Relating to a rail revolving loan fund and uses of the abandoned oil and gas well plugging and site reclamation fund; to amend and reenact subsection 7 of section 6‑08.1‑02 and sections 6‑09‑35, 6‑09‑46.2, 6‑09.7‑05, 6‑09.14‑04, and 49‑17.1‑02.1, subsection 1 of section 54‑17‑40, and subdivision a of subsection 4 of section 54‑17.7‑04 of the North Dakota Century Code, and section 15 of chapter 14 of the 2023 Session Laws, relating to confidential and exempt records of the Bank of North Dakota, the rebuilders loan program, loan guarantees through the strategic investment and improvements fund, interest rate buydown limits for the partnership in assisting community expansion fund, department of transportation review and approval of rail projects, uses of the housing incentive fund, North Dakota pipeline borrowing authority, and a salt cavern underground energy storage research project; to repeal section 3 of Senate Bill No. 2188, as approved by the sixty-ninth legislative assembly, relating to a transfer from the strategic investment and improvements fund to the clean sustainable energy fund; to provide a deficiency appropriation; to provide for a transfer; to provide an exemption; to provide for a legislative management study; to provide for a legislative management report; to provide for a report; to provide an effective date; and to declare an emergency.
Relating to rail passenger authority agreements and a legacy earnings fund; to amend and reenact section 6‑09.4‑10.1, subsection 1 of section 21‑10‑06, and sections 24‑02‑37.3, 54‑27‑19, and 57‑40.3‑10, section 57‑51.1‑07.5 as amended by Senate Bill No. 2323 as approved by the sixty-ninth legislative assembly, and sections 57‑51.1‑07.7 and 57‑51.1‑07.8 of the North Dakota Century Code, relating to funds invested by the state investment board, the flexible transportation fund, the highway tax distribution fund, motor vehicle excise tax collections, the state share of oil and gas taxes, the municipal infrastructure fund, and the county and township infrastructure fund; to repeal sections 21‑10‑12, 21‑10‑13, 54‑27‑19.3, and 54‑27‑19.4 of the North Dakota Century Code, relating to legacy fund definitions, a legacy earnings fund, the legacy earnings highway distribution fund, and legacy earnings township highway aid fund; to provide for a legislative management report; to provide for application; to provide an effective date; and to provide an exemption.
SB 2006 provides $32.17 million in funding for the North Dakota Aeronautics Commission for fiscal years 2025-2027, primarily to support airport infrastructure grants. The bill allocates $20 million from the airport infrastructure fund to provide grants to airports during this period, with the remaining funds covering the commission's salaries, operating expenses, and other costs. The $475,000 from the general fund specifically supports the commission's operations, including 7 full-time positions. This bill directly affects the Aeronautics Commission (which administers the funds) and airports receiving the grant funding.
SB 2225 appropriates $50 million from North Dakota's Strategic Investment Fund to the Department of Commerce for grants supporting housing infrastructure. The bill provides funding to local communities (with allocations based on population size) to lower costs for infrastructure needed for market-rate housing projects, requiring a 1:1 match from local governments, developers, and private funds. Communities must use the funds for infrastructure like roads or utilities to support new housing, with reporting requirements to the legislature by June 2026. The program expires June 30, 2027, and aims to address housing needs in both urban and rural areas.
HB 1294 amends North Dakota's traffic code to adjust fees for moving violations, directly affecting drivers convicted of specific traffic offenses. It sets a base fee of $20 for most moving violations but increases fees for certain offenses, including $150 for a first violation of passing a stopped schoolbus (Section 39-10-46) and $750 for repeat violations within five years. The bill also specifies higher fees for other violations, such as $100 for speeding in school zones (Section 39-08-20) or $500 for certain commercial vehicle offenses (Section 39-10-59). These changes are codified in Sections 39-06.1-06, 39-10-46, and 39-10-46.1 of the North Dakota Century Code.
This North Dakota concurrent resolution urges the federal government, Congress, and the North Dakota Governor to end the Disadvantaged Business Enterprise (DBE) program, which provides contracting preferences for certain businesses. It cites the program's alleged cost burdens on contractors and references a court case (Mid-America Milling Co. v. USDOT) finding its race-based criteria potentially unconstitutional. The resolution specifically directs North Dakota's Department of Transportation to terminate its DBE program and supports legal efforts to eliminate the program. As a symbolic resolution, it expresses legislative position but does not change current law.
HB 1037 allocates $750,000 to each of five state departments (agriculture commissioner, attorney general, transportation department, health and human services, and career and technical education) for grants to support autonomous technology use. It provides funding for agriculture businesses to inspect property with drones, law enforcement for missing persons searches and crime scenes, and transportation entities to monitor highways using uncrewed aircraft systems. Recipients must match state funds at a 1:4 ratio and report grant usage to the legislature. The funds are one-time, covering the 2025-2027 biennium, with each department required to submit reports detailing grant recipients and expenditures.
HB 1182 allocates $611,000 from North Dakota's Strategic Investment and Improvements Fund to Dickey County for a specific road project. The funding would replace a culvert system and raise the road grade to address recurring flooding on a local road. This one-time appropriation is intended for the 2025-2027 biennium and directly supports Dickey County's infrastructure needs. The bill does not create new regulations but provides targeted financial support for a flood mitigation project.
HB 1202 would allocate $3 million from North Dakota's flexible transportation fund to a specific county impacted by a state supreme court case involving a drainage project. The grant, intended for a single two-year period (2025-2027), covers project costs including litigation expenses, inflation adjustments, and other drainage-related expenditures. It overrides standard fund designation rules under section 24-02-37.3, directing the Department of Transportation to distribute the funds as a one-time grant. The bill failed to pass in committee and on the floor during the 2025 legislative session.
HB 1054 proposed creating a new section in North Dakota law (24-01-12.4) to establish rules for private companies sponsoring highway-related services (like maintenance or signage) within state highway right-of-way areas. It would directly affect private contractors and businesses seeking to fund such services in exchange for naming rights or other agreements. The bill aimed to provide a clear legal framework for these sponsorship agreements but failed to pass in the legislature on January 14, 2025, with only 3 votes in favor out of 93 total. The bill was referred to the Transportation Committee but was ultimately rejected.
