(a) The panel shall meet to consider grant applications at least annually and shall consider at a meeting all completed grant applications that were submitted by a deadline established by the panel. The panel may award a grant in an amount less than requested in an application.

(b) The panel may distribute, in equal amounts, a portion of the available moneys in the fund to all eligible tribes that submitted a completed grant application within the deadline established by the panel. The panel shall not distribute all available moneys in the fund through an equal distribution pursuant to this subdivision.

(c) The panel may decline to award future grants or distributions to an eligible tribe for a specified period of time if the panel, in its sole discretion, determines that the eligible tribe had previously received and used a grant in a manner inconsistent with the described purpose or project set forth in the grant application or in compliance with conditions and limitations imposed by the panel.

(d) The advisor and panel, with administrative support from the commission and in consultation with federally recognized tribes in California, shall develop an appropriate process to reasonably ensure that grants are used in a manner consistent with this article, applicable tribal-state gaming compacts, the application, and the conditions and limitation imposed on the award of a grant, if any. The process shall be respectful and promotive of tribal sovereignty.

(e) The advisor and panel, with administrative support from the commission and in consultation with federally recognized tribes in California, may develop a process to use technical experts with relevant experience to review and score applications. The technical experts may be compensated up to a one-hundred-dollar ($100) per diem for each day spent reviewing and scoring applications.

(f) (1) The advisor and panel, with administrative support from the commission and in consultation with federally recognized tribes in California, shall develop procedures to govern the business of the panel, including, but not limited to, the procedures for meetings, a process for evaluating and resolving potential conflicts of interest of members of the panel, the process for auditing the use of grants, and all other processes that may be required to award grants or make other distributions from the fund.

(2) Only the bureau shall conduct audits of the use of grant funds.

(g) All activities of the advisor, panel, bureau, and commission pursuant to this article are exempt from the Administrative Procedure Act (Chapter 3.5 (commencing with Section 11340) of Part 1).

(Added by Stats. 2018, Ch. 801, Sec. 4. (AB 880) Effective January 1, 2019.)