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STATE OF OKLAHOMA
1st Extraordinary Session of the 59th Legislature (2023)
COMMITTEE SUBSTITUTE
FOR
HOUSE BILL NO. 1025 By: Wallace and Martinez of the
House
and
Thompson (Roger) and Hall
of the Senate
COMMITTEE SUBSTITUTE
An Act relating to transportation; amending 69 O.S.
2021, Section 1913, which relates to the Rural
Economic Transportation Reliability and Optimization
Fund; modifying population limitation; and providing
an effective date.
BE IT ENACTED BY THE PEOPLE OF THE STATE OF OKLA HOMA:
SECTION 1. AMENDATORY 69 O.S. 2021, Section 1913, is
amended to read as follows:
Section 1913. There is hereby estab lished a fund within the
State Treasury to be known as the "Rural Economic Transportation
Reliability and Optimization Fun d" to be administered by the
Oklahoma Department of Transportation. The fund shall be a
continuing fund, not subject to fiscal year l imitations, and shall
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consist of any general revenues as may be dir ectly appropriated or
otherwise provided by law.
Any monies appropriated to the Rural Econo mic Transportation
Reliability and Optimization Fund shall n ot result in a decrease in
historic and traditional total state transportat ion funding levels
or be used to supplant or replace existing state funds used for
transportation purposes.
In order to ensure that the funds from the Rural Economic
Transportation Reliability and Optimization Fund are used to enhance
and not supplant stat e funding for the Department o f Transportation,
the State Board of Equalization shall examine and investigate the
funding levels as described. At the meeting of the State Board of
Equalization held within five (5) days after the monthly
apportionment in February of each year, the Stat e Board of
Equalization shall issue a finding and repor t which shall state
whether expenditures from the Rural Economic Transportation
Reliability and Optimization Fund were used to enhance or supplant
state funding for the De partment of Transportation. I f the State
Board of Equalization finds that state fund ing for the Department of
Transportation was supplanted by funds from the Rural Economic
Transportation Reliability and Optimization F und, the Board shall
specify the amount by which such funding was s upplanted. In this
event, the Legislature shall not ma ke any appropriations for the
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ensuing fiscal year until an appropriation in that amount is made to
replenish state funding for the Dep artment of Transportation.
All monies accruing to the credit of the Rural Economic
Transportation Reliability and Optimiza tion Fund are hereby
appropriated and shall be used to assist the Department in the
equitable prioritization of construction, repair a nd maintenance of
state highways in rural areas where robust econom ic development has
resulted in traffic safety and circu lation difficulties attributed
to significant and unanticipated increases in traffic volumes and as
fully recorded and documented by t he Department. "Robust economic
development", as used in this act, shall mean those conditions of
the highways of this st ate in counties with a population of less
than fifty thousand (50,000) seventy-five thousand (75,000) where
traffic volumes have increased to become so impaired or hazardo us as
to constitute a threat t o the safety of persons or property
traveling over or upon such highways.
When such traffic conditi ons as described may ar ise in rural
areas, the Department of Transportation shall e ngage the Oklahoma
Department of Commerce, t he Oklahoma Tax Commission or other
agencies or entities of the state, as necessary, to confirm the
relationship of traffic condi tions to robust economi c development.
Once said relationship is confirmed and docu mented, the Department
of Transportation may utilize any proceeds from the Rural Economic
Transportation Reliability and Optimiza tion Fund in an amount not to
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exceed fifty percent (50%) of the tot al project costs to incentivize
and leverage the acceleratio n and prioritization of improvement
projects existing in or to be incorpor ated into the Department's
Eight-Year Construction Work Plan.
SECTION 2. This act shall become effective November 1, 2023.
59-1EX-50115 JM 05/23/23