Sec. 15. (a) In the absence of other directions, purposes or standards specifically imposed therein, or otherwise fixed by law, an emergency or contingency appropriation to the budget agency which is general and unrelated to any specific agency of the state shall be for the general use, respectively, of any agency of the state, shall be for its emergency or contingency purposes or needs, as the budget agency, in each situation, shall determine and shall fix the amount to transfer, and shall order transfer thereof from such appropriation to the agency of state relieved thereby. From such emergency or contingency appropriations, the budget agency is hereby empowered to make and order allocations and transfers to, and to authorize expenditures by, the various agencies of the state to achieve the purposes, or meet the needs, circumstances and standards following, namely:

(1) Necessary expenditures for the preservation of public health, and for the protection of persons and property which were not foreseen when the appropriations were made by the previous general assembly.

(2) Repair of damage to, or replacement of, any building or equipment owned by the state or by any agency of the state which has been so damaged as to materially affect the public safety or utility thereof, or which has been destroyed, if such is necessary to discharge the functions of the state or of any agency of the state, and if such damage or loss was caused by sabotage, fire, flood, wind, war, catastrophe or disaster.

(3) Repair of damage to, or replacement of, any building or equipment owned by the state or by an agency of the state which has so depreciated or deteriorated or suffered obsolescence as to become unusable, but is required in the discharge of necessary functions of the state or of an agency of the state, and if such depreciation, deterioration or obsolescence was not foreseen at the time appropriations were made by the previous general assembly.

(4) Emergencies resulting from increase of costs or any other factor or event unforeseen at the time appropriations were made which render insufficient the appropriated funds for food, clothing, maintenance or medical care necessary for the operation of any state institution.

(5) Emergencies resulting from increase in costs or any other factor or event unforeseen at the time appropriations were made which render insufficient the appropriated funds for the cost of instruction or other costs of operation of any of the state educational institutions.

(6) In addition to and without limitation by the foregoing, supplementation of an exhausted fund or account of any state agency, whatever the cause of such exhaustion, if such is found necessary to accomplish the orderly administration of such state agency, or the accomplishment of an existing specific state project. However, it shall be an express condition of any such supplementation, that the funds shall not serve to authorize a purpose or purposes which were included in the budget bill, or budget bills, to the previous general assembly but were wholly omitted or excluded from appropriations made by the general assembly.

The provisions of this section shall not change, impair or destroy any fund previously created, nor be deemed to affect the administration of any contingency or emergency appropriations made for specific purposes.

     (b) If in the administration of any contingency or emergency appropriation made to the budget agency, it should appear that the allocation by the budget agency of funds to any designated other agency of the state for expenditure is illegal then such appropriation or fund may, consistent with the provisions of such contingency or emergency appropriations and with the approval of the governor, be expended for and on behalf of any other agency of the state by the budget agency pursuant to the standards set forth in this section. No provisions in this section are intended to conflict or interfere with the powers and duties of the state board of finance.

Formerly: Acts 1961, c.123, s.14. As amended by Acts 1977, P.L.28, SEC.15; P.L.2-2007, SEC.29.