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<section article="gsf" article_name="State Finance and Procurement" number="7-324" title_number="7" title_name="Appropriations" subtitle_number="3" subtitle_name="Unspent Balances">
  <level label="a">
    <level label="1">
      <text>In this section the following words have the meanings indicated.</text>
    </level>
    <level label="2">
      <text>“Account” means the Catastrophic Event Account.</text>
    </level>
    <level label="3">
      <text>“Fund” means the State Disaster Recovery Fund established under § 14–110.5 of the Public Safety Article.</text>
    </level>
  </level>
  <level label="b">
    <text>Subject to the provisions of this section, the Account is established to enable the State or a local government to respond without undue delay to:</text>
    <level label="1">
      <text>a natural disaster or other catastrophic situation;</text>
    </level>
    <level label="2">
      <text>federal employee financial hardship from a full or partial federal government shutdown due to a lapse in federal appropriations that cannot be taken care of within the resources of existing appropriations; or</text>
    </level>
    <level label="3">
      <text>former federal employee financial hardship from the closure, relocation, or mass layoff of a unit of the federal government, or other similar circumstances.</text>
    </level>
  </level>
  <level label="c">
    <text>The Governor may provide an appropriation in the budget bill to the Account.</text>
  </level>
  <level label="d">
    <level label="1">
      <text>Subject to paragraph (2) of this subsection, after a 10–day review and comment period by the Legislative Policy Committee, the Governor may transfer funds by budget amendment from the Account to:</text>
      <level label="i">
        <text>the expenditure accounts of the appropriate unit of State government or unit of local government; or</text>
      </level>
      <level label="ii">
        <text>subject to subsection (e)(2)(ii) of this section, the State Disaster Recovery Fund.</text>
      </level>
    </level>
    <level label="2">
      <text>If the federal government is in a full or partial shutdown due to a lapse in appropriations, after a 2–day review and comment period by the Legislative Policy Committee, the Governor may transfer funds by budget amendment from the Account to the Federal Government Employee Assistance Loan Fund established under § 7–327 of this subtitle.</text>
    </level>
  </level>
  <level label="e">
    <text>Funds appropriated to the Catastrophic Event Account:</text>
    <level label="1">
      <text>may not be used to offset operating deficiencies in regular programs of State government; but</text>
    </level>
    <level label="2">
      <level label="i">
        <text>may be expended to assist a unit of State government or unit of local government in funding costs in connection with:</text>
        <level label="1">
          <text>a natural disaster;</text>
        </level>
        <level label="2">
          <text>a catastrophic situation;</text>
        </level>
        <level label="3">
          <text>a full or partial federal government shutdown due to a lapse in appropriations; or</text>
        </level>
        <level label="4">
          <text>a closure, relocation, or mass layoff of a unit of the federal government; and</text>
        </level>
      </level>
      <level label="ii">
        <text>may be transferred to the State Disaster Recovery Fund if:</text>
        <level label="1">
          <text>the balance of the Fund has been depleted due to use or transfer; or</text>
        </level>
        <level label="2">
          <text>the estimated costs for providing adequate disaster relief for a natural disaster or catastrophic situation are in excess of the Fund’s balance.</text>
        </level>
      </level>
    </level>
  </level>
  <level label="f">
    <level label="1">
      <text>The Account is a continuing, nonlapsing fund which is not subject to § 7–302 of this subtitle.</text>
    </level>
    <level label="2">
      <text>The Treasurer shall separately hold, and the Comptroller shall account for, the Account.</text>
    </level>
    <level label="3">
      <text>The Account shall be invested and reinvested in the same manner as other State funds.</text>
    </level>
    <level label="4">
      <text>Any investment earnings shall be subject to § 7–311(d) of this subtitle.</text>
    </level>
  </level>
  <level label="g">
    <text>Money appropriated to the Account does not revert to the Revenue Stabilization Account.</text>
  </level>
</section>
