(a) A State public body or political subdivision may and is hereby authorized to sell, lease or sublease from or to, lend, grant, convey or otherwise transfer or pay over to the authority, with or without consideration, convention center facilities, or parts thereof, or an interest in property, real, personal or mixed, tangible or intangible, or any funds available, needed or obligated for development, acquisition, design, maintenance, management, operation, financing, leasing or subleasing, construction or improvement purposes, including the proceeds of bonds previously or hereafter issued for construction or improvement of a convention center, or parts thereof. Property, funds or convention center facilities, or parts thereof, received by the authority may be used for any lawful purpose of the authority. Nothing in this subdivision nor in any other law shall be deemed to make an authority or person a State-supported or State-aided institution under any law of this Commonwealth.

(b) The governing bodies of the county and county seat may and are hereby authorized to make grants from current revenues to the authority and to assist in defraying the costs of management, operation, maintenance, financing and debt service of convention center facilities, or parts thereof, and to enter into long-term agreements providing for the payment of the same and to enter into long-term leases or subleases as lessee or sublessee of all or part of convention center facilities, provided that obligations of the county and county seat to make grants, lease or sublease payments to an authority shall not, even if based on debt obligations of an authority, constitute debts of the county and county seat within the meaning of any constitutional or statutory provision and shall be payable only to the extent that current revenues of the county and county seat are available. The county and county seat may issue general obligation bonds for the purpose of obtaining funds for local contributions pertaining to convention center facilities, or parts thereof.

(c) The Commonwealth may contribute to the capital costs of constructing a convention center facility by the issuance of Commonwealth bonds and notes pursuant to Chapter 3 of the act of February 9, 1999 (P.L. 1, No. 1), known as the “Capital Facilities Debt Enabling Act.”¹ A convention center project undertaken by the authority is hereby deemed to be a redevelopment assistance project for which capital funds of the Commonwealth may be expended pursuant to the provisions of the act of May 20, 1949 (P.L. 1633, No. 493), known as the “Housing and Redevelopment Assistance Law,”² and, notwithstanding any provisions of the “Housing and Redevelopment Assistance Law,” the Department of Community and Economic Development is hereby authorized to make capital grants directly to the authority in furtherance of this subdivision.