A. A voluntary association of Oklahoma local governmental jurisdictions or another legal entity, including a public trust or a nonprofit corporation or other entity which performs functions for the benefit of or which exists for the primary benefit of Oklahoma local governmental jurisdictions and which is not described in subsection B of this section, shall be eligible to obtain funding for rural hazard mitigation projects as authorized by Section 5 of this act.¹

B. A voluntary association of Oklahoma local governmental jurisdictions containing at least one municipality with a population in excess of three hundred fifty thousand (350,000) persons according to the latest Federal Decennial Census shall be eligible to obtain funding as authorized by Section 5 of this act.

C. The entities described in subsection A or B of this section and which are eligible for any funds authorized by Section 5 of this act may make expenditures on behalf of any city or town using funds deposited to the Oklahoma Disaster Mitigation and Recovery Matching Fund created by Section 3 of this act.²

D. An organization described in subsection A or B of this section shall be authorized to make payment of funds obtained pursuant to Section 5 of this act directly to a county if the funds are used for the benefit of an unincorporated area located within the county to which payment is made. After the county has provided a request to an organization described in subsection A or B of this section for funds to benefit an unincorporated area of the county, together with a statement that the county has conducted a review of the needs of unincorporated areas located within the county and that the funding requested is consistent with the evaluation of priorities for funds by the county, the funds requested may be paid to the county. Any funds paid to a county pursuant to the provisions of this subsection shall be expended by the county exclusively for the purpose identified in the request and as required by the provisions of this act.

E. No county to which funds are paid pursuant to the provisions of subsection D of this section shall be liable to any person or other legal entity for damages arising out of any condition, act, omission, or other cause alleged to have arisen as a result of a project upon which funds expended pursuant to the authority of subsection D of this section were paid to the county.