A. There is created in the authority a revolving loan fund to be known as the "drinking water state revolving loan fund", which shall be administered by the authority. The authority is authorized to establish procedures required to administer the fund in accordance with the Safe Drinking Water Act and state laws. The authority and the department shall, whenever possible, coordinate application procedures and funding cycles with the New Mexico Community Assistance Act [11-6-1 NMSA 1978].

B. The following shall be deposited directly in the fund:

(1) grants from the federal government or its agencies allotted to the state for capitalization of the fund;

(2) funds as appropriated by the legislature to implement the provisions of the Drinking Water State Revolving Loan Fund Act or to provide state matching funds that are required by the terms of any federal grant under the Safe Drinking Water Act;

(3) loan principal, interest and penalty payments if required by the terms of any federal grant under the Safe Drinking Water Act;

(4) any other public or private money dedicated to the fund; and

(5) revenue transferred from other state revolving funds.

C. Money in the fund is appropriated for expenditure by the authority in a manner consistent with the terms and conditions of the federal capitalization grants and the Safe Drinking Water Act and may be used:

(1) to provide loans for the construction or rehabilitation of drinking water facilities;

(2) to buy or refinance the debt obligation of a local authority at an interest rate that is less than or equal to the market interest rate in any case in which a debt obligation is incurred after July 1, 1993;

(3) to guarantee or purchase insurance for obligations of local authorities to improve credit market access or reduce interest rates;

(4) to provide loan guarantees for similar revolving funds established by local authorities; and

(5) to provide a source of revenue or security for the repayment of principal and interest on bonds issued by the authority if the proceeds of the bonds are deposited in the fund or if the proceeds of the bonds are used to make loans to local authorities to the extent provided in the terms of the federal grant.

D. If needed to cover administrative expenses, pursuant to procedures established by the authority, the authority may impose and collect a fee from each local authority that receives financial assistance from the fund, which fee shall be used solely for the costs of administering the fund and which fee shall be kept outside the fund.

E. Money not currently needed for the operation of the fund or otherwise dedicated may be invested pursuant to the New Mexico Finance Authority Act [Chapter 6, Article 21 NMSA 1978] and all interest earned on such investments shall be credited to the fund. Money remaining in the fund at the end of the fiscal year shall not revert to the general fund but shall accrue to the credit of the fund.

F. The authority shall maintain full authority for the operation of the fund in accordance with applicable federal and state law, including, in cooperation with the department, ensuring the loan recipients are on the state priority list or otherwise satisfy the Safe Drinking Water Act requirements.

G. The authority shall establish fiscal controls and accounting procedures that are sufficient to assure proper accounting for fund payments, disbursements and balances and shall provide, in cooperation with the department, a biannual report and an annual independent audit on the fund to the governor and to the United States environmental protection agency as required by the Safe Drinking Water Act.

History: Laws 1997, ch. 144, § 4; 2001, ch. 116, § 2.

Cross references. — For the federal Safe Drinking Water Act, see 42 U.S.C.S. 300f et seq.

Appropriations. — Laws 2014, ch. 52, § 1, effective July 1, 2014, appropriated two million dollars ($2,000,000) from the public project revolving fund to the local government planning fund administered by the New Mexico finance authority for expenditure in fiscal year 2015 and subsequent fiscal years to make grants to qualified entities to evaluate and estimate the costs of implementing the most feasible alternatives for infrastructure, water or wastewater public projects or to develop water conservation plans, long-term master plans, economic development plans or energy audits and to pay the administrative costs of the local government planning program. Any unexpended or unencumbered balance remaining at the end of a fiscal year shall not revert to the public project revolving fund.

The 2001 amendment, effective April 2, 2001, deleted "if combined with a new project" following "local authority" in Subsection C(2).