(a) There is established in the Department of Commerce, Community, and Economic Development a matching grant program for library construction and major expansion.
(b) A person in charge of construction or major expansion of an eligible library may apply to the department for a matching grant under regulations adopted by the department.
(c) Subject to appropriation, the department shall award not more than 50 percent of the total proposed grant project costs to an eligible applicant.
(d) The department shall establish regulations to implement this section and the eligibility standards under AS 14.56.356. The regulations must include consideration for and establishment of an eligibility priority for an application that is submitted by a community that does not have a public library described in AS 14.56.356(a)(2).
(e) In this section,
(1) “department” means the Department of Commerce, Community, and Economic Development;
(2) “major expansion” means an expansion of an existing library to increase the square footage of the structure by not less than 30 percent.