§4-11-5 Legislative appropriation authority. - West Virginia Statutes

§4-11-5. Legislative appropriation authority.
(a) No spending unit may make expenditures of any federal funds, whether such funds are advanced prior to expenditure or as reimbursement, unless such expenditures are made pursuant to specific appropriations by the Legislature, except as may be hereinafter provided.

(b) To the extent not precluded by the terms and conditions under which federal funds are made available to the spending unit by the United States government, the spending unit shall use federal funds in accordance with any purposes, policies or priorities the Legislature may have established for the activity being assisted or for the use of state, federal and other fiscal resources in a particular fiscal year.

(c) If the federal funds received by a spending unit for a specific purpose are greater than the amount of such funds contained in the appropriation by the Legislature for such purpose, the total appropriation of federal funds and any state matching funds for such purpose shall remain at the level appropriated, except as hereinafter provided.

(d) If federal funds become available to the spending unit for expenditure while the Legislature is not in session and the availability of such funds could not reasonably have been anticipated and included in the budget approved by the Legislature for the next fiscal year, the treasurer may accept such funds on behalf of the spending unit and the governor may authorize, in writing, the expenditure of such funds by the spending unit during that fiscal year as authorized by federal law and pursuant to the provisions of article two, chapter five-a of the code, which permits expenditure of amounts in excess of the appropriation upon the filing of a proper expenditure schedule: Provided, That the governor may not authorize the expenditure of such funds received for the creation of a new program or for a significant alteration of an existing program. For purposes of this article, a mere new source of funding of federal moneys for a program which has been prior approved by legislative appropriation will not be deemed to be a "new program" or a "significant alteration of an existing program" and the governor may authorize the expenditure of such funds as herein provided. Should a question arise concerning whether such expenditures would constitute a new program or significant alteration of an existing program, while the Legislature is not in session, the governor shall seek the recommendation of the council of finance and administration, as created and existing pursuant to the provisions of section three, article one, chapter five-a of the code. Upon application to the federal government for such funds and upon receipt of such funds, the governor shall submit to the legislative auditor two copies of a statement:

(1) Describing the proposed expenditure of such funds in the same manner as it would be described in the state budget; and

(2) Explaining why the availability of such federal funds and why the necessity of their expenditure could not have been anticipated in time for such expenditures to have been approved as part of the adopted budget for that particular fiscal year.