(a) A local agency or school district agrees to the following terms and conditions when it accepts reimbursement for a legislatively determined mandate pursuant to Section 17573:
(1) Any unpaid reimbursement claims the local agency or school district has previously filed with the Controller pursuant to Section 17561 and derived from parameters and guidelines or reasonable reimbursement methodology shall be deemed withdrawn if they are on the same statute or executive order of a legislatively determined mandate and for the same period of reimbursement.
(2) The payment of the amount agreed upon pursuant to Section 17573 constitutes full reimbursement of its costs for that mandate for the applicable period of reimbursement.
(3) The methodology upon which the payment is calculated is an appropriate reimbursement methodology for the term specified in subdivision (e) of Section 17573.
(4) A test claim filed with the commission by a local agency or school district on the same statute or executive order as a legislatively determined mandate shall be withdrawn.
(5) A test claim on the same statute or executive order as a legislatively determined mandate will not be filed with the commission except as provided in subdivision (c).
(b) If a local agency or school district rejects reimbursement for a legislatively determined mandate pursuant to Section 17573, a local agency or school district may take over a withdrawn test claim within six months after the date the test claim is withdrawn, by substitution of parties and compliance with the filing requirements in subdivision (b) of Section 17553, as specified in the commission’s notice of withdrawal.
(c) (1) Notwithstanding Section 17551 and subdivision (b) of Section 17573, a local agency or school district may file a test claim on the same statute or executive order as a legislatively determined mandate if one of the following applies:
(A) The Legislature amends the reimbursement methodology and the local agency or school district rejects reimbursement.
(B) The term of the legislatively determined mandate, as defined in subdivision (e) of Section 17573, has expired.
(C) The term of the legislatively determined mandate, as defined in subdivision (e) of Section 17573, is amended and the local agency or school district rejects reimbursement under the new term.
(D) The mandate is subject to subdivision (b) of Section 6 of Article XIII B and the Legislature does both of the following:
(i) Fails to appropriate in the Budget Act funds to reimburse local agencies for the full payable amount that has not been previously paid based on the reimbursement methodology enacted by the Legislature.
(ii) Does not repeal or suspend the mandate pursuant to Section 17581.
(2) A test claim filed pursuant to the authority granted by this subdivision shall be filed within six months of the date an action described in subparagraph (A), (B), (C), or (D) of paragraph (1) occurs.
(d) Notwithstanding any other provision of this section, a local agency or school district shall not file a test claim pursuant to this section if the statute of limitations specified in subdivision (c) of Section 17551 expired before the date a legislatively determined mandate was adopted by the Legislature pursuant to Section 17573.
(e) Notwithstanding the period of reimbursement specified in subdivision (e) of Section 17557, a test claim filed pursuant to this section shall establish eligibility for reimbursement beginning with the fiscal year of an action described in subparagraph (A), (B), (C), or (D) of paragraph (1) of subdivision (c).
(Added by Stats. 2007, Ch. 329, Sec. 11. Effective January 1, 2008.)