(a) In the event that the chief executive of a State or local government determines that any of the circumstances set forth in § 65.83 of this subpart exists, he or she may pursue the procedures in this section to submit to the Attorney General an application for a reimbursement agreement, grant, or cooperative agreement as described in § 65.84 of this subpart.

(b) The Department strongly encourages chief executives of States and local governments, if possible, to consult informally with the Attorney General and the Commissioner of INS prior to submitting a formal application. This informal consultation is intended to facilitate discussion of the nature of the assistance to be provided by the State or local government, the requirements of the Attorney General, if any, for such assistance, the costs associated with such assistance, and the Department's preliminary views on the appropriateness of the proposed funding.

(c) The chief executive of a State or local government shall submit an application in writing to the Attorney General, and shall file a copy with the Commissioner of INS. The application shall set forth in detail the following information:

(1) The name of the jurisdiction requesting reimbursement;

(2) All facts supporting the application;

(3) The nature of the assistance which the State or local government has provided or will provide, as required by the Attorney General, for which funding is requested;

(4) The dollar amount of the funding sought;

(5) A justification for the amount of funding being sought;

(6) The expected duration of the conditions requiring State or local assistance;

(7) Information about whether funding is sought for past costs or for future costs;

(8) The name, address, and telephone number of a contact person from the requesting jurisdiction.

(d) If the Attorney General determines that the assistance for which funding is sought under paragraph (c) of this section is appropriate under the standards of this subpart, the Attorney General may enter into a reimbursement or cooperative agreement or may make a grant in the same manner as if the assistance had been requested by the Attorney General as described under § 65.84 of this subpart.

(e) The Attorney General will consider all applications from State or local governments until the Attorney General has obligated funding available for such purposes as determined by the Attorney General. The Attorney General will make a decision with respect to any application submitted under this section that contains the information described in paragraph (c) of this section within 15 calendar days of such application.

(f) In exigent circumstances, the Attorney General may waive the requirements of this section concerning the form, contents, and order of consideration of applications, including the requirement in paragraph (c) of this section that applications be submitted in writing.