(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.

(Added by Stats. 2007, Ch. 154, Sec. 2. Effective July 27, 2007.)