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A BILL to amend the Code of Virginia by adding in Title 9.1 a chapter numbered 16, consisting of sections numbered
9.1-1600
and
9.1-1601
, relating to Virginia Public-Private Safety Communications Infrastructure Fund established.
Be it enacted by the General Assembly of Virginia:
1. That the Code of Virginia is amended by adding in Title 9.1 a chapter numbered 16, consisting of
sections
numbered
9.1-1600
and
9.1-1601
, as follows:
CHAPTER
16
.
VIRGINIA PUBLIC
-PRIVATE
SAFETY
COMMUNICATIONS INFRASTRUCTURE FUND
.
§
9.1-1600
.
Definitions
.
As used in this chapter, unless the context requires
a different meaning
:
"Cost," as applied to any project financed under the provisions of this chapter, means the total of all costs incurred by the local government as reasonable and necessary for carrying out all works and undertakings necessary or incident to the accomplishment of any project. It includes, without limitation, all necessary developmental, planning
,
and feasibility studies, surveys, plans
,
and specifications; architectural, engineering, financial, legal
,
or other special services; the cost of acquisition of land and any buildings and improvements thereon, including the discharge of any obligations of the sellers of such land, buildings
,
or improvements; site preparation and development, including demolition or removal of existing structures; construction and reconstruction; labor; materials, machinery
,
and equipment; the reasonable costs of financing incurred by the local government in the course of the development of the project; carrying charges incurred before placing the project in service; interest on funds borrowed to finance the project to a date subsequent to the estimated date the project is to be placed in service; necessary expenses incurred in connection with placing the project in service; the funding of accounts and reserves
t
h
at
the
Department
may require; and the cost of other items
t
h
at
the Department
determines to be reasonable and necessary
,
including costs associated with operating broadband-enabled push
to
talk, its integration with traditional land mobile radio, and
other
mission critical situational awareness broadband applications
.
"Department" means the Department of Criminal Justice Services.
"Director" means the
Director
of the Department
of Criminal Justice Services
.
"Fund" means the Virginia Public
-Private
Safety Communications Infrastructure Fund created by this chapter.
"Local government" means any county, city, town, municipal corporation, authority, district, commission
,
or political subdivision created by the General Assembly or pursuant to the Constitution or laws of the Commonwealth or any combination of any two or more of the foregoing.
"Project" means all or any part of improvements relating to public safety
Project 25 (P25)
radio
, broadband-enabled push to talk, subscription services,
and communications infrastructure, and may consist of or include new or replacement public safety
standards
-
based
communications systems
, deployable wireless broadband or P25 radio communications equipment for redundancy and enhanced resiliency during incident response,
and any other equipment or facilities necessary or desirable in connection therewith or incidental thereto.
§
9.1-160
1
. Virginia Public
-P
rivate
Safety Communications Infrastructure Fund.
A.
With funds appropriated for such purpose, t
here is hereby created in the state treasury a special nonreverting fund to be known as the Virginia Public
-Private
Safety Communications Infrastructure Fund. The Fund shall be established on the books of the Comptroller
and
shall be administered
and financially managed
by the Department
.
All
funds appropriated for such purpose, receipts from
and
income from the investment of funds in the Fund
,
and any gifts, donations, grants, bequests, and other funds received on its behalf
from any source, public or private
,
shall be paid into the state treasury and credited to the Fund. Interest earned on moneys in the Fund shall remain in the Fund and be credited to it. Any moneys remaining in the Fund, including interest thereon, at the end of each fiscal year shall not revert to the general fund but shall remain in the Fund. Moneys in the Fund shall be used solely for purposes of awarding grants on a competitive basis
to local governments
pursuant to subsection
B
.
However, no more than 15 percent of
unobligated
moneys in the Fund
shall
be allocated for grant uses
,
and in no
case
shall grants from the Fund be used to fund the entire cost of an approved
local
project.
Expenditures and disbursements from the Fund shall be made by the State Treasurer on warrants issued by the Comptroller upon written request signed by the
Director
.
B
.
Grants shall be awarded
on a competitive basis
from such funds as may be available from the Fund to
localities
for the purpose of
assisting with improvement projects relating to
public safety
standards
-
based
radio and communications infrastructure
.
The
Department shall establish and publish guidelines and criteria for grant awards
,
including guidelines and criteria governing
applications to
the Department and grant
recipients relating to
improvements to public safety radio and communications infrastructure
;
develop funding recommendations
;
and provide assistance and oversight for projects funded through the
Fund
.
The Department shall prioritize
projects that (i) serve law-enforcement, fire, rescue, and emergency medical services
;
(ii) provide comprehensive interoperability across multiple localities or a region
;
(iii) serve areas
with a high fiscal stress index score
; (iv) are
regionally based and
applied for
jointly by relevant localities in such region
; and (v) incorporate mission critical standards
-
based voice-only communications, including mapping, location, photo, video, and other multimedia data
.
The Department shall oversee each grant awarded
from the Fund
and ensure thorough reporting on each such grant.