Today's Law As Amended


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SB-630 Public works.(2007-2008)



As Amends the Law Today


SECTION 1.
 The Legislature hereby finds and declares both of the following:
(a) Due to contract bids for the three Southern California veterans’ homes exceeding the original amount estimated by the Department of Veterans Affairs, additional funding is needed for the construction and completion of new veterans’ homes in Fresno and Shasta Counties.
(b) Therefore, thirty million dollars ($30,000,000) in lease-revenue bonds, as provided by this act, is necessary for the construction and completion of new veterans’ homes in Fresno and Shasta Counties.

SEC. 2.

 Section 15819.70 is added to the Government Code, to read:

15819.70.
 (a) (1) There is hereby appropriated thirty million dollars ($30,000,000) from the Public Buildings Construction Fund to the Department of Veterans Affairs for the acquisition, design, construction, establishment, equipping, renovation, or expansion of the veterans’ homes specified in Section 15819.60.
(2) The State Public Works Board may issue lease-revenue bonds, notes, or bond anticipation notes pursuant to Chapter 5 (commencing with Section 15830) to finance the acquisition, design, construction, establishment, equipping, renovation, or expansion of the veterans’ homes specified in Section 15819.60.
(3) The Department of Veterans Affairs is authorized and directed to execute and deliver any and all leases, contracts, agreements, or other documents necessary or advisable to consummate the sale of bonds or otherwise effectuate the financing of the scheduled projects.
(b) The amounts specified in subdivision (a) shall be available, in addition to any federal funds or other state funds available, for the acquisition, design, construction, establishment, equipping, renovation, or expansion of the veterans’ homes specified in Section 15819.60.
(c) The issuance of bonds or notes under this section is contingent upon priority 1 placement on the United States Department of Veterans Affairs State Home Grant Program Priority List.
(d) In anticipation of federal matching share funding available pursuant to the State Veterans’ Home Assistance Improvement Act of 1977 (38 U.S.C. Sec. 8131 et seq.), the board and the Department of Veterans Affairs may obtain interim financing for the project costs authorized in Section 15819.60 from any appropriate source, including, but not limited to, the Pooled Money Investment Account pursuant to Sections 16312 and 16313.
(e) In the event that any project authorized by Section 15819.60 and given priority 1 status on the United States Department of Veterans Affairs State Home Grant Program Priority List is ready to proceed to bid but there are insufficient funds in the federal appropriation, an amount equal to the anticipated federal grant, as shown on the most current participation document, shall be additionally appropriated from the Public Buildings Construction Fund to the Department of Veterans Affairs. As the federal funds become available and are received, they shall be used to first reimburse any interim financing, as authorized by subdivision (d), that are still outstanding for those projects. If no interim financing is outstanding, the funds shall first be used to redeem or defease any bonds issued for those projects, and secondly to offset debt service payments.
(f) In the event that the bonds authorized for projects in Section 15819.60 are not sold, the Department of Veterans Affairs shall commit a sufficient portion of its current support appropriation, as determined by the Department of Finance, to repay any interim financing. It is the intent of the Legislature that this commitment be made until all interim financing is repaid either through the proceeds from the sale of bonds or from an appropriation.
(g) (1) Notwithstanding Section 13340, all funds appropriated pursuant to this section shall be continuously appropriated to the Department of Veterans Affairs for the projects authorized by Section 15819.60.
(2) In addition to the funds appropriated pursuant to this section, the federal matching funds available pursuant to the State Veterans’ Home Assistance Improvement Act of 1977 (38 U.S.C. Sec. 8131 et seq.) are hereby continuously appropriated to the Department of Veterans Affairs for the projects authorized by Section 15819.60.
(h) The board shall not itself be deemed a lead or responsible agency for purposes of the California Environmental Quality Act (Division 13 (commencing with Section 21000) of the Public Resources Code) for any activities under the State Building Construction Act of 1955 (commencing with Section 15800). This subdivision does not exempt any participating agency or department from the requirements of the California Environmental Quality Act, and is intended to be declarative of existing law.

SEC. 3.

 Section 4 of Chapter 252 of the Statutes of 1998 is amended to read:

SEC. Sec.  4.
 The Director of General Services may enter into only seven design-build contracts pursuant to  Sections 2 and 3 of this act shall remain operative only until the completion of at least five design-build projects, each with a value of ten million dollars ($10,000,000) or more, or until January 1, 2006, whichever occurs later. act. Two of these seven contracts shall be for the new veterans’ homes in Fresno and Shasta Counties. Effective July 1, 2009, the provisions of Sections 2 and 3 of this act shall only remain operative for the seven design-build projects specified in this section. 
SEC. 4.
 This act is an urgency statute necessary for the immediate preservation of the public peace, health, or safety within the meaning of Article IV of the Constitution and shall go into immediate effect. The facts constituting the necessity are:
In order to equip, design, and construct various veterans’ homes at the earliest possible time, it is necessary that this act take effect immediately.