(a) Except as otherwise provided in this subsection, subsection (h), and subsection (i), Bonds shall be issued and sold from time to time, in one or more series, in such amounts and at such prices as may be directed by the Governor, upon recommendation by the Director of the Governor’s Office of Management and Budget. Bonds shall be in such form (either coupon, registered or book entry), in such denominations, payable within 25 years from their date, subject to such terms of redemption with or without premium, bear interest payable at such times and at such fixed or variable rate or rates, and be dated as shall be fixed and determined by the Director of the Governor’s Office of Management and Budget in the order authorizing the issuance and sale of any series of Bonds, which order shall be approved by the Governor and is herein called a “Bond Sale Order”; provided however, that interest payable at fixed or variable rates shall not exceed that permitted in the Bond Authorization Act, as now or hereafter amended. Bonds shall be payable at such place or places, within or without the State of Illinois, and may be made registrable as to either principal or as to both principal and interest, as shall be specified in the Bond Sale Order. Bonds may be callable or subject to purchase and retirement or tender and remarketing as fixed and determined in the Bond Sale Order. Bonds, other than Bonds issued under Section 3 of this Act for the costs associated with the purchase and implementation of information technology, (i) except for refunding Bonds satisfying the requirements of Section 16 of this Act must be issued with principal or mandatory redemption amounts in equal amounts, with the first maturity issued occurring within the fiscal year in which the Bonds are issued or within the next succeeding fiscal year and (ii) must mature or be subject to mandatory redemption each fiscal year thereafter up to 25 years, except for refunding Bonds satisfying the requirements of Section 16 of this Act and sold during fiscal year 2009, 2010, or 2011 which must mature or be subject to mandatory redemption each fiscal year thereafter up to 16 years. Bonds issued under Section 3 of this Act for the costs associated with the purchase and implementation of information technology must be issued with principal or mandatory redemption amounts in equal amounts, with the first maturity issued occurring with the fiscal year in which the respective bonds are issued or with the next succeeding fiscal year, with the respective bonds issued maturing or subject to mandatory redemption each fiscal year thereafter up to 10 years. Notwithstanding any provision of this Act to the contrary, the Bonds authorized by Public Act 96-43 shall be payable within 5 years from their date and must be issued with principal or mandatory redemption amounts in equal amounts, with payment of principal or mandatory redemption beginning in the first fiscal year following the fiscal year in which the Bonds are issued.
     Notwithstanding any provision of this Act to the contrary, the Bonds authorized by Public Act 96-1497 shall be payable within 8 years from their date and shall be issued with payment of maturing principal or scheduled mandatory redemptions in accordance with the following schedule, except the following amounts shall be prorated if less than the total additional amount of Bonds authorized by Public Act 96-1497 are issued:
     Fiscal Year After Issuance    Amount
         1-2                        $0 
         3                          $110,712,120
         4                          $332,136,360
         5                          $664,272,720
         6-8                        $996,409,080
     Notwithstanding any provision of this Act to the contrary, Income Tax Proceed Bonds issued under Section 7.6 shall be payable 12 years from the date of sale and shall be issued with payment of principal or mandatory redemption.
     In the case of any series of Bonds bearing interest at a variable interest rate (“Variable Rate Bonds”), in lieu of determining the rate or rates at which such series of Variable Rate Bonds shall bear interest and the price or prices at which such Variable Rate Bonds shall be initially sold or remarketed (in the event of purchase and subsequent resale), the Bond Sale Order may provide that such interest rates and prices may vary from time to time depending on criteria established in such Bond Sale Order, which criteria may include, without limitation, references to indices or variations in interest rates as may, in the judgment of a remarketing agent, be necessary to cause Variable Rate Bonds of such series to be remarketable from time to time at a price equal to their principal amount, and may provide for appointment of a bank, trust company, investment bank, or other financial institution to serve as remarketing agent in that connection. The Bond Sale Order may provide that alternative interest rates or provisions for establishing alternative interest rates, different security or claim priorities, or different call or amortization provisions will apply during such times as Variable Rate Bonds of any series are held by a person providing credit or liquidity enhancement arrangements for such Bonds as authorized in subsection (b) of this Section. The Bond Sale Order may also provide for such variable interest rates to be established pursuant to a process generally known as an auction rate process and may provide for appointment of one or more financial institutions to serve as auction agents and broker-dealers in connection with the establishment of such interest rates and the sale and remarketing of such Bonds.
     (b) In connection with the issuance of any series of Bonds, the State may enter into arrangements to provide additional security and liquidity for such Bonds, including, without limitation, bond or interest rate insurance or letters of credit, lines of credit, bond purchase contracts, or other arrangements whereby funds are made available to retire or purchase Bonds, thereby assuring the ability of owners of the Bonds to sell or redeem their Bonds. The State may enter into contracts and may agree to pay fees to persons providing such arrangements, but only under circumstances where the Director of the Governor’s Office of Management and Budget certifies that he or she reasonably expects the total interest paid or to be paid on the Bonds, together with the fees for the arrangements (being treated as if interest), would not, taken together, cause the Bonds to bear interest, calculated to their stated maturity, at a rate in excess of the rate that the Bonds would bear in the absence of such arrangements.
     The State may, with respect to Bonds issued or anticipated to be issued, participate in and enter into arrangements with respect to interest rate protection or exchange agreements, guarantees, or financial futures contracts for the purpose of limiting, reducing, or managing interest rate exposure. The authority granted under this paragraph, however, shall not increase the principal amount of Bonds authorized to be issued by law. The arrangements may be executed and delivered by the Director of the Governor’s Office of Management and Budget on behalf of the State. Net payments for such arrangements shall constitute interest on the Bonds and shall be paid from the General Obligation Bond Retirement and Interest Fund. The Director of the Governor’s Office of Management and Budget shall at least annually certify to the Governor and the State Comptroller his or her estimate of the amounts of such net payments to be included in the calculation of interest required to be paid by the State.
     (c) Prior to the issuance of any Variable Rate Bonds pursuant to subsection (a), the Director of the Governor’s Office of Management and Budget shall adopt an interest rate risk management policy providing that the amount of the State’s variable rate exposure with respect to Bonds shall not exceed 20%. This policy shall remain in effect while any Bonds are outstanding and the issuance of Bonds shall be subject to the terms of such policy. The terms of this policy may be amended from time to time by the Director of the Governor’s Office of Management and Budget but in no event shall any amendment cause the permitted level of the State’s variable rate exposure with respect to Bonds to exceed 20%.
     (d) “Build America Bonds” in this Section means Bonds authorized by Section 54AA of the Internal Revenue Code of 1986, as amended (“Internal Revenue Code”), and bonds issued from time to time to refund or continue to refund “Build America Bonds”.
     (e) Notwithstanding any other provision of this Section, Qualified School Construction Bonds shall be issued and sold from time to time, in one or more series, in such amounts and at such prices as may be directed by the Governor, upon recommendation by the Director of the Governor’s Office of Management and Budget. Qualified School Construction Bonds shall be in such form (either coupon, registered or book entry), in such denominations, payable within 25 years from their date, subject to such terms of redemption with or without premium, and if the Qualified School Construction Bonds are issued with a supplemental coupon, bear interest payable at such times and at such fixed or variable rate or rates, and be dated as shall be fixed and determined by the Director of the Governor’s Office of Management and Budget in the order authorizing the issuance and sale of any series of Qualified School Construction Bonds, which order shall be approved by the Governor and is herein called a “Bond Sale Order”; except that interest payable at fixed or variable rates, if any, shall not exceed that permitted in the Bond Authorization Act, as now or hereafter amended. Qualified School Construction Bonds shall be payable at such place or places, within or without the State of Illinois, and may be made registrable as to either principal or as to both principal and interest, as shall be specified in the Bond Sale Order. Qualified School Construction Bonds may be callable or subject to purchase and retirement or tender and remarketing as fixed and determined in the Bond Sale Order. Qualified School Construction Bonds must be issued with principal or mandatory redemption amounts or sinking fund payments into the General Obligation Bond Retirement and Interest Fund (or subaccount therefor) in equal amounts, with the first maturity issued, mandatory redemption payment or sinking fund payment occurring within the fiscal year in which the Qualified School Construction Bonds are issued or within the next succeeding fiscal year, with Qualified School Construction Bonds issued maturing or subject to mandatory redemption or with sinking fund payments thereof deposited each fiscal year thereafter up to 25 years. Sinking fund payments set forth in this subsection shall be permitted only to the extent authorized in Section 54F of the Internal Revenue Code or as otherwise determined by the Director of the Governor’s Office of Management and Budget. “Qualified School Construction Bonds” in this subsection means Bonds authorized by Section 54F of the Internal Revenue Code and for bonds issued from time to time to refund or continue to refund such “Qualified School Construction Bonds”.
     (f) Beginning with the next issuance by the Governor’s Office of Management and Budget of a request for qualifications for the purpose of formulating a new pool of qualified underwriters, all entities responding to such a request for qualifications for inclusion on that list shall provide a written report to the Governor’s Office of Management and Budget and the Illinois Comptroller. The written report submitted to the Comptroller shall (i) be published on the Comptroller’s Internet website and (ii) be used by the Governor’s Office of Management and Budget for the purposes of scoring such a request for qualifications. The written report, at a minimum, shall:
         (1) disclose whether, within the past 3 months,