Section 17. State advances to authorities for preparation of plans

1.
  Application may be made to the commissioner by an  authority  for  state
  advances  for making studies relating to and preparing preliminary plans
  and detailed plans and specifications for a  project  within  the  state
  which  may  be  undertaken  by  such  authority.   Upon approval of such
  application by the commissioner, the commissioner shall allocate out  of
  any  moneys  available  therefor  by  appropriation such sum as he deems
  necessary to pay the cost of such studies and the cost of preparing such
  preliminary plans, but in no event shall the sum allocated for the  cost
  of  preparing  such preliminary plans exceed one per cent of the cost of
  construction of such project as estimated by  the  commissioner  at  the
  time  such  application is approved. Any such application and allocation
  shall be subject to the approval of the director of the budget.
    2. If such an application shall have  been  approved  as  provided  in
  subdivision one, and, if preliminary plans are or have been required and
  moneys  allocated therefor as provided in subdivision one, upon approval
  of the preliminary plans by the commissioner, an authority  may  proceed
  with  the  preparation  of  detailed  plans  and  specifications and the
  commissioner shall thereupon allocate such sum as he deems necessary  to
  pay the cost of preparing such detailed plans and specifications, but in
  no  event shall the total of the sum so allocated, together with the sum
  allocated for the preparation of preliminary plans, exceed four per cent
  of the cost of construction as estimated by the commissioner at the time
  such preliminary plans are approved. Such allocations shall  be  subject
  to the approval of the director of the budget.
    3. Whenever an application for a state advance is made by an authority
  pursuant  to  this  section,  the  commissioner  may  in  his discretion
  allocate out of any moneys  available  therefor  by  appropriation  such
  additional  sum or sums as he may deem necessary to pay the cost of test
  borings or other extraordinary expenditures which the  commissioner  may
  deem  desirable. Such allocation shall be subject to the approval of the
  director of the budget.
    4. Plans and specifications, or  studies  or  test  borings  or  other
  extraordinary  expenditures  for  a  project in connection with which an
  application for an advance made by an authority has  been  approved,  as
  hereinbefore  provided in this section, may be prepared or undertaken by
  such authority or by private architectural or engineering firms selected
  by such authority.
    5. All moneys paid to any authority pursuant to the provisions of this
  section shall be treated as advances by the state and shall be repaid to
  the state. If bonds or other obligations are sold by such  an  authority
  for  the  purpose  of financing the construction of such project, and if
  repayment is not made from other moneys,  such  advances  by  the  state
  shall  be  repaid  out  of  the  proceeds  of  the  first bonds or other
  obligations sold by such authority; if any such project  is  constructed
  by such authority without the sale of bonds or other obligations, and if
  repayment  is  not made from other moneys, such advances shall be repaid
  from the revenues of such authority derived from such  project;  and  in
  any other case such advances shall be repaid from any other funds of the
  authority  not otherwise pledged. Upon receipt of any such moneys by the
  state they shall be credited by the state comptroller  to  the  post-war
  reconstruction fund.
    6.  Any  unobligated  balance of moneys appropriated and allocated for
  the purposes of this section remaining at any time may be  cancelled  by
  the  commissioner  with  the approval of the director of the budget, and
  any such balances so cancelled  shall  be  available  for  the  purposes
  described in the original appropriation from which such allocations were
  made.

    7.  The  commissioner  and the director of the budget may each request
  and shall each receive from any  department,  division,  board,  bureau,
  commission  or  agency  of  the  state  or  of any political subdivision
  thereof, such assistance and data as will enable them to properly  carry
  out  their  respective  activities  under and effectuate the purposes of
  this section. The department of taxation and finance  is  authorized  to
  accept  and  receive  from  the  federal government any moneys which the
  federal government shall offer to the state to assist it  to  carry  out
  any  of  the  provisions  of  this section or undertakings or assistance
  authorized by it.