House passes major transportation package, shifting legacy earnings and SIF allocations
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Summary
The House adopted the conference committee report for Senate Bill 20-12, creating a large transportation funding package that reallocates legacy fund earnings, sets SIF dollars for highway projects, and directs DOT on specific projects including a U.S. Highway 85 four‑lane requirement.
The North Dakota House adopted the conference committee report on Senate Bill 20-12, a multi-part transportation and infrastructure funding package, and passed the bill on a recorded floor vote.
Representative Brandenburg, speaking for the conference committee, said the committee added a siren coordinator position, adjusted grant funding and authorized $7 million to the Department of Transportation for grant adjustments. The conference version set State Investment Fund (SIF) dollars for designated highway projects at $287,000,000 (a compromise between the Senate’s $271,000,000 and the House’s $326,000,000 figures), and included transfers of legacy fund earnings into the flexible transportation fund.
Brandenburg described allocations in the package: approximately $874,000,000 to the Department of Transportation, $299,000,000 to counties, $194,000,000 to cities, $80,000,000 to townships, and transit receiving about $13.7 million in total (including some grants). The conference committee also included a requirement that the Department of Transportation complete the four‑lane U.S. Highway 85 project between Highway 200 and the Long X Bridge, removed bonding proposals in the House version for a Highway 85 project, and eliminated a proposed gas tax change.
The bill restructured distributions from the highway tax distribution fund and adjusted the percentage of motor vehicle excise tax allocated into a flexible transportation fund. Brandenburg said the conference committee also moved sections addressing the passenger rail authority, repealed a previously established legacy earnings transfer of $100,000,000, and reallocated some portions of the Prairie Dog municipal infrastructure funds into county and township infrastructure grants.
On final passage the clerk recorded the vote: 86 yeas and 2 nays. Senate Bill 20-12 was declared passed.
Floor speakers also credited Speaker Weiss for leadership on transportation funding; Representative Viggasaw thanked the speaker for his involvement.