WILLIAM DONALD SCHAEFER, Governor

(b) If the applicant is an individual, the applicant shall
satisfy the Authority that:

(1)  The applicant is of good moral character;

(2)  As determined from creditors, employers, and
other individuals who have personal knowledge of the applicant,
the applicant has a reputation for financial responsibility;

(3)  The applicant is a resident of Maryland or the
applicant's principal place of business is in Maryland; and

(4)  The applicant is unable to obtain adequate
business financing on reasonable terms through normal lending
channels because the applicant:

(i) Belongs to a group that historically has
been deprived of access to normal economic or financial resources
because of race, color, creed, sex, religion, or national origin;

(ii) Has an identifiable physical handicap that
severely limits the ability of the applicant to obtain financial
assistance, but does not limit the ability of the applicant to
perform the [government] contract or other activity for which the
applicant would be receiving financial assistance; or

(iii) Has any other social or economic
impediment that is beyond the personal control of the applicant,
such as lack of formal education or financial capacity or
geographical or regional economic distress but that does not
limit the ability of the applicant to perform the [government]
contract or other activity for which the applicant would be
receiving financial assistance.

13-232.

(a)  To apply for financial assistance from the Contract
Financing Fund pursuant to §§ 13-227 through 13-230 of this
subtitle, an applicant shall submit to the Authority an
application on the form that the Authority provides.

(b)  The application shall include:

(1)  A detailed description of the [government]
project;

(2)  An itemization of known and estimated costs;

(3)  The total amount of investment required to
perform the [government] contract;

(4)  The funds available to the applicant without
financial assistance from the Authority;

- 4749 -