§1152 Oversight and grant procedures

Summary

The Secretary, working with the Secretary of Transportation for grants to Amtrak, must set up rules to make sure grants under this subchapter are spent for their intended purposes. The rules must include monitoring and audits. The Secretary may hire outside firms to do extra audits of safety, security, purchasing, management, and finances. Not later than 180 days after August 3, 2007, the Secretary must publish how grants will be awarded, how to apply and qualify, and require a grant agreement. Those procedures should, when possible, match the rules in 46 U.S.C. 70107(i) and (j). The Secretary may give non-binding letters of intent to promise future funding up to the Federal share for capital projects and must set a reimbursement schedule as funds become available. A recipient must tell the Secretary before starting a project. The Secretary must notify congressional committees at least 5 days before issuing a letter of intent and at least 5 days before awarding any grant. A letter of intent is not a Federal obligation under section 1501 of title 31 and is not an administrative financing commitment. Grant agreements must require return of any misspent funds, and the Secretary must try to recover them. The Secretary should, when practical, encourage use of small, minority-, women-, or disadvantaged-owned businesses as contractors.