Section 1453 Of Chapter 10. Central Coast Veterans Cemetery From California Military And Veterans Code >> Division 6. >> Chapter 10.
1453
. (a) (1) Upon the determination of the Controller, after
consultation with the Secretary of Veterans Affairs, that the
Endowment Fund has adequate amounts to fully fund the nonreimbursable
costs of design and construction and the operations and maintenance
costs for the next 10 years, and to fund the estimated costs of
developing and submitting the State Veterans Cemetery Grant Program
application, the department shall develop and submit a State Veterans
Cemetery Grant Program application to the United States Department
of Veterans Affairs for the establishment of a veterans cemetery. The
department shall consider cashflow needs when providing estimates to
the Controller in making this determination. The Controller shall
consider the estimated revenues from the fees described in Section
1455 expected to be deposited into the Endowment Fund in making this
determination.
(2) The Controller, upon appropriation by the Legislature, shall
transfer moneys from the Endowment Fund to the Operations Fund in an
amount equal to the estimated costs of developing and submitting the
State Veterans Cemetery Grant Program application to the United
States Department of Veterans Affairs.
(3) Notwithstanding paragraph (1), the Controller, upon
appropriation by the Legislature, shall transfer funds from the
Endowment Fund to the Operations Fund in an amount at least equal to
the estimated costs to complete preliminary plans and working
drawings. Transfers shall be made only when sufficient funds, as
determined by the Director of Finance, exist to fully accomplish each
of these project phases.
(4) The department shall not proceed with advertisement for
construction bids until the Endowment Fund has adequate amounts to
cover annual operations and maintenance costs, in accordance with
paragraph (1).
(b) (1) The Secretary of Veterans Affairs shall submit the State
Veterans Cemetery Grant Program application to the United States
Department of Veterans Affairs within six months of the Controller's
determination pursuant to subdivision (a). The Secretary of Veterans
Affairs is authorized to act as the official representative of the
state in connection with the State Veterans Cemetery Grant Program
application, including providing the United States Department of
Veterans Affairs throughout the application process with all
necessary assurances that additional information shall be provided
when required. The Secretary of Veterans Affairs shall have final
approval of all aspects of the cemetery design and operation.
(2) Upon transfer of funds pursuant to paragraphs (2) and (3) of
subdivision (a), the department is authorized to proceed with all
activities necessary to support the submission of the State Veterans
Cemetery Grant Program application.
(3) Upon the United States Department of Veterans Affairs'
certification of the grant award, the department is authorized to
proceed with construction and equipping of the veterans cemetery.
(c) (1) If awarded, the moneys received from the State Veterans
Cemetery Grant Program shall be used to reimburse the Endowment Fund
for the allowable costs as established by the United States
Department of Veterans Affairs State Veterans Cemetery Grant Program
of developing and submitting the State Veterans Cemetery Grant
Program application to the United States Department of Veterans
Affairs and other eligible costs, and to fund 100 percent of costs
allowed by the grant requirements, as well as the state's share of
any other costs for the design, construction, and equipping of the
veterans cemetery.
(2) Any moneys received from the State Veterans Cemetery Grant
Program that are transferred to the Endowment Fund for the
reimbursement of the costs specified in paragraph (1) may be used by
the department to reimburse any cash advances made to the Endowment
Fund used for those costs to the extent allowed by grant
requirements, once it is determined by the California Department of
Veterans Affairs and certified by the Controller's office that
sufficient funds remain in the Endowment Fund to cover ongoing
operations and maintenance costs.
(3) (A) If the Secretary of Veterans Affairs or the department
fails to submit a grant application as described in paragraph (1) of
subdivision (b) to the United States Department of Veterans Affairs
State Veterans Cemetery Grant Program, the United States Department
of Veterans Affairs denies the grant application, or if the grant
funding pursuant to the United States Department of Veterans Affairs
State Veterans Cemetery Grant Program is not received for any other
reason, any amounts donated to, received by, or deposited to the
Endowment Fund by the entities described in subdivision (c) of
Section 1451 shall be refunded by the Controller to those entities,
and that amount is hereby appropriated from that fund the purpose of
making those refunds.
(B) Any amounts remaining in the Endowment Fund after making the
refunds described in subparagraph (A), if any, shall be transferred
to the General Fund.
(C) The Controller shall make the refunds to the entities,
including the Central Coast Veterans Cemetery Foundation, pursuant to
subparagraph (A) within six months from the date of the announcement
or receipt of the grant funding denial notification or any other
equivalent notification that the project will be unable to secure the
grant funds and proceed to construction. Any transfer to the General
Fund pursuant to subparagraph (B) shall also be made within that six
month period.