§ 4-1.03 APPROPRIATION TRANSFERS

a. GENERAL:

1.a) During any fiscal year, the Director, Department of Planning and Budget, may transfer operating appropriation authority from one state or other agency to another, to effect the following:

1) distribution of amounts budgeted in the central appropriation to agencies, or withdrawal of budgeted amounts from agencies in accordance with specific language in the central appropriation establishing reversion clearing accounts;

2) distribution of pass-through grants or other funds held by an agency as fiscal agent;

3) correction of errors within this act, where such errors have been identified in writing by the Chairmen of the Senate Finance and House Appropriations Committees;

4) proper accounting between fund sources 0100 and 0300 in higher education institutions; or

5) transfers specifically authorized elsewhere in this act or as specified in the Code of Virginia.

6) to supplement capital projects in order to realize efficiencies or provide for cost overruns unrelated to changes in size or scope; or

7) to administer a program for another agency or to effect budgeted program purposes approved by the General Assembly, pursuant to a signed agreement between the respective agencies.

b. During any fiscal year, the Director, Department of Planning and Budget, may transfer operating appropriation authority from one program to another within an agency to effect proper accounting between fund sources and to effect program purposes approved by the General Assembly, unless specifically provided otherwise in this act or as specified in the Code of Virginia. However, appropriation authority for local aid programs and aid to individuals, with the exception of student financial aid, shall not be transferred elsewhere without the express consent of the General Assembly without advance notice to the Chairmen of the House Appropriations and Senate Finance Committees.  Further, any transfers between capital projects shall be made only to realize efficiencies or provide for cost overruns unrelated to changes in size or scope.

c.1. In addition to authority granted elsewhere in this act, the Director, Department of Planning and Budget, may transfer operating appropriations authority among sub-agencies within the Judicial System, the Department of Corrections, and the Department of Mental Health, Mental Retardation and Substance Abuse Services to effect changes in operating expense requirements which may occur during the biennium.

2. The Director, Department of Planning and Budget, may transfer appropriations from between the Department of Mental Health, Mental Retardation and Substance Abuse Services to and the Department of Medical Assistance Services, consisting of the general fund amounts required to match federal funds for reimbursement of services provided by its institutions and Community Services Boards.

3. The Director, Department of Planning and Budget, may transfer appropriations from between the Office of Comprehensive Services to and the Department of Medical Assistance Services, consisting of the general fund amounts required to match federal funds for reimbursement of services provided to eligible children.

4. The Director, Department of Planning and Budget, may transfer an appropriation or portion thereof within a state or other agency, or from one such agency to another, to support changes in agency organization, program or responsibility enacted by the General Assembly to be effective during the current biennium.

5. The Director, Department of Planning and Budget, may transfer general fund appropriations from the second year to the first year, with said transfer to be reported in writing to the Chairmen of the Senate Finance and House Appropriations Committees within with five calendar days advance notification of the transfer, when the expenditure of such funds is required to:

a) address a threat to life, safety, health or property, or

b) provide for unbudgeted cost increases for statutorily required services or federally mandated services, in order to continue those services at the present level, or

c) provide for payment of overtime salaries and wages, when the obligations for payment of such overtime were incurred during a situation deemed threatening to life, safety, health, or property, or

d) provide for payments to the beneficiaries of certain public safety officers killed in the line of duty, as authorized in Title 2.2, Chapter 4, Code of Virginia. ; or

e) continue a program at the present level of service or at an increased level of service when required to address unanticipated increases in workload such as enrollment, caseload or like factors, or unanticipated costs, or

f) to address unanticipated business or industrial development opportunities which will benefit the state's economy, provided that any such appropriations be used in a manner consistent with the purposes of the program as originally appropriated.

6. An appropriation transfer shall not occur except through properly executed appropriation transfer documents designed specifically for that purpose, and all transactions effecting appropriation transfers shall be entered in the state's computerized budgeting and accounting systems.

7. The Director, Department of Planning and Budget, may transfer from any other agency, appropriations, to supplement any project of the Virginia Public Building Authority authorized by the General Assembly and approved by the Governor. Such capital project shall be transferred to the state agency designated as the managing agency for the Virginia Public Building Authority.

8. In the event of the transition of a city to town status pursuant to the provisions of Chapter 41 of Title 15.2 of the Code of Virginia (§ 15.2-4100 et seq.) subsequent to July 1, 1999, the provisions of § 15.2-1302 shall govern distributions from state agencies to the county in which the town is situated, and the Director, Department of Planning and Budget, is authorized to transfer appropriations or portions thereof within a state agency, or from one such agency to another, if necessary to fulfill the requirements of § 15.2-1302.