • Directs the state treasurer to hold moneys in the state highway fund in an interest‑bearing account at the Bank of North Dakota.
    • Requires that 80% of the interest income from that account be deposited into a separate interest‑bearing special road fund in the state treasury.

  • Authorized uses

    • The special road fund may be used, within the limits of legislative appropriation, exclusively for: construction and maintenance of access roads to — and roads within — recreational, tourist, and historical areas.
    • Eligible project areas are to be designated by the special road committee.

  • Application and matching

    • Political subdivisions (e.g., counties or cities), tribal governments, or state agencies may apply to the special road committee for special road fund monies using committee‑designated forms.
    • The committee may require the applicant (political subdivision, tribal government, or state agency) to contribute toward project costs as a condition of any approved expenditure from the special road fund.

  • Obligation / reversion timeline

    • Any moneys in the special road fund that are not obligated by the special road committee by June 30 of each odd‑numbered year must be held for an additional two years.
    • After that two‑year holding period, un‑obligated funds revert back to the state highway fund.

Who is affected

  • Special road committee (responsible for project designation, approvals, and imposing contribution conditions)
  • State Treasurer / Bank of North Dakota (accounting and deposit duties)
  • Political subdivisions, tribal governments, and state agencies that may apply for funding to build or maintain roads serving recreational/tourist/historical sites
  • State highway fund (receives reverted funds if not obligated per timeline)

Fiscal and practical impact

  • The bill does not appropriate specific dollar amounts; it reallocates a defined share (80%) of interest income from the state highway fund to the special road fund.
  • By directing interest income to a discrete fund and imposing a time limit for obligation, the bill creates a predictable funding stream for access roads to designated sites while preventing indefinite reservation of funds.
  • Local governments and tribes seeking aid may be required to provide project contributions, which affects local budgeting for such projects.
  • Administrative impacts are limited to existing committee/treasurer functions (no major new programmatic structure created).

Procedural status and timeline

  • Introduced: November 12, 2024 (filed)
  • Statutory citation amended: NDCC § 24‑02‑37(3)
  • Status (as provided): Filed with Secretary of State (03/14). Legislative enrollment text indicates passage through the legislative process (House and Senate action recorded in enrolled bill text).

If you’d like, I can: (a) extract the exact before/after statutory text to show what language was changed, (b) identify the current membership and authority of the special road committee, or (c) model how the reversion/timing rule would operate on hypothetical fund balances.

Compiled from official sources — confirm details with the bill’s official record.

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