Compliance with Federal Law, Regulations, and Executive Orders This is an acknowledgement that FEMA financial assistance will be used to fund all or a portion of the contract. The contractor will comply with all applicable Federal law, regulations, executive orders, FEMA policies, procedures, and directives.
References to Statutes, Public Acts, Regulations, Codes and Executive Orders All references in this Contract to any statute, public act, regulation, code or executive order shall mean such statute, public act, regulation, code or executive order, respectively, as it has been amended, replaced or superseded at any time. Notwithstanding any language in this Contract that relates to such statute, public act, regulation, code or executive order, and notwithstanding a lack of a formal amendment to this Contract, this Contract shall always be read and interpreted as if it contained the most current and applicable wording and requirements of such statute, public act, regulation, code or executive order as if their most current language had been used in and requirements incorporated into this Contract at the time of its execution.
Section 409A Compliance To the extent applicable, it is intended that this Agreement comply with the provisions of Section 409A of the Internal Revenue Code and the guidance promulgated thereunder (“Section 409A”). This Agreement shall be administered in a manner consistent with this intent, and any provision that would cause the Agreement to fail to satisfy Section 409A shall have no force and effect until amended by the parties to comply with Section 409A (which amendment may be retroactive to the extent permitted by Section 409A). Unless otherwise expressly provided, any payment of compensation by Company to Employee, whether pursuant to this Agreement or otherwise, shall be made no later than the 15th day of the third month (i.e., 2½ months) after the later of the end of the calendar year or the Company’s fiscal year in which Employee’s right to such payment vests (i.e., is not subject to a “substantial risk of forfeiture” for purposes of Code Section 409A). For purposes of this Agreement, “Separation from Service” shall have the meaning given to such term under Section 409A. Each payment and each installment of any severance payments provided for under this Agreement shall be treated as a separate payment for purposes of application of Section 409A. To the extent that any severance payments come within the definition of “short term deferrals” or “involuntary severance” under Section 409A, such amounts shall be excluded from “deferred compensation” as allowed under Section 409A, and shall not be subject to the following Section 409A compliance requirements. All payments of “nonqualified deferred compensation” (within the meaning of Section 409A) are intended to comply with the requirements of Section 409A, and shall be interpreted in accordance therewith. Neither party individually or in combination may accelerate, offset or assign any such deferred payment, except in compliance with Section 409A. No amount shall be paid prior to the earliest date on which it is permitted to be paid under Section 409A and Employee shall have no discretion with respect to the timing of payments except as permitted under Section 409A. Any payments to which Section 409A applies which are subject to execution of a waiver and release which may be executed and/or revoked in a calendar year following the calendar year in which the payment event (such as Separation from Service) occurs shall commence payment only in the calendar year in which the release revocation period ends as necessary to comply with Section 409A. In the event that Employee is determined to be a “key employee” (as defined and determined under Section 409A) of the Company at a time when its stock is deemed to be publicly traded on an established securities market, payments determined to be “nonqualified deferred compensation” payable upon separation from service shall be made no earlier than (i) the first day of the seventh (7th) complete calendar month following such termination of employment, or (ii) Employee’s death, consistent with the provisions of Section 409A. Any payment delayed by reason of the prior sentence shall be paid out in a single lump sum at the end of such required delay period in order to catch up to the original payment schedule. All expense reimbursement or in-kind benefits subject to Section 409A provided under this Agreement or, unless otherwise specified in writing, under any Company program or policy, shall be subject to the following rules: (i) the amount of expenses eligible for reimbursement or in-kind benefits provided during one calendar year may not affect the benefits provided during any other year; (ii) reimbursements shall be paid no later than the end of the calendar year following the year in which the Employee incurs such expenses, and the Employee shall take all actions necessary to claim all such reimbursements on a timely basis to permit the Company to make all such reimbursement payments prior to the end of said period, and (iii) the right to reimbursement or in-kind benefits shall not be subject to liquidation or exchange for another benefit. Notwithstanding anything herein to the contrary, no amendment may be made to this Agreement if it would cause the Agreement or any payment hereunder not to be in compliance with Section 409A.
Compliance with Section 409A of the Code All payments and benefits payable under this Agreement (including, without limitation, the Section 409A Payments) are intended to comply with the requirements of Section 409A of the Code. Certain payments and benefits payable under this Agreement are intended to be exempt from the requirements of Section 409A of the Code. This Agreement shall be interpreted in accordance with the applicable requirements of, and exemptions from, Section 409A of the Code and the Treasury Regulations thereunder. To the extent the payments and benefits under this Agreement are subject to Section 409A of the Code, this Agreement shall be interpreted, construed and administered in a manner that satisfies the requirements of Sections 409A(a)(2), (3) and (4) of the Code and the Treasury Regulations thereunder If the Company and the Executive determine that any compensation, benefits or other payments that are payable under this Agreement and intended to comply with Sections 409A(a)(2), (3) and (4) of the Code do not comply with Section 409A of the Code, the Treasury Regulations thereunder and other applicable authority issued by the Internal Revenue Service, to the extent permitted under Section 409A of the Code, the Treasury Regulations thereunder and any applicable authority issued by the Internal Revenue Service, the Company and the Executive agree to amend this Agreement, or take such other actions as the Company and the Executive deem reasonably necessary or appropriate, to cause such compensation, benefits and other payments to comply with the requirements of Section 409A of the Code, the Treasury Regulations thereunder and other applicable authority issued by the Internal Revenue Service, while providing compensation, benefits and other payments that are, in the aggregate, no less favorable than the compensation, benefits and other payments provided under this Agreement. In the case of any compensation, benefits or other payments that are payable under this Agreement and intended to comply with Sections 409A(a)(2), (3) and (4) of the Code, if any provision of the Agreement would cause such compensation, benefits or other payments to fail to so comply, such provision shall not be effective and shall be null and void with respect to such compensation, benefits or other payments to the extent such provision would cause a failure to comply, and such provision shall otherwise remain in full force and effect.
Exchange Act Compliance; Regulations T, U and X None of the transactions contemplated herein or in the other Transaction Documents (including, without limitation, the use of proceeds from the sale of the Collateral Portfolio) will violate or result in a violation of Section 7 of the Exchange Act, or any regulations issued pursuant thereto, including, without limitation, Regulations T, U and X of the Board of Governors of the Federal Reserve System, 12 C.F.R., Chapter II. The Borrower does not own or intend to carry or purchase, and no proceeds from the Advances will be used to carry or purchase, any “margin stock” within the meaning of Regulation U or to extend “purpose credit” within the meaning of Regulation U.
Potential Conflicts and Compliance With Mixed and Shared Funding Exemptive Order 7.1. The Board of Trustees of the Fund (the “Board”) will monitor the Fund for the existence of any material irreconcilable conflict between the interests of the Contract owners of all separate accounts investing in the Fund. An irreconcilable material conflict may arise for a variety of reasons, including: (a) an action by any state insurance regulatory authority; (b) a change in applicable federal or state insurance, tax, or securities laws or regulations, or a public ruling, private letter ruling, no-action or interpretative letter, or any similar action by insurance, tax, or securities regulatory authorities; (c) an administrative or judicial decision in any relevant proceeding; (d) the manner in which the investments of any Portfolio is being managed; (e) a difference in voting instructions given by variable annuity contract and variable life insurance contract owners or by contract owners of different Participating Insurance Companies; or (f) a decision by a Participating Insurance Company to disregard the voting instructions of Contract owners. The Board shall promptly inform the Company if it determines that an irreconcilable material conflict exists and the implications thereof.
7.2. The Company will report any potential or existing conflicts of which it is aware to the Board. The Company will assist the Board in carrying out its responsibilities under the Mixed and Shared Funding Exemptive Order, by providing the Board with all information reasonably necessary for the Board to consider any issues raised. This includes, but is not limited to, an obligation by the Company to inform the Board whenever Contract owner voting instructions are to be disregarded. Such responsibilities shall be carried out by the Company with a view only to the interests of its Contract owners.
7.3. If it is determined by a majority of the Board, or a majority of its directors who are not interested persons of the Fund, the Distributor, the Adviser or any subadviser to any of the Portfolios (the “Independent Directors”), that a material irreconcilable conflict exists, the Company and other Participating Insurance Companies shall, at their expense and to the extent reasonably practicable (as determined by a majority of the Independent Directors), take whatever steps are necessary to remedy or eliminate the irreconcilable material conflict, up to and including: (1) withdrawing the assets allocable to some or all of the separate accounts from the Fund or any Portfolio and reinvesting such assets in a different investment medium, including (but not limited to) another Portfolio, or submitting the question whether such segregation should be implemented to a vote of all affected Contract owners and, as appropriate, segregating the assets of any appropriate group (i.e., annuity contract owners, life insurance contract owners, or variable contract owners of one or more Participating Insurance Companies) that votes in favor of such segregation, or offering to the affected contract owners the option of making such a change; and (2) establishing a new registered management investment company or managed separate account. The Company’s responsibility to take remedial action shall be carried out by the Company with a view only to the interests of Contract owners.
7.4. If a material irreconcilable conflict arises because of a decision by the Company to disregard Contract owner voting instructions and that decision represents a minority position or would preclude a majority vote, the Company may be required, at the Fund’s election, to withdraw the Account’s investment in the Fund and terminate this Agreement; provided, however, that such withdrawal and termination shall be limited to the extent required by the foregoing material irreconcilable conflict as determined by a majority of the Independent Directors. Any such withdrawal and termination must take place within six (6) months after the Fund gives written notice that this provision is being implemented, and until the end of that six-month period the Adviser, the Distributor and the Fund shall continue to accept and implement orders by the Company for the purchase (and redemption) of shares of the Fund, subject to the terms of the Fund’s then-current prospectus.
7.5. If a material irreconcilable conflict arises because a particular state insurance regulator’s decision applicable to the Company conflicts with the majority of other state regulators, then the Company will withdraw the Account’s investment in the Fund and terminate this Agreement within six months after the Board informs the Company in writing that it has determined that such decision has created an irreconcilable material conflict; provided, however, that such withdrawal and termination shall be limited to the extent required by the foregoing material irreconcilable conflict as determined by a majority of the Independent Directors. Until the end of the foregoing six-month period, the Fund shall continue to accept and implement orders by the Company for the purchase (and redemption) of shares of the Fund, subject to the terms of the Fund’s then-current prospectus.
7.6. For purposes of Sections 7.3 through 7.5 of this Agreement, a majority of the Independent Directors shall determine whether any proposed action adequately remedies any irreconcilable material conflict, but in no event will the Fund be required to establish a new funding medium for the Contracts. The Company shall not be required by Section 7.3 to establish a new funding medium for the Contracts if an offer to do so has been declined by vote of a majority of Contract owners affected by the irreconcilable material conflict. In the event that the Board determines that any proposed action does not adequately remedy any irreconcilable material conflict, then the Company will withdraw the Account’s investment in the Fund and terminate this Agreement within six (6) months after the Board informs the Company in writing of the foregoing determination; provided, however, that such withdrawal and termination shall be limited to the extent required by any such material irreconcilable conflict as determined by a majority of the Independent Directors.
7.7. If and to the extent that Rule 6e-2 and Rule 6e-3(T) are amended, or Rule 6e-3 is adopted, to provide exemptive relief from any provision of the 1940 Act or the rules promulgated thereunder with respect to mixed or shared funding (as defined in the Mixed and Shared Funding Exemptive Order) on terms and conditions materially different from those contained in the Mixed and Shared Funding Exemptive Order, then (a) the Fund and/or the Participating Insurance Companies, as appropriate, shall take such steps as may be necessary to comply with Rules 6e-2 and 6e-3(T), as amended, and Rule 6e-3, as adopted, to the extent such rules are applicable: and (b) Sections 3.5, 3.6, 3.7, 7.1, 7.2, 7.3, 7.4, and 7.5 of this Agreement shall continue in effect only to the extent that terms and conditions substantially identical to such Sections are contained in such Rule(s) as so amended or adopted.
Section 409A of the Code This Agreement is intended to either avoid the application of, or comply with, Section 409A of the Code. To that end this Agreement shall at all times be interpreted in a manner that is consistent with Section 409A of the Code. Notwithstanding any other provision in this Agreement to the contrary, the Company shall have the right, in its sole discretion, to adopt such amendments to this Agreement or take such other actions (including amendments and actions with retroactive effect) as it determines is necessary or appropriate for this Agreement to comply with Section 409A of the Code. Further:
(a) Any reimbursement of any costs and expenses by the Company to the Executive under this Agreement shall be made by the Company in no event later than the close of the Executive’s taxable year following the taxable year in which the cost or expense is incurred by the Executive. The expenses incurred by the Executive in any calendar year that are eligible for reimbursement under this Agreement shall not affect the expenses incurred by the Executive in any other calendar year that are eligible for reimbursement hereunder and the Executive’s right to receive any reimbursement hereunder shall not be subject to liquidation or exchange for any other benefit.
(b) Any payment following a separation from service that would be subject to Section 409A(a)(2)(A)(i) of the Code as a distribution following a separation from service of a “specified employee” (as defined under Section 409A(a)(2)(B)(i) of the Code) shall be made on the first to occur of (i) ten (10) days after the expiration of the six-month (6) period following such separation from service, (ii) death, or (iii) such earlier date that complies with Section 409A of the Code.
(c) Each payment that the Executive may receive under this Agreement shall be treated as a “separate payment” for purposes of Section 409A of the Code.
(d) A termination of employment shall not be deemed to have occurred for purposes of any provision of this Agreement providing for the payment of any amounts or benefits upon or following a termination of employment unless such termination is also a “separation from service” within the meaning of Section 409A of the Code and, for purposes of any such provision of this Agreement, references to a “termination,” “termination of employment,” or like terms shall mean “separation from service.”
Convicted, Discriminatory, Antitrust Violator, and Suspended Vendor Lists In accordance with sections 287.133, 287.134, and 287.137, F.S., the Contractor is hereby informed of the provisions of sections 287.133(2)(a), 287.134(2)(a), and 287.137(2)(a), F.S. For purposes of this Contract, a person or affiliate who is on the Convicted Vendor List, the Discriminatory Vendor List, or the Antitrust Violator Vendor List may not perform work as a contractor, supplier, subcontractor, or consultant under the Contract. The Contractor must notify the Department if it or any of its suppliers, subcontractors, or consultants have been placed on the Convicted Vendor List, the Discriminatory Vendor List, or the Antitrust Violator Vendor List during the term of the Contract. In accordance with section 287.1351, F.S., a vendor placed on the Suspended Vendor List may not enter into or renew a contract to provide any goods or services to an agency after its placement on the Suspended Vendor List. A firm or individual placed on the Suspended Vendor List pursuant to section 287.1351, F.S., the Convicted Vendor List pursuant to section 287.133, F.S., the Antitrust Violator Vendor List pursuant to section 287.137, F.S., or the Discriminatory Vendor List pursuant to section 287.134, F.S., is immediately disqualified from Contract eligibility.
CERTIFICATION PROHIBITING DISCRIMINATION AGAINST FIREARM AND AMMUNITION INDUSTRIES (Texas law as of September 1, 2021) By submitting a proposal to this Solicitation, you certify that you agree, when it is applicable, to the following required by Texas law as of September 1, 2021: If (a) company is not a sole proprietorship; (b) company has at least ten (10) full-time employees; (c) this contract has a value of at least $100,000 that is paid wholly or partly from public funds; (d) the contract is not excepted under Tex. Gov’t Code § 2274.003 of SB 19 (87th leg.); and (e) governmental entity has determined that company is not a sole-source provider or governmental entity has not received any bids from a company that is able to provide this written verification, the following certification shall apply; otherwise, this certification is not required. Pursuant to Tex. Gov’t Code Ch. 2274 of SB 19 (87th session), the company hereby certifies and verifies that the company, or association, corporation, partnership, joint venture, limited partnership, limited liability partnership, or limited liability company, including a wholly owned subsidiary, majority-owned subsidiary parent company, or affiliate of these entities or associations, that exists to make a profit, does not have a practice, policy, guidance, or directive that discriminates against a firearm entity or firearm trade association and will not discriminate during the term of this contract against a firearm entity or firearm trade association. For purposes of this contract, “discriminate against a firearm entity or firearm trade association” shall mean, with respect to the entity or association, to: “
(1) refuse to engage in the trade of any goods or services with the entity or association based solely on its status as a firearm entity or firearm trade association; (2) refrain from continuing an existing business relationship with the entity or association based solely on its status as a firearm entity or firearm trade association; or (3) terminate an existing business relationship with the entity or association based solely on its status as a firearm entity or firearm trade association. See Tex. Gov’t Code § 2274.001(3) of SB 19. “Discrimination against a firearm entity or firearm trade association” does not include: “
(1) the established policies of a merchant, retail seller, or platform that restrict or prohibit the listing or selling of ammunition, firearms, or firearm accessories; and (2) a company’s refusal to engage in the trade of any goods or services, decision to refrain from continuing an existing business relationship, or decision to terminate an existing business relationship to comply with federal, state, or local law, policy, or regulations or a directive by a regulatory agency, or for any traditional business reason that is specific to the customer or potential customer and not based solely on an entity’s or association’s status as a firearm entity or firearm trade association.” See Tex. Gov’t Code § 2274.001(3) of SB 19.
Compliance with Applicable Laws, Rules and Regulations The Dealer Manager represents to the Company that (a) it is a member of FINRA in good standing, and (b) it and its employees and representatives who will perform services hereunder have all required licenses and registrations to act under this Agreement. With respect to its participation and the participation by each Participating Dealer in the offer and sale of the Offered Shares (including, without limitation, any resales and transfers of Offered Shares), the Dealer Manager agrees, and, by virtue of entering into the Participating Dealer Agreement, each Participating Dealer shall have agreed, to comply with any applicable requirements of the Securities Act and the Exchange Act, applicable state securities or blue sky laws, and, specifically including, but not in any way limited to, NASD Conduct Rules 2340 and 2420, and FINRA Conduct Rules 2310, 5130 and 5141.
