GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF NORTH CAROLINA

SESSION 1999

S	2 

SENATE BILL 233
Transportation Committee Substitute Adopted 3/24/99

Short Title:  DOT Regional Equity.	(Public)

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Sponsors:

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Referred to:  

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March 4, 1999

A BILL TO BE ENTITLED
AN ACT TO REQUIRE THE DEPARTMENT OF TRANSPORTATION TO CARRY OVER ANY UNSPENT TRANSPORTATION IMPROVEMENT PROGRAM EQUITY REGION ALLOCATION TO THE NEXT YEAR, TO AUTHORIZE LOANS OF UNSPENT EQUITY REGION ALLOCATIONS TO OTHER EQUITY REGIONS AND TO REQUIRE THE DEPARTMENT OF TRANSPORTATION TO DEMONSTRATE COMPLIANCE WITH THE HIGHWAY TRUST FUND EQUITY REGION FORMULA BY SUBMITTING YEARLY REPORTS DOCUMENTING ALLOCATIONS AND SPENDING BY EQUITY REGION. 
The General Assembly of North Carolina enacts:
Section 1.  G.S. 136-17.2A(a) reads as rewritten:
"(a)	Funds expended for the Intrastate System projects listed in G.S. 136-179 and both State and federal-aid funds expended under the Transportation Improvement Program, other than funds expended on an urban loop project listed in G.S. 136-180, shall be distributed throughout the State in accordance with this section.  For purposes of this distribution, the counties of the State are grouped into seven distribution regions, each consisting of two transportation engineering divisions established pursuant to G.S. 136-14.1, as follows:
(1)	Distribution Region A consists of Division 1 and Division 4.
(2)	Distribution Region B consists of Division 2 and Division 3.
(3)	Distribution Region C consists of Division 5 and Division 6.
(4)	Distribution Region D consists of Division 7 and Division 9.
(5)	Distribution Region E consists of Division 8 and Division 10.
(6)	Distribution Region F consists of Division 11 and Division 12.
(7)	Distribution Region G consists of Division 13 and Division 14."
Section 2.  G.S 136-17.2A is amended by adding a new subsection to read:
"( g)	When funds allocated to a distribution region by the Transportation Improvement Program cannot not be expended within the region as scheduled, the Secretary shall add the amount of the unexpended allocation to the region's allocation for the succeeding year and such amounts shall remain available, from year to year, for construction of projects within that region.  In order to make the most efficient use of available funds, when funds have been designated for projects to be constructed under the Transportation Improvement Program in a particular division, the Secretary may advance to one or more divisions another division's unexpended and unencumbered funds.  Those divisions that received the advanced funds shall repay the amount received to the loaning division as soon as the loaning division has projects available for funds."
Section 3. G.S. 136-17.2A is amended by adding a new subsection to read:
"( h)	On or before December 1, 1999, the Secretary shall submit to the General Assembly a report of allocations and actual yearly expenditures for each distribution region, covering fiscal years 1989-90 through 1997-98.  On or before December 1, 2000, and annually thereafter, the Secretary shall submit to the General Assembly a report of allocations and actual expenditures for the preceding fiscal year.  At any time in which the report indicates that expenditures by distribution region do not comply with the provisions of subsection (d) of this section, the Secretary shall also submit a plan to correct the imbalance."
Section 4.  G.S. 136-14.1 reads as rewritten:
"§ 136-14.1.  Transportation engineering divisions.
For purposes of administering transportation activities, the Department of Transportation shall have authority to designate boundaries of 14 transportation engineering divisions for the proper administration of its duties.
Section 5.  This act becomes effective July 1, 1999.