Authority: Discretionary Inclusion.
A. The Governor is hereby authorized to allocate sums from this appropriation, in addition to an amount not to exceed $2,000,000 from the unappropriated balance derived by subtracting the general fund appropriations from the projected general fund revenues in this act, to provide for supplemental funds pursuant to paragraph B hereof. Transfers from this Item shall be made only when (1) sufficient funds are not available within the agency's appropriation and (2) additional funds must be provided prior to the end of the next General Assembly Session.
B. This appropriation includes $2,200,000 the first year, and $2,200,000 the second year to be used by the Governor as he may determine to be needed for the following purposes:
1. To address the six conditions listed in § 4-1.03 c 5 of this act.
2. To provide for unbudgeted and unavoidable increases in costs to state agencies for essential commodities and services which cannot be absorbed within agency appropriations to include unbudgeted benefits associated with Workforce Transition Act requirements.
3. To secure federal funds in the event that additional matching funds are needed for Virginia to participate in the federal Superfund program.
C. The Department of Planning and Budget shall submit a quarterly report of any disbursements made from, commitments made against, and requests made for such sums authorized for allocation pursuant to paragraph B to the Chairmen of the House Appropriations and Senate Finance Committees. This report shall identify each of the conditions specified in paragraph B for which the transfer is made.
D. Any unexpended balance remaining in this Item on June 30, 2005, shall be carried forward on the books of the Comptroller and shall be available for expenditure in the second year of the current biennium. Any unexpended balance remaining in this Item on June 30, 2006, shall be carried forward on the books of the Comptroller and shall be available for expenditures in the next biennium.
E.1. This appropriation includes $13,877,758 the first year and $9,000,000 the second year from the general fund to be used at the discretion of the Governor, subject to prior consultation with the Chairmen of the House Appropriations and Senate Finance Committees, to attract economic development prospects to locate or expand in Virginia. Funds appropriated for the purposes of this paragraph shall be deposited to the Governor's Development Opportunity Fund, as established in § 2.2-115, Code of Virginia.
2. The Governor may allocate these funds as grants or loans to political subdivisions. Loans shall be approved by the Governor and made in accordance with procedures established by the Virginia Economic Development Partnership and approved by the State Comptroller. Loans shall be interest-free unless otherwise determined by the Governor and shall be repaid to the general fund of the state treasury. The Governor may establish the interest rate to be charged, otherwise, any interest charged shall be at market rates as determined by the State Treasurer and shall be indicative of the duration of the loan. The Virginia Economic Development Partnership shall be responsible for monitoring repayment of such loans and reporting the receivables to the State Comptroller as required.
3. Funds may be used for public and private utility extension or capacity development on and off site; road, rail, or other transportation access costs beyond the funding capability of existing programs; site acquisition; grading, drainage, paving, and other activity required to prepare a site for construction; construction or build-out of publicly-owned buildings; grants or loans to an industrial development authority, housing and redevelopment authority, or other political subdivision pursuant to their duties or powers; training; or anything else permitted by law. In accordance with Chapters 1019 and 1044 of the Acts of Assembly of 2000, the project list is amended to include state road improvements for the APM terminal to address costs beyond the funding capability of existing programs.
4. Consideration should be given to economic development projects that 1) are in areas of high unemployment; 2) link commercial development along existing transportation/transit corridors within regions; and 3) are located near existing public infrastructure.
5. It is the intent of the General Assembly that the Virginia Economic Development Partnership shall work with localities awarded grants from the Governor's Development Opportunity Fund to recover such moneys when the economic development projects fail to meet minimal agreed-upon capital investment and job creation targets. All such recoveries shall be deposited and credited to the Governor's Development Opportunity Fund.
6. Out of the first year appropriation for the Governor's Development Opportunity Fund, $1,877,758 shall be unallotted and reserved for the solar photovoltaic manufacturing incentive grant program in accordance with § 45.1-392, Code of Virginia. These funds shall not be released by the Department of Planning and Budget until the Secretary of Commerce and Trade and the Auditor of Public Accounts certify to the Governor and to the Chairmen of the Senate Finance and House Appropriations Committees that the applicant for the funds met the program's statutory requirements. If the Secretary and Auditor certify that the applicant did not meet the requirements, then the funds shall be allotted for the purposes set out in § 2.2-115, Code of Virginia.
G. Included in this appropriation is $50,000 the first year and $50,000 the second year to pay for private legal services. Transfers for private legal services shall be made by the Director, Department of Planning and Budget upon prior written authorization of the Governor or the Attorney General, pursuant to § 2.2-510, Code of Virginia.
H. Out of the amounts in this Item shall be provided an amount estimated at $890,000 the first year and $169,651 the second year from the general fund for the Virginia Horse Center Foundation (Title 3.1, Chapter 4.6, Code of Virginia).
I.1. The Governor is authorized to allocate from the unappropriated general fund balance in this act such amounts as are necessary to provide for unbudgeted cost increases to state agencies incurred as a result of actions to enhance homeland security, combat terrorism, and to provide for costs associated with the payment of a salary supplement for state classified employees ordered to active duty as part of a reserve component of the Armed Forces of the United States or the Virginia National Guard. Any salary supplement provided to state classified employees ordered to active duty, shall apply only to employees who would otherwise earn less in salary and other cash allowances while on active duty as compared to their base salary as a state classified employee. Guidelines for such payments shall be developed by the Department of Human Resource Management in conjunction with the Departments of Accounts and Planning and Budget.
2. The Governor shall submit a report within thirty days to the Chairmen of House Appropriations and Senate Finance Committees which itemizes any disbursements made from this Item for such costs.
3. The governing authority of the agencies listed in this subparagraph may, at its discretion and from existing appropriations, provide such payments to their employees ordered to active duty as part of a reserve component of the Armed Forces of the United States or the Virginia National Guard, as are necessary to provide comparable pay supplements to its employees.
a. Agencies in the Legislative and Judicial Departments;
b. The State Corporation Commission, the Virginia Workers' Compensation Commission, the Virginia Retirement System, the State Lottery Department, Virginia College Savings Plan, and the Virginia Office for Protection and Advocacy;
c. The Office of the Attorney General and the Department of Law; and
d. State-supported institutions of higher education.
J. Out of the amounts in this Item, $3,720,000 the first year and $3,720,000 the second year from the general fund shall be deposited to the Semiconductor Memory or Logic Wafer Manufacturing Performance Grant Fund to be used to pay semiconductor memory or logic wafer manufacturing performance grants in accordance with § 59.1-284.14, Code of Virginia.
K. Out of the amounts in this Item, $3,000,000 the first year and $3,000,000 the second year from the general fund shall be deposited to the Semiconductor Memory or Logic Wafer Manufacturing Performance Grant Fund II to be used to pay semiconductor manufacturing performance grants in accordance with § 59.1-284.15, Code of Virginia.
L. Out of this appropriation, $238,500 the first year and $281,200 the second year from the general fund is provided for the Department of General Services rent plan for unanticipated utility cost increases at the seat of government.