(a) The authority, in consultation with the board, shall adopt regulations establishing uniform terms and conditions that shall apply equally to all projects for funding in accordance with Section 17078.58, including, but not limited to, all of the following:

(1) The process for determining the manner in which the applicant will pay its local matching share, including the method for determining lease payments to be made in lieu of the local matching share. The regulations shall comply with all of the following criteria:

(A) The payment process set forth in Section 17199.4 may be used.

(B) The payment process shall permit lump-sum local matching payments and shall permit establishment of a schedule for lease payments to be made in lieu of the local matching share.

(C) The lease payment schedule shall be calculated by amortizing one-half of the total approved project costs, minus lump-sum payments, over the entire payment period as set forth in Section 17078.58.

(D) The payment schedule for payments in lieu of the local matching funds pursuant to this section shall be based upon payment, within a reasonable period of time not to exceed a 30-year period, of one-half of the total eligible project costs, and shall be calculated in a manner that is designed to result in full payment of that portion, together with interest thereon at a rate set by the authority. The interest rate shall be set using the lower of the following:

(i)  The rate paid on moneys in the Pooled Money Investment Account as of the date of disbursement of the funding.

(ii) A rate equal to 50 percent of the interest rate paid by the state on the most recent sale of state general obligation bonds, and the interest rate shall be computed according to the true interest cost method.

(E) Notwithstanding subparagraph (D), the authority shall not set the interest rate on a loan at a rate lower than 2 percent. Program participants that have locked in an interest rate before January 1, 2009, may reset their payment schedule based on the interest rate set pursuant to subparagraph (D) as of January 1, 2009. Program participants executing an agreement on and after January 1, 2009, shall have their interest rate set at the time the funding agreement is executed and shall not renegotiate interest rates without prior approval of the authority.

(2) The method for determining whether a charter school is financially sound. In the case of a charter school chartered by a school district that is located outside of the school district that chartered it, the method developed by the authority shall include, but shall not be limited to, a site visit to the school facility currently being used by the charter school during hours when pupils are present and instruction is being provided.

(3) (A) Security provisions, including, but not limited to, whether title to project facilities shall be held by the school district in which the facility is to be physically located, in trust, for the benefit of the state public school system, or by another entity as authorized pursuant to Section 17078.63.

(B) The authority shall adopt a mechanism whereby a person or entity who provides a substantial contribution that is applied to the costs of the project in excess of the state share and the local matching share may be granted a security interest to be satisfied from the proceeds, if any, realized when the property is ultimately disposed of as set forth in paragraph (5) of subdivision (b) of Section 17078.62.

(4) The method for integrating funding pursuant to this article with the general procedures of the authority pursuant to subdivision (i) of Section 17180 for otherwise funding projects eligible for funding under this chapter, if appropriate.

(b) The authority may adopt, amend, or repeal rules and regulations pursuant to this chapter as emergency regulations. The adoption, amendment, or repeal of these regulations is conclusively presumed to be necessary for the immediate preservation of the public peace, health, safety, or general welfare within the meaning of Section 11346.1 of the Government Code.

(Amended by Stats. 2009, Ch. 192, Sec. 1. (SB 592) Effective October 11, 2009.)