81-701.03.

Department of Transportation; assume highway safety program of Department of Motor Vehicles; reference to Department of Roads in contracts or other documents; actions and proceedings; how treated; provisions of law; how construed.

(1) The Department of Transportation shall assume responsibility for the powers and duties of the highway safety program of the Department of Motor Vehicles, except that the Department of Motor Vehicles shall retain jurisdiction over the Motorcycle Safety Education Act.

(2) On and after July 1, 2017, whenever the Department of Roads is referred to or designated by any contract or other document in connection with the duties and functions of the Department of Transportation, such reference or designation shall apply to the Department of Transportation. All contracts entered into by the Department of Roads prior to July 1, 2017, are hereby recognized, with the Department of Transportation retaining all rights and obligations under such contracts. Any cash funds, custodial funds, gifts, trusts, grants, and any appropriations of funds from prior fiscal years available to satisfy obligations incurred under such contracts shall be appropriated to the Department of Transportation for the payments of such obligations. All documents and records transferred, or copies of the same, may be authenticated or certified by the Department of Transportation for all legal purposes.

(3) No suit, action, or other proceeding, judicial or administrative, lawfully commenced prior to July 1, 2017, or which could have been commenced prior to that date, by or against the Department of Roads, or the Director-State Engineer or any employee thereof in such Director-State Engineer's or employee's official capacity or in relation to the discharge of his or her official duties, shall abate by reason of the change of name of the Department of Roads to the Department of Transportation.

(4) On and after July 1, 2017, unless otherwise specified, whenever any provision of law refers to the Department of Roads in connection with duties and functions of the Department of Transportation, such law shall be construed as referring to the Department of Transportation.