State government: general services: Natural Gas Services Program.

Existing law authorizes the Department of General Services to contract with suppliers to obtain materials, supplies, equipment, and services. This bill would require the director to operate the Natural Gas Services Program, pursuant to which the Director of General Services would make the services of the department with respect to the acquisition of natural gas and related services available, under agreed upon terms and conditions, to any city, county, city and county, district, or other local governmental body, and to nonprofit hospitals and educational institutions that expend public funds, and would enter into interagency agreements for acquisition of natural gas and related services, as defined. The bill would require agencies that are in the executive branch of state government, except the Department of Water Resources, to use the department's Natural Gas Services Program for noncore gas purchases of natural gas. The bill would create the Department of General Services Natural Gas Services Program Fund, and would continuously appropriate that fund to the department for purposes of operating the Natural Gas Services Program. The bill would state that funding for the department's administrative costs in overseeing the program is to be provided for in the annual Budget Act.