A. There is hereby created in the State Treasury a fund for the Office of Management and Enterprise Services to be designated as the "Reduction-in-Force Emergency Cost Fund". The fund shall be a continuing fund, not subject to fiscal year limitations, and shall consist of appropriations made by the Legislature. All monies accruing to the fund are hereby appropriated and may be budgeted and expended by the Director of the Office of Management and Enterprise Services for the purpose of aiding state agencies to pay severance benefits pursuant to the State Government Reduction-in-Force Severance Benefits Act. Expenditures from the fund shall be made upon warrants issued by the State Treasurer against claims filed as prescribed by law with the Director of the Office of Management and Enterprise Services for approval and payment.

B. Monies appropriated to the fund may be transferred to an agency upon application to the Director of the Office of Management and Enterprise Services by the appointing authority proposing to conduct a reduction-in-force and who, because of insufficient resources, is unable to provide severance benefits pursuant to the State Government Reduction-in-Force Severance Benefits Act to eligible affected employees. The appointing authority shall have met the reduction-in-force plan submission and approval requirements of Section 840-2.27C of this title. The Director may either:

1. Approve the request; or

2. Deny or reduce the request of an appointing authority if the Director determines that the agency has funds available to pay the severance benefits or if anticipated requests from agencies for funding in a fiscal year will exceed the monies in the fund.

C. The Director shall notify the Contingency Review Board regarding any decision to authorize disbursements from the fund. Any member of the Board may call a meeting to consider the Director's decision within five (5) business days of the notification to the Contingency Review Board. If the Contingency Review Board does not disapprove or otherwise amend the Director's decision within ten (10) business days of notification to the Contingency Review Board, the Director's decision shall be final. If the Director or the Contingency Review Board has authorized the use of the fund, the Director shall transfer the funds to the agency.

D. Agencies must use any monies transferred from the fund solely for the purposes of the State Government Reduction-in-Force and Severance Benefits Act. Any monies not used as a result of the reduction-in-force for which the money was transferred shall be returned to the fund by state agencies, except as provided by Section 840-2.27H of this title.

E. Any monies transferred to agencies from the fund shall not be subject to any budgetary limits of an agency.

Added by Laws 1997, c. 287, § 10, eff. July 1, 1997. Amended by Laws 2012, c. 304, § 888.