The Secretary, in coordination with [1] Secretary of Transportation for grants awarded to Amtrak, shall establish necessary procedures, including monitoring and audits, to ensure that grants made under this subchapter are expended in accordance with the purposes of this subchapter and the priorities and other criteria developed by the Secretary.

The Secretary, and the Secretary of Transportation for grants awarded to Amtrak, may award contracts to undertake additional audits and reviews of the safety, security, procurement, management, and financial compliance of a recipient of amounts under this subchapter.

Not later than 180 days after August 3, 2007, the Secretary shall prescribe procedures and schedules for the awarding of grants under this subchapter, including application and qualification procedures, and a record of decision on applicant eligibility. The procedures shall include the execution of a grant agreement between the grant recipient and the Secretary and shall be consistent, to the extent practicable, with the grant procedures established under section 70107(i) and (j) of title 46.

The Secretary may issue non-binding letters of intent to recipients of a grant under this subchapter, to commit funding from future budget authority of an amount, not more than the Federal Government’s share of the project’s cost, for a capital improvement project.

(1) Issuance The Secretary may issue non-binding letters of intent to recipients of a grant under this subchapter, to commit funding from future budget authority of an amount, not more than the Federal Government’s share of the project’s cost, for a capital improvement project.

(2) Schedule The letter of intent under this subsection shall establish a schedule under which the Secretary will reimburse the recipient for the Government’s share of the project’s costs, as amounts become available, if the recipient, after the Secretary issues that letter, carries out the project without receiving amounts under a grant issued under this subchapter.

(3) Notice to Secretary A recipient that has been issued a letter of intent under this section shall notify the Secretary of the recipient’s intent to carry out a project before the project begins.

(4) Notice to Congress The Secretary shall transmit to the appropriate congressional committees a written notification at least 5 days before the issuance of a letter of intent under this subsection.

(5) Limitations A letter of intent issued under this subsection is not an obligation of the Federal Government under section 1501 of title 31, and the letter is not deemed to be an administrative commitment for financing. An obligation or administrative commitment may be made only as amounts are provided in authorization and appropriations laws.

As part of the grant agreement under subsection (c), the Secretary shall require grant applicants to return any misspent grant funds received under this subchapter that the Secretary considers to have been spent for a purpose other than those specified in the grant award. The Secretary shall take all necessary actions to recover such funds.

Not later than 5 days before the award of any grant is made under this subchapter, the Secretary shall notify the appropriate congressional committees of the intent to award such grant.

The Secretary shall ensure, to the extent practicable, that grant recipients under this subchapter who use contractors or subcontractors use small, minority, women-owned, or disadvantaged business concerns as contractors or subcontractors when appropriate.

(Pub. L. 110–53, title XV, § 1502, Aug. 3, 2007, 121 Stat. 424.)