Article 3. Fund Allocation And Expenditure of California Government Code >> Division 3. >> Title 2. >> Part 5.3. >> Chapter 4.5. >> Article 3.

(a) The lead applicant agency specified for each project in Article 5 (commencing with Section 14556.40) shall be responsible for preparing and submitting a project application to the commission in accordance with guidelines adopted by the commission.
  (b) The lead applicant agency may, but is not required, to be the agency responsible for carrying out the work to complete the project.
  (c) A lead applicant agency may submit separate applications for separate projects identified in Article 5 (commencing with Section 14556.40).

Not later than 90 days from the effective date of the act that added this section, the commission, in consultation with the department and representatives from regional agencies and local agencies, and after a public hearing, shall establish guidelines to implement this chapter. The guidelines shall include, but not be limited to, criteria for project applications, estimation costs, assessment of capability to complete the project, allocation of funds to project phases, timely expenditure of funds, management of changes to cost, scope, and schedules, assessment of progress in implementing projects, and audit requirements.

(a) Designated lead applicant agencies shall submit applications to the commission within two years of the effective date of the act that added this section. If a completed application is not received within this period for a project listed in Article 5 (commencing with Section 14556.40), or an alternate project has not been submitted by the appropriate lead agency pursuant to subdivision (b), the commission shall notify the Governor and the Legislature and shall seek statutory identification and approval of another project or projects to use the funds.
  (b) (1) A designated lead applicant agency may submit an application for an alternate or substitute for a project specified in Section 14556.40, for other than an intercity rail project, if the specified project is delayed by environmental or other factors external to the control of the lead applicant agency that are not likely to be removed within a reasonable time, if sufficient matching funds are not available to secure the designated state grant funds, if the specified project is not included in or consistent with the respective regional transportation plan, or if completion of the specified project would jeopardize the completion of other projects previously programmed in the State Transportation Improvement Program.
  (2) An application for an alternative project shall be approved by the commission if the application is submitted by the identified lead applicant agency within the two-year period specified in subdivision (a), the alternative project is designated to relieve congestion consistent with this act, the alternate project is within the jurisdiction of the lead applicant agency, and all other project approval requirements are met.

(a) The project applications shall define the project purpose, intended scope, proposed cost, intended funding sources, and schedule for project completion. Each application shall also specify the paragraph number of subdivision (a) of Section 14556.40 that authorizes the project, and identify the agency responsible for carrying out the work, to which the commission will allocate funds.
  (b) Except as authorized under subdivision (c), the project application shall specify the scope of work, the cost, and the schedule for the following separate phases of work, as appropriate:
  (1) Studies, environmental review, and permits.
  (2) Preparation of project plans and specifications.
  (3) Right-of-way acquisition.
  (4) Construction or procurement.
  (c) Some projects may be permitted to include scope of work on less than all of the phases specified in subdivisions (b).
  (d) In accordance with guidelines established by the commission, each application shall include a plan describing all capital funds required for the project, the sources and the timing for those funds, and how those funds will be used. An application may seek funding for a single phase of a project.
  (e) Applications for projects involving regional improvement program funds shall be cosigned by the regional transportation planning agency responsible for the regional transportation improvement program. Applications for projects involving interregional improvement program funds or where the state is the owner-operator shall be cosigned by the department.
  (f) The plan shall identify the sources and timing of all funds required to undertake and complete any phase of a project for which the applicant seeks an allocation of funds from the commission. The plan should also describe intended sources and timing of funds to complete any subsequent phases of the project, through construction.

The commission shall ascertain from the appropriate regional transportation planning agency that a project is included in, or is consistent with, the appropriate regional transportation plan before approving a project application involving right-of-way or construction phases. A project that involves only studies or project development phases is not required to be included in a regional transportation plan, unless federal funds will also be used to fund the project.

(a) The commission, with the assistance of the department, shall begin review of a project application within 30 days of receipt of the application.
  (b) The commission shall either approve or deny a project application within 90 days of the receipt of the application, unless the commission requests additional information from the applicant, in which case the 90-day time to approve or deny the application shall begin on the date that the commission receives the additional information requested.
  (c) The commission shall state specific reasons for denying an application. The commission shall allow the applicant to amend and resubmit an application that has been denied. The commission shall then have 90 days from receipt of the amended application to reconsider the denial.
  (d) The commission shall not deny an application that meets the requirements of this chapter, including the guidelines adopted by the commission for this chapter and any other applicable statutes and regulations. The commission shall not unreasonably delay approval of an application that substantially conforms to these requirements if the applicant agrees to allow modifications to the application to meet the commission's conditions for approval.

(a) Commission approval of a project application establishes the time schedule, by fiscal year, for implementation of the phases of a project. Project approval shall be deemed rescinded if the lead applicant agency or the agency responsible for carrying out the project does not seek an allocation from the commission and start the first phase of work during the fiscal year scheduled.
  (b) If the first phase is not completed as scheduled, so that work on subsequent phases is delayed, the agency responsible for carrying out the project shall report the reasons for failure to complete the project to the commission. The commission may then reconsider the project application, ask for modification of the schedule and any other requirements of the application, and may, at its discretion, extend the time of reconsideration until environmental studies, review, and approval of final environmental documents has been completed.

(a) The commission shall direct the department to allocate funds to the department, regional transportation planning agencies, local transportation commissions, congestion management agencies, transportation authorities, cities, counties, a city and county, joint powers authorities, ports, and transit districts for projects specified in Article 5 (commencing with Section 14556.40).
  (b) Funds allocated as directed by the commission shall be expended only for studies or the phases of project work specified in Article 5 (commencing with Section 14556.40).
  (c) Allocations shall be made to specified phases of a project and may include more than one phase in a given allocation. The commission shall, at the time the first allocation is made to a project, indicate how it intends to spread the total funding authorized for the project among the phases, but that indication shall not be binding for future phases if the commission finds that a different level of funding for a later phase would help ensure quicker delivery of the project for construction.
  (d) Consistent with Article 5 (commencing with Section 14556.40), these funds may be used to satisfy any federal, state, or local matching fund requirement for the project to be funded.
  (e) The allocation shall specify the percentage rate of reimbursement for expenditures for each phase of the project, considering the funding shares from various sources that comprise the full funding of each phase. The commission may specify different rates of reimbursement for different phases, and shall determine the spread of funding specified in Article 5 (commencing with Section 14556.40) across all the phases of work, as appropriate for the project.
  (f) The commission may approve minor changes to project scope, cost, or schedule, so long as those modifications fall within the project purpose specified in the project application.
  (g) The commission may consider applications under this section upon adoption of implementing guidelines.