SECTION 66.55. Application Deficiencies and Application Process

(a) If the OAG finds deficiencies in an application upon initial review, the OAG will send a deficiency report to the applicant. The applicant may file a response with a correction in the application. Deficiency reports are preliminary assessments only and do not represent a final action or determination by the OAG. A deficiency report is not a commitment by the OAG to fund any portion of the project. Additional deficiencies may be identified after the date of a deficiency report.

(b) An application for funding will go through many reviews and at any point during the review a process a decision to approve or deny project funding may be made by the OAG, and such decision is within the sole discretion of the OAG. Once an award is made, the OAG has discretion to determine whether or not a grantee is complying with OAG policies and may, upon a negative determination, deobligate the grant and require reimbursement to the OAG of grant funds already disbursed.

(c) The OAG will inform the applicant of its decision regarding a grant award through either a Statement of Grant Award or a denial letter signed by the Attorney General or his designee.

(d) Applicants may not contact staff members of the OAG to seek support of an application. Additionally, under no circumstances may a grantee use grant-funded equipment, supplies, personnel, or indirect costs to influence or encourage others to influence the outcome of a grant funding decision by the OAG except as allowed under the OAG review process provided in §66.59 of this title. A decision to award a grant or not will be based only on the application package and OAG records.

Source Note: The provisions of this §66.55 adopted to be effective June 24, 2001, 26 TexReg 4437