HB 0273

HB 273-FN-LOCAL - AS AMENDED BY THE HOUSE

SPONSORS: Rep. R. McKinley, Straf 2; Rep. Spear, Straf 3; Rep. Letourneau, Rock 13; Rep. Thulander, Hills 6; Sen. Johnson, Dist 3

This bill establishes a school building aid oversight committee for the purpose of overseeing and monitoring the funding of adequate educational facilities in each school district.

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Matter which is either (a) all new or (b) repealed and reenacted appears in regular type.

Be it Enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives in General Court convened:

1 New Section; School Building Aid Oversight Committee. Amend RSA 198 by inserting after section 15-h the following new section:

I. There is hereby established a school building aid oversight committee for the purpose of monitoring and overseeing the funding of adequate educational facilities within the school districts of this state and to recommend legislation as deemed necessary. The membership of the committee shall be as follows:

(a) Three members of the house of representatives, including one member of the education committee and one member from either the finance committee or the public works committee, appointed by the speaker of the house.

(b) Three members of the senate, including one member of the education committee and one member from either the finance committee or the capital budget committee, appointed by the president of the senate.

II. The first-named house member shall call the first meeting no later than 60 days after the effective date of this section. A chairperson shall be elected by the membership at the first meeting. The committee shall meet at the call of the chair.

III. Membership on the committee shall be coterminous with membership in the legislature.

(b) To cooperate with and support the state board of education and the department of education in their statewide qualitative study concerning public school facilities and distribution of school building aid in accordance with 1998, 267:3.

(c) To review the current school building aid distribution formula, including recommendations for alternative methods of apportioning such aid.

(d) To review department of education rules regarding school building aid and construction.

(e) To evaluate the process undertaken by the state board of education for approval of school construction plans, including recommending guidelines to minimize premature facilities and equipment obsolescence.

(f) To create guidelines to insure that the state portion of school building aid is used for educational purposes necessary for an adequate education.

V. The committee shall report no later than November 1 annually to the speaker of the house, the chairperson of the house education committee, the president of the senate, the chairperson of the senate education committee, and to the governor and council. The report shall include any recommendations for legislation.

2 Repeal. RSA 198:15-hh, relative to school building aid oversight committee, is repealed.

AN ACT relative to annual grants for school building aid.

The Department of Education is unable to determine the increase in state general fund expenditures and local revenue beginning in FY 2000 and each year thereafter. There will be no fiscal impact on state and county revenue or county and local expenditures.

The Department states it cannot estimate the fiscal impact because the Department cannot estimate the present and future debt service levels and building project schedules for each district.