These documents give a brief overview of the establishment of the State Highway Fund, and the intent for its use. I do not have a legal background, so may have missed some resources, but this is a good representation of the information available through the ODOT Library and History Center. Information was gathered with an emphasis on decisions and opinions that served to clarify the scope of legal use of the Highway Trust Fund.
In the early days of the agency, state funds for highway construction were gathered though bonds and property taxes (see 1917_OL, below). Laws pertaining to the Highway Commission and the state highway system were refined and added to over the years; by the late 1930s, J.M. Deavers, legal counsel to the Commission, undertook the massive project of compiling, revising, and adding to the existing laws, submitting a package known as the "Highway Code" to the 1939 legislature. This code contained a more modern view of the highway fund (See 1939 Highway Code, below).
Annotations contain citations for legal decisions and opinions based on statutes and amendments. These are printed in hard copy format for annotations prior to 1971; those published from 1971 to present are available online through the legislative website. The text of the decisions and/or opinions can be obtained on request.
An amendment to Oregon Constitution Article IX, Section 3, defining the use of gasoline and motor vehicle taxes, was passed by the voters Nov. 3, 1942. This amendment was substantially re-written, and adopted by voters May 20, 1980 (SJR 7, 1979), with other changes adopted in 1999 (SJR 44, 1999) and in 2004 (SJR 14, 2003).
The current statues that discuss the use of the Highway Fund are listed below. The legislative history of the individual statutes can be provided if desired. Note: this may not be a comprehensive list, but contains the bulk of the applicable statutes.
The documents below came from the files maintained in the History Center. There is a great deal of duplication in the content, but each contains slightly different information.
This guide was compiled by:
Laura Wilt, MLS, Librarian
Oregon Dept. of Transportation Library
555 13th St NE
Salem, OR 97301
laura.e.wilt@odot.state.or.us
503-986-3280
January, 2018