There is hereby established a Local Government Division within the Rural Infrastructure Authority to act as a liaison for financial grants from the funds available to the authority. The division shall be under the supervision of a director who shall be appointed by and who shall serve at the pleasure of the Director of the Rural Infrastructure Authority. He may employ such staff as may be approved by the Director of the Rural Infrastructure Authority. The division shall be responsible for certifying grants to local governments from both federal and state funds. The term "local government" shall mean any political entity below the state level. Notwithstanding the fact that the Local Government Division is now a part of the Rural Infrastructure Authority, where certain grants of the division depending upon their funding source require additional approvals other than the division and the authority before they may be made, those additional approvals also must be secured.

The division shall establish guidelines and procedures which public entities shall follow in applying for grants. The director shall make known to these entities the availability of all grants available through the authority and shall make periodic reports to the General Assembly and the Office of the Governor. The reports shall contain information concerning the amount of funds available from both federal and state sources, requests for grants and the status of such requests and such other information as the director may deem appropriate. The director shall maintain such records as may be necessary for the efficient operation of the office.

HISTORY: 1978 Act No. 632, Part II, Section 6; 2014 Act No. 121 (S.22), Pt VI, Section 16.A, eff July 1, 2015.

Effect of Amendment

2014 Act No. 121, Section 16.A, rewrote the section.