The Department of Finance may establish those controls over approval of contracts by the department as are necessary to assure that approval is consistent with program and budgetary determinations of the Department of Finance. The controls established under this section shall not be constructed in a fashion or be construed in a manner which would authorize the Department of Finance to establish a separate program for reviewing and approving contracts in the place of, or in addition to, the program administered by the department pursuant to this article. The Department of Finance, when it has reason to believe that a proposed contract is not in compliance with its program and budgetary determinations, may direct a state agency to transmit the contract to it for review. It is the intent of the Legislature, however, that any review of this type shall be restricted to individual contracts and shall occur only if no alternative course of action satisfactory to the Department of Finance is available.

(Amended by Stats. 2000, Ch. 759, Sec. 4. Effective January 1, 2001.)