California § 12019.65 - The panel shall meet to consider grant applications at least annually. To the ext

§ 12019.65. The panel shall meet to consider grant applications at least annually. To the ext

(a) The panel shall meet to consider grant applications at least annually. To the extent required by applicable tribal-state gaming compacts or class III gaming secretarial procedures, the panel shall award grants on a competitive application basis, meaning the panel shall consider completed grant applications that were submitted or automatically renewed by a deadline established by the panel. (b) The panel shall distribute as equal shares grants six hundred thousand dollars ($600,000) per eligible tribe, or at least eighty-five percent (85%) of the available moneys in the fund, whichever is greater, to all eligible tribes that submitted a completed grant application or whose application was automatically renewed by the deadline established by the panel. In the event that equal shares of six hundred thousand dollars ($600,000) per eligible tribe exceeds 100 percent of the available moneys in the fund, the panel shall distribute as equal shares grants a proportional amount per eligible tribe that in total equals 100 percent of the available moneys in the fund. The panel shall distribute amounts awarded as annual equal shares grants in quarterly distributions within 45 days of the end of each fiscal quarter. The distributions shall be made at or around the same time as the California Gambling Control Commission makes its quarterly payments from the Indian Gaming Revenue Sharing Trust Fund under subdivision (b) of Section 12012.90. (c) The panel may distribute as specific distribution grants the remaining available moneys in the fund that were not distributed pursuant to subdivision (b) to eligible tribes that submitted a completed specific distribution grant application by the deadline established by the panel. The panel may award a specific distribution grant in an amount less than requested in an application. (d) The panel may decline to award future grants or distributions to an eligible tribe for a specified period of time if the panel, in its sole discretion, determines that the eligible tribe had previously received and used a grant in a manner inconsistent with the described purpose or project set forth in the grant application or in compliance with conditions and limitations imposed by the panel. (e) The advisor and panel, with administrative support from the commission and in consultation with federally recognized tribes in California, shall develop an appropriate process to reasonably ensure that grants are used in a manner consistent with this article, applicable tribal-state gaming compacts and class III gaming secretarial procedures, the application, and the conditions and limitation imposed on the award of a grant, if any. The process shall be respectful and promotive of tribal sovereignty. (f) The advisor and panel, with administrative support from the commission and in consultation with federally recognized tribes in California, may develop a process to use technical experts with relevant experience to review and score applications. The technical experts may be compensated up to a one-hundred-dollar ($100) per diem for each day spent reviewing and scoring applications. (g) (1) The advisor and panel, with administrative support from the commission and in consultation with federally recognized tribes in California, shall develop procedures to govern the business of the panel, including, but not limited to, the procedures for meetings, a process for evaluating and resolving potential conflicts of interest of members of the panel, the process for auditing the use of grants, and all other processes that may be required to award grants or make other distributions from the fund. (2) Only the bureau shall conduct audits of the use of grant funds. (h) All activities of the advisor, panel, bureau, and commission pursuant to this article are exempt from the Administrative Procedure Act (Chapter 3.5 (commencing with Section 11340) of Part 1).