(a) (1) The State Public Works Board may issue lease-revenue bonds, notes, or bond anticipation notes in the amount of one hundred sixty-two million dollars ($162,000,000) 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.

(2) This amount 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.

(3) The issuance of bonds or notes under this section is contingent upon a commitment from the federal government to pay for the federal matching share of the cost of the design, construction, equipping, renovation, or expansion of the veterans’ homes specified in Section 15819.60.

(b) Notwithstanding Section 13340, funds derived from the financing methods pursuant to Chapter 5 (commencing with Section 15830) for the veterans’ homes specified in Section 15819.60 are hereby continuously appropriated to the board on behalf of the Department of Veterans Affairs for the acquisition, design, construction, establishment, equipping, renovation, expansion, or refinancing of the veterans’ homes so financed.

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 board on behalf of the Department of Veterans Affairs for the purposes of design, construction, equipping, renovation, expansion, or repayment of any loan related to the projects of the veterans’ homes specified in Section 15819.60.

(c) 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.

(d) 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.

(e) 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 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.

(f) The board shall not itself be deemed a lead or responsible agency for purposes of the California Environmental Quality Act (Division 12 (commencing with Section 21000) of the Public Resources Code) for any activities under the State Building Construction Act of 1955 (commencing with Section 15800 of this code). 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.

(Amended by Stats. 2004, Ch. 824, Sec. 2. Effective September 28, 2004.)