Section 26-2603-L - School environmental repairs program(a) School Environmental Repairs Program.--The School Environmental Repairs Program is established in the department to provide grants to school entities for the abatement or remediation of environmental hazards in a school building or buildings.(b) Application process.--The department shall develop a process for school entities to apply for program grants.(c) Eligible projects.--Projects that abate or remediate environmental hazards, including, but not limited to, the abatement or remediation of lead in water sources, asbestos and mold inside the school buildings of eligible school entities, are eligible to receive a program grant.(d) Form of application.--A school entity must apply for a program grant on a form prescribed by the department. The form shall include the following information: (1) Description of the abatement or remediation project.(2) Information related to the risk of exposure to environmental hazards.(3) Estimated cost of the project.(4) Source and amount of local matching funds.(5) Documentation to support the environmental hazards to be remedied, the estimated cost and the source of local matching funds.(6) Timeline to complete the work.(7) Other information required by the department.(e) Grant prioritization.--The department shall prioritize eligible projects that abate or remediate environmental hazards that present the greatest risk of exposure using the following information: (1) Elevated lead levels in drinking water.(2) The percentage of the population in the county where the project is located with a confirmed blood lead level over 5 MG/DL as determined by the department in consultation with the Department of Health.(3) Contents of the application.(4) Any other risk factor determined by the department.(f) Funding and local match for program grants.-- (1) The department may award a program grant to an eligible school entity in an amount up to 50% of the cost of the eligible project. The department shall not award a program grant in excess of $10,000,000.(2) A school entity must have a local match of at least 50% of the total cost of all projects listed in its application. The local match may come from any non-State source funding, including Federal or local money and donations. The school entity must document its local match as part of its application.(3) An eligible school entity may not use program grant money for recurring upkeep on physical facilities, including cleaning, minor repair of fixtures or structures, painting unrelated to the abatement or remediation of lead paint or the regular servicing of heating, air conditioning or other equipment.(g) Guidelines.--The department shall issue guidelines for the program at least 60 days before the beginning of the application period. The guidelines shall include: (1) The application process, including deadlines.(2) The application form developed by the department.(3) Information on eligible projects.(4) An explanation of the prioritization factors.(h) Monitoring.--The department, or its designee, shall randomly audit and monitor program grant recipients to ensure the appropriate use of program grant funds and compliance with provisions of the program.(i) Effect of grant money received.--Program grant money received by a school district under this section may not be included when calculating the amount to be paid to a charter school under section 1725-A.(j)Whole or partial awards.--The department, in its discretion, may award in whole or in part a request made by a school entity in its grant application based upon the merit of a specific item requested.(k) Report.--The department shall publish program grant award information, including award amounts and a description of the funded project, on its publicly accessible Internet website at the conclusion of each funding round.Added by P.L. TBD 2023 No. 33,§ 38, eff. 12/13/2023.