(a) As used in this chapter and in Chapter 12.49 (commencing with Section 8879.20) of Division 1 of Title 2 of the Government Code, the following terms have the following meanings:

(1) “Administrative agency” means the state agency responsible for programming bond funds made available by Chapter 12.49 (commencing with Section 8879.20) of Division 1 of Title 2 of the Government Code, as specified in subdivision (c).

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(2) Unless otherwise specified in this chapter, “project” includes equipment purchase, right-of-way acquisition, and project delivery costs.

(3) “Recipient agency” means the recipient of bond funds made available by Chapter 12.49 (commencing with Section 8879.20) of Division 1 of Title 2 of the Government Code that is responsible for implementation of an approved project.

(4) “Fund” shall have the meaning as defined in subdivision (c) of § 8879.20 of the Government Code.

(b) Administrative costs, including audit and program oversight costs for the agency administering the program funded pursuant to this chapter, recoverable by bond funds shall not exceed 5 percent of the program’s costs.

(c) The State Air Resources Board is the administrative agency for the schoolbus retrofit and replacement allocation pursuant to subdivision (d) of § 8879.23 of the Government Code.

(d) The administrative agency may not approve project fund allocations for any project until the recipient agency provides a project funding plan that demonstrates that the funds are expected to be reasonably available and sufficient to complete the project. The administrative agency may approve funding for useable project segments only if the benefits associated with each individual segment are sufficient to meet the objectives of the program from which the individual segment is funded.

(e) Guidelines adopted by the administrative agency pursuant to this chapter and Chapter 12.49 (commencing with Section 8879.20) of Division 1 of Title 2 of the Government Code are intended to provide internal guidance for the agency and shall be exempt from the Administrative Procedure Act (Chapter 3.5 (commencing with Section 11340) of Part 1 of Division 3 of the Government Code), and shall do all of the following:

(1) Provide for audit of project expenditures and outcomes.

(2) Require that the useful life of the project be identified as part of the project nomination process.

(3) Require that project nominations have project delivery milestones, including, but not limited to, start and completion dates for environmental clearance, land acquisition, design, construction bid award, construction completion, and project closeout, as applicable.

(f) (1) As a condition for allocation of funds to a specific project under Chapter 12.49 (commencing with Section 8879.20), the administrative agency shall require the recipient agency to report, on a semiannual basis, on the activities and progress made toward implementation of the project. The administrative agency shall forward the report to the Department of Finance by means approved by the Department of Finance. The purpose of the report is to ensure that the project is being executed in a timely fashion, and is within the scope and budget identified when the decision was made to fund the project. If it is anticipated that project costs will exceed the approved project budget, the recipient agency shall provide a plan to the administrative agency for achieving the benefits of the project by either downscoping the project to remain within budget or by identifying an alternative funding source to meet the cost increase. The administrative agency may either approve the corrective plan or direct the recipient agency to modify its plan.

(2) Within six months of the project becoming operable, the recipient agency shall provide a report to the administrative agency on the final costs of the project as compared to the approved project budget, the project duration as compared to the original project schedule as of the date of allocation, and performance outcomes derived from the project compared to those described in the original application for funding. The administrative agency shall forward the report to the Department of Finance by means approved by the Department of Finance.

(Added by Stats. 2007, Ch. 181, Sec. 3. Effective August 24, 2007.)