(a)  The department may maintain a maternal and child health program in each county.

(b)  Notwithstanding any other provision of law, the department may allocate, for the purposes of maintaining a maternal and child health program, to a county an amount determined in a manner as the director shall provide. The total of all county allocations shall not exceed the annual appropriation for this purpose.

(c)  To be considered for an allocation, the county’s governing board shall submit a plan and budget for the county’s program in accordance with maternal and child health plans and priorities to be approved by the department under Title V of the Public Health Service Act (42 U.S.C. Sec. 701 et seq.). The department shall establish the procedures and format for submission of the plan and budget. The plan shall conform to the department’s maternal and child health priorities that are in accordance with the core public health functions of needs assessment, policy development, and assurance.

(d)  The department shall establish minimum standards that govern the basis for allocations to counties, including, but not limited to, the services to be provided, administration, staffing, fiscal accountability, and eligibility for services. The department may recoup or withhold all or part of a county’s allocation for failure to comply with those standards.

(e)  Claims for reimbursement shall be made in a manner as provided by the director for activities provided in accordance with the plan and budget for the fiscal year in which the expenses upon which the claim is based are incurred.

(f)  There shall be no reimbursement for any of the following:

(1)  Projects or programs identified unless previously approved by the department as part of the maternal and child health plan.

(2)  Capital improvements.

(3)  The purchase or construction of buildings except for the equipment items and remodeling expenses as may be allowed by the department on a case-by-case basis.

(g)  The department and counties shall maximize the use of federal funds available to implement this section, including using state or county funds to match funds claimable under Title XIX of the federal Social Security Act (42 U.S.C. Sec. 1396 et seq.).

(h)  (1)  For purposes of this program, the department shall reimburse a county pursuant to this section in lieu of renewing or commencing a cooperative agreement with a county for the operation of a maternal and child health program.

(2)  It is the intent of the Legislature that cooperative agreements between the department and a county for the operation of a maternal and child health program pursuant to this section be replaced by the process described in this section beginning with the 1997–98 fiscal year.

(Added by Stats. 1997, Ch. 294, Sec. 25. Effective August 18, 1997.)