(a) Before receiving grant funding, the grantee will be required to sign an agreement similar in form and substance to the form of agreement published within or as an appendix to the APF. The agreement will require the grantee to commit to do all of the following:

(1) Take all practicable steps to develop continuing sources of financial support from other Federal, State, tribal government, or private resources;

(2) Make arrangements for the monitoring and evaluation of the activities related to implementation of the public access program of the owners or operators that enroll farm, ranch, and forest land; and

(3) Provide an accounting for the money received by the grantee under this subpart.

(b) Grantees will be required to monitor funds or services as specified in paragraph (c) of this section, and must agree to that monitoring before grant funds are awarded.

(c) The grantee must certify that the grant funds and services will not be used for ineligible purposes. Specifically, grant funds and services may not be used to:

(1) Duplicate or replace current services; however, grant funds may be used to expand the level of effort or service beyond what is currently being provided;

(2) Pay costs of preparing the application for funding under VPA-HIP;

(3) Pay costs of the project incurred prior to the date of grant approval;

(4) Fund political activities;

(5) Pay any judgment or debt owed to the United States;

(6) Pay for the design, repair, rehabilitation, acquisition, or construction of a building or facility (including a processing facility);

(7) Purchase, rent or pay for the installation of fixed equipment, other than property identification signs;

(8) Pay for the repair of privately owned vehicles; or

(9) Pay for research and development not directly related to quantifying the performance of VPA-HIP lands enrolled with funding from VPA-HIP.

(d) Grant agreements under this part will be for a term of up to 3 years.

(e) Grantees that are States will have the grant amount reduced by 25 percent if opening dates for migratory bird hunting in the State are not consistent for residents and non-residents. This paragraph does not apply to grantees that are Tribal governments.

(f) Failure of the grantee to execute a grant agreement in a timely fashion, as determined by the CCC, will be construed to be a withdrawal from VPA-HIP.