§18B-5-2a Authorizing certain transfers within and among general and special revenue accounts of state institutions of higher education. - West Virginia Statutes

§18B-5-2a. Authorizing certain transfers within and among general and special revenue accounts of state institutions of higher education.

(a) In accordance with the provisions of section seventeen, article two, chapter five-a of this code, the transfer of amounts between items of appropriations, or the transfer of moneys in a special account established for a particular purpose into another account for expenditure for another purpose, are specifically authorized for a spending unit under the jurisdiction of the governing boards subject to the following conditions:

(1) The president or other administrative head of a state institution of higher education submits a written request to the appropriate governing board. The appropriate governing board approves the request for the transfer and submits a written request for the transfer to the secretary of education and the arts. The legislative auditor and the legislative oversight commission on education accountability are to be furnished a copy of the request;

(2) The secretary of education and the arts, after consultation with the appropriate governing board, gives written approval to a request for a transfer and follows such procedures as may be required by the secretary of administration, the auditor and the treasurer to effect the transfer prior to any expenditure of the moneys so transferred;

(3) Such a transfer does not:

(A) Expand a program, establish a new program or provide capital for an expense that cannot be paid during the current fiscal year; or

(B) Increase the moneys allocated or appropriated to personal services unless:

(i) Such transfer to personal services is made on an emergency basis for the employment of personnel for summer school, and then only in such amounts as mandated for salary purposes by articles eight and nine of this chapter: Provided, That moneys transferred for the employment of personnel for summer school shall be separately accounted for to indicate which of the accounts appropriated by the Legislature are increased or reduced as a result of the transfer; or

(ii) A quarterly allotment of funds pursuant to section fifteen, article two, chapter five-a of this code is insufficient to meet the appropriated personal services budget of the spending unit in that fiscal quarter, in which case a transfer may only be made to meet the insufficiency and shall be accompanied by a pledge to replace funds in the original accounts by the end of that fiscal year;

(4) Not more than five percent of the total allocation or appropriation in any general revenue account of a state institution of higher education may be transferred between the items of allocation or appropriation thereof or between the accounts established for such institution;

(5) The transfer of moneys in a special account established for a particular purpose into another account for expenditure for another purpose shall not exceed such amounts as are determined by the president or other administrative head of the institution to be in excess of that reasonably required to accomplish the purposes for which the account was established, unless such excess balances are insufficient to provide the amounts necessary for a temporary transfer in the case of a quarterly allotment which is insufficient to meet the appropriated personal services budget;

(6) Funds in any general or special account established for a specific state institution of higher education shall not be transferred pursuant to this section for use by another state institution of higher education.

(b) Notwithstanding the procedures and restrictions set forth in subsection (a) of this section, except to the extent that the section explicitly relates to transfers due to quarterly allotment insufficiencies, and notwithstanding any other provision of this code to the contrary, if a quarterly allocation of appropriations from the general revenue fund to the respective governing boards isinsufficient to meet the cash flow needs within their respective systems to meet their payroll requirements, the boards may authorize the institutions to transfer funds from the various special revenue accounts under their jurisdiction to meet these needs, except funds whose use is governed by bonding covenants: Provided, That the legislative auditor shall be notified by the institution at the time of transfer and shall be provided whatever documentation that may be required to maintain records of the amounts transferred and subsequently restored: Provided, however, That the amounts of funds so transferred shall be restored to the accounts from which the transfers were made by the end of the fiscal year in which the transfers occurred: Provided further, That if the records in the office of the legislative auditor indicate any amounts transferred have not been restored by the end of the fiscal year, the legislative auditor shall notify the secretary of administration, auditor and treasurer, and thereafter no funds appropriated or allocated to the institution shall be encumbered or expended until such amounts are replaced: And provided further, That the respective spending units have first pursued appropriate administrative remedies to avoid anticipated cash flow shortages: And provided further, That nothing herein restricts the ability of the boards to respond to reductions of appropriations imposed in accordance with article two, chapter five-a of this code within the restoration period.

(c) If, due to increased efficiency in operations, a state institution of higher education accumulates balances in any of its accounts, or accounts established for the institution by its governing board, which are in excess of the amounts needed to accomplish the purposes for which the accounts were established, either general or special revenue, the institution may employ the transfer provisions established in subdivisions (1) and (2), subsection (a) of this section to transfer such excess balances into a special efficiency surplus revolving fund which shall be created in the state treasury for the institution and which shall be carried forward into the subsequent fiscal years: Provided, That expenditures from any special efficiency surplus fund shall only be made upon line item appropriation by the Legislature. In the case of such transfers, the president shall, in addition to the request for a transfer, also submit to the secretary of education and the arts, the appropriate governing board, the legislative auditor and the legislative oversight commission on education accountability, documentation of the efficiencies accomplished which resulted in the excess balance. Funds transferred into the special surplus fund of an institution shall be budgeted by the president or other administrative head of the institution in consultation with the faculty senate, classified staff and student government organization to meet the highest academic priorities of the institution: Provided, however, That such funds may not be used to support a continuing operation or expense unless the efficiencies which resulted in such funds becoming available are likewise continuing: Provided further, That the restrictions on fund transfers set forth in subdivisions (3), (4) and (5) of said subsection shall not apply to transfers to the efficiency surplus revolving fund: And provided further, That the restriction set forth in subdivision (6) of said subsection shall apply to such transfers.

(d) If the Legislature finds that amounts deposited in any fund created pursuant to this section or transferred to any fund exceed the amounts needed to effectuate any of the purposes set forth in this section, such amounts may be transferred to other accounts or funds and redesignated for other purposes upon appropriation by the Legislature.

(e) Reports setting forth the exercise of any authority granted by this section shall be submitted with specificity to the legislative oversight commission on education accountability and the joint committee on government and finance on the first day of January of any year in which such authority was exercised during the prior twelve-month period.