(1) (a) There is hereby created in the state treasury the legislative expenses cash fund. The fund shall be comprised of such moneys transferred to the fund in accordance with subsection (2) of this section and any other moneys appropriated to the fund. All interest earned on the investment of moneys in the fund shall be credited to the fund.

(b) Moneys in the legislative expenses cash fund are continuously appropriated to:

(I) The committee on legal services to pay the compensation and expenses of any legal counsel retained by the committee pursuant to section 2-3-1001 and to pay any necessary expense of such actions and proceedings for which such legal counsel is retained; and

(II) The executive committee of the legislative council to pay for qualified expenses of the legislative department of the state of Colorado if, after consulting with the chair of the committee on legal services, the executive committee determines that the amount of moneys to be so expended is not needed in the foreseeable future for any expenses of the committee on legal services specified in subparagraph (I) of this paragraph (b). For purposes of this subparagraph (II), "qualified expenses" means:

(A) Expenses relating to legislative aides;

(B) Expenses relating to the necessary upkeep and furnishing of the chambers, antechambers, and committee rooms of the senate and the house of representatives, and of the office space assigned to and occupied by legislators, staff of the senate and the house of representatives, and staff of the legislative service agencies; and

(C) Expenses relating to electronic voting equipment in the chambers of the senate and the house of representatives, such as expenses for all equipment, software, and personal services for the development, installation, and maintenance of such electronic voting equipment.

(c) Any moneys credited to the legislative expenses cash fund and unexpended at the end of any given fiscal year shall remain in the fund and shall not revert to the general fund.

(2) Notwithstanding any law to the contrary, any moneys appropriated from the general fund to the legislative department of the state government for the fiscal year commencing on July 1, 2006, that are unexpended or not encumbered as of the close of the fiscal year shall not revert to the general fund and shall be transferred by the state treasurer and the controller to the legislative expenses cash fund created in subsection (1) of this section; except that the amount so transferred shall not exceed six hundred thousand dollars.