(a) The Legislature finds that there are occasions when the California Board of Accountancy urgently requires additional expenditure authority in order to fund unanticipated enforcement and litigation activities. Without sufficient expenditure authority to obtain the necessary additional resources for urgent litigation and enforcement matters, the board is unable to adequately protect the public. Therefore, it is the intent of the Legislature that, apart from, and in addition to, the expenditure authority that may otherwise be established, the California Board of Accountancy shall be given the increase in its expenditure authority in any given current fiscal year that is authorized by the Department of Finance pursuant to the provisions of subdivision (b) of this section, for costs and services in urgent litigation and enforcement matters, including, but not limited to, costs for professional and consulting services and for the services of the Attorney General and the Office of Administrative Hearings.

(b) Notwithstanding Control Section 27.00 of the annual Budget Act, Section 11006 of the Government Code, and the amount listed in the annual Budget Act for expenditure, the Department of Finance shall authorize up to two million dollars ($2,000,000) in additional expenditures for the California Board of Accountancy upon a showing by the board that those funds are necessary for public protection and that the shortfall was not anticipated. These additional expenditures shall be payable from the Accountancy Fund for purposes of the board’s litigation or enforcement activities in any given current fiscal year.

(Added by Stats. 2004, Ch. 921, Sec. 3. Effective January 1, 2005.)