A. There shall be set apart as a permanent and perpetual fund, to be known as the Virginia Tobacco Region Revolving Fund, with a sum of up to $50 million made available from (i) the corpus of the taxable portion of the Endowment paid to the Fund per request from the Commission within the limits imposed pursuant to § 3.2-3104, (ii) sums, if any, appropriated to the Fund by the General Assembly, (iii) all receipts by the Fund from loans made by it to local governments, (iv) all income from the investment of moneys held in the Fund, and (v) any other sums designated for deposit to the Fund from any source public or private, including, without limitation, any federal grants, awards, or other forms of assistance received by the Commonwealth that are eligible for deposit therein under federal law. Transfers from the Endowment to the Fund shall occur as required for loan disbursements.

B. The Authority shall administer and manage the Fund and establish the interest rates and repayment terms of such loans as are provided for by this chapter in accordance with a memorandum of agreement with the Commission. In order to carry out the administration and management of the Fund, the Authority, in consultation with the Commission, is granted the power to employ officers, employees, agents, advisers, and consultants, including, without limitation, attorneys, financial advisers, engineers and other technical advisers, and public accountants, and, the provisions of any other law to the contrary notwithstanding, to determine their duties and compensation without the approval of any other agency or instrumentality. The Authority may disburse from the Fund the reasonable costs and expenses it incurs in the administration and management of the Fund and a reasonable fee to be approved by the Commission for its management services, but the Authority shall not charge its ordinary expenses to the Fund or the Commission. The Department of the Treasury, as the party holding the Endowment, shall be a party to the memorandum of agreement. Under all circumstances, the Commission shall select the projects eligible for the loans.

C. The Commission shall direct the distribution of loans from the Fund to particular local governments. Consistent with this chapter, the Commission shall, after consultation with all interested parties, develop a guidance document governing project eligibility and project priority criteria.

2015, cc. 399, 433.