A conference committee has begun looking at the North Dakota Department of Transportation’s budget.
In the House version of the bill is a requirement that the DOT report to the Legislature's Budget Section on the fees it charges in comparison to the actual costs of those services.
"We're basically subsidizing the cost of license plates and driver's licenses, at a tune of $4.5 million," Re. Keith Kempenich told the conference committee.
Kempenich said an amendment to increase fees on license plates and driver’s licenses was proposed to the House Appropriations Committee – but that committee rejected it, because it wasn’t presented to one of the policy committees first.
Rep. Mike Brandenburg (R-Edgeley) said in the 2019 Legislature, it appears the state will be short of meeting the matching requirements for federal highway funds.
"We're looking at being short about $65 to $70 million," Brandenburg said.
The conference committee will meet at least a few more times before it can settle on a final bill.