(a) Each county of the state is entitled to receive state financial aid for boating safety and enforcement programs on waters under its jurisdiction as provided in this section. A boating safety and enforcement program, as used in this section, includes search and rescue operations, recovery of drowned bodies, enforcement of state and local measures for regulation of boating activities, inspection of vessels, and supervision of organized water events.

(b) A public agency within a county and the Department of Parks and Recreation are entitled to receive aid for boating safety and enforcement programs on waters under their jurisdiction through the county in which it lies, and that aid shall be counted as aid to the county; except that aid provided under subdivision (h) for boating safety and enforcement programs of the Department of Parks and Recreation for waters under its jurisdiction shall not be counted as aid to a county.

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(c) (1) Of the funds appropriated for boating safety and enforcement programs pursuant to Section 85.2, the department shall adopt and utilize a formula that first allocates funds to counties so that no county receives less than the amount it was allocated in the 1996-97 fiscal year, unless the county’s program is reduced, or the county does not meet the eligibility requirements of this section. If the total amount of money in the Harbors and Watercraft Revolving Fund is less than the amount available for the 1996-97 fiscal year, the funds allocated to each county shall be reduced in proportion to the reduction in the overall fund relative to the 1996-97 fiscal year.

(2) Second, from funds remaining, the department shall allocate funds to eligible counties which have submitted a grant application pursuant to subdivision (i) but which do not receive an allocation pursuant to paragraph (1).

(3) The funds allocated pursuant to paragraph (1) shall not be greater in total amount than 50 percent of the funds appropriated for boating safety programs, unless the department determines that an amount greater than 50 percent is needed to meet the minimum allocation requirements set forth in paragraph (1).

(d) The amount of aid for which a county or a public agency within a county is eligible under this section shall not exceed the total cost of its boating safety and enforcement program. Notwithstanding paragraph (1) of subdivision (c), no county shall receive an amount greater than 20 percent of the total funds appropriated to all counties for boating safety and enforcement programs in any fiscal year. Notwithstanding any other provision of this section, any county that receives a boating safety and enforcement allocation during the 1997-98 fiscal year as a result of a prior appropriation shall not receive an additional allocation for the 1997-98 fiscal year pursuant to this section.

(e) The department shall not allocate funds to any county or a public agency within a county unless the department receives a resolution adopted annually by the board of supervisors authorizing the county to participate in the program and certifying that the county will expend for boating safety programs during that year not less than an amount equal to 100 percent of the amount received by the county from personal property taxes on vessels. The money allocated to a county pursuant to subdivision (a) shall be used only for boating safety and enforcement programs, as specified in subdivision (a), that are conducted in that county.

(f) Any county that receives an allocation of funds pursuant to subdivision (c) shall submit a report to the department on or before 60 days after the end of the fiscal year that provides all of the following:

(1) The purpose for which funds received in the immediately preceding fiscal year were spent.

(2) The total amount expended on boating safety and enforcement programs in the immediately preceding fiscal year.

(3) All pertinent boating safety and enforcement and accident statistics from the immediately preceding fiscal year.

(4) All other data that may be required by the department relating to improved boating safety in California.

(g) The department shall provide in its biennial report to the Legislature a summary of boating safety activities undertaken by the counties receiving financial aid from the department in the immediately preceding two fiscal years along with a summary of the information received pursuant to subdivision (f).

(h) Aid for boating safety and enforcement programs shall be made available to the Department of Parks and Recreation for waters under its jurisdiction in accordance with a boat entry unit cost factor derived by dividing the most recent annual boat entry count into the maximum amount available and appropriated for those programs in the 1969-70 fiscal year. Budgets for those programs shall be estimated for each fiscal year and adjustments shall be made thereto for the previous year in accordance with the actual boat entry count as it becomes available multiplied by the boat entry unit cost factor. The amount thus determined shall be available to the Department of Parks and Recreation from the Harbors and Watercraft Revolving Fund.

(i) Entities or agencies desiring aid under this section shall submit grant applications to the department at least six months prior to the period for which aid is required. Grant applications shall be in the form and contain the information that the department may require.

(j) Within 60 days after the close of any period for which aid is received, the entity or agency shall submit to the department a statement of the expenditures actually incurred, in the form and containing the information that the department may require.

(k) The department shall be responsible for the administration of this section, and may adopt rules and regulations that may be necessary to carry out its provisions. The department shall make periodic evaluations of the effectiveness of programs receiving aid under this section.

(Amended by Stats. 1996, Ch. 971, Sec. 2.5. Effective January 1, 1997.)