1.    The office of administrative hearings shall require payment for services rendered by any administrative law judge provided by it to any agency, to any unit of local government in this state, to any tribal government in this state, or to the judicial branch, in the conduct of an administrative hearing and related proceedings, and those entities must make the required payment to the office. Payment must include payment for support staff necessary to render administrative law judge services. Moneys received by the office of administrative hearings in payment for providing an administrative law judge to conduct an administrative hearing and related proceedings must be deposited into the operating fund of the office of administrative hearings.

2.    The office of administrative hearings shall require payment for mileage, meals, and lodging in connection with services rendered by an administrative law judge provided to any agency, to any unit of local government in this state, to any tribal government in this state, or to the judicial branch, in the conduct of an administrative hearing and related proceedings, and those entities must make the required payment to the office. Payment for meals and lodging must be in the amounts allowable under section 44-08-04. Payment for mileage when using state vehicles must be in amounts set for user charges under section 24-02-03.5. All other payments must be in amounts allowed for other state officials and employees. Either general fund or special fund moneys, or other income, may be used for the payment of mileage, meals, and lodging under this subsection.

3.    A special fund is established in the state treasury and designated as the administrative hearings fund. The office of administrative hearings shall deposit in the fund all moneys received by it in payment for providing services rendered by any administrative law judge in the conduct of an administrative hearing and related proceedings under this chapter, as well as all moneys received by the office in payment for mileage, meals, and lodging in connection with providing any     administrative law judge to conduct an administrative hearing and related proceedings. The moneys in the fund are a standing and continuing appropriation and are appropriated, as necessary, for the following purposes:

a.    For the office of administrative hearings to pay for salaries, wages, benefits, operating expenses, and equipment, including payment to temporary administrative law judges, as necessary, for the purpose of providing requested administrative law judges to agencies, to any unit of local government in this state, to any tribal government in this state, or to the judicial branch.

b.    For the office of administrative hearings to pay mileage, meals, and lodging to any administrative law judges, as necessary, in connection with the services to be provided under this chapter.