1999 Legislation
Print Friendly

HOUSE BILL NO. 326 – School bond assistance fund

HOUSE BILL NO. 326

View Daily Data Tracking History

View Bill Text

View Statement of Purpose / Fiscal Impact



Text to be added within a bill has been marked with Bold and
Underline. Text to be removed has been marked with
Strikethrough and Italic. How these codes are actually displayed will
vary based on the browser software you are using.

This sentence is marked with bold and underline to show added text.

This sentence is marked with strikethrough and italic, indicating
text to be removed.

Daily Data Tracking History



H0326...............................................by REVENUE AND TAXATION
SCHOOL BOND ASSISTANCE FUND - Adds to and amends existing law relating to
public school endowment funds to provide for distributions to school
districts for school bond assistance; to provide a source of funds; to
provide for appropriation and distribution by the State Board of Education
to help school districts pay the costs associated with school bonds; to
provide for return of unused moneys; to provide regions; to provide that
boards of trustees of school districts that have passed school bonds may
apply for moneys; to provide for establishment of procedures for
application and criteria for denial and approval by the State Board of
Education; to provide that criteria shall be reviewed by the Legislature;
to provide for warrants; to provide for use of moneys by school districts;
and to provide for payment of moneys to school districts for school bond
assistance.

03/02    House intro - 1st rdg - to printing
03/03    Rpt prt - to Rev/Tax

Bill Text


H0326


                                                                        
 ||||              LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF IDAHO             ||||
Fifty-fifth Legislature                 First Regular Session - 1999
                                                                        

                             IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES

                                    HOUSE BILL NO. 326

                            BY REVENUE AND TAXATION COMMITTEE

 1                                        AN ACT
 2    RELATING TO PUBLIC SCHOOL ENDOWMENT FUNDS;  AMENDING  SECTION  33-902A,  IDAHO
 3        CODE,  AS  ADDED  BY  SECTION 8, CHAPTER 256, LAWS OF 1998, TO PROVIDE FOR
 4        DISTRIBUTIONS TO SCHOOL DISTRICTS FOR  SCHOOL  BOND  ASSISTANCE;  AMENDING
 5        CHAPTER 9, TITLE 33, IDAHO CODE, BY THE ADDITION OF A NEW SECTION 33-902B,
 6        IDAHO  CODE, TO PROVIDE THAT THE FIRST TWENTY PERCENT OF THE MONEYS IN THE
 7        PUBLIC SCHOOL EARNINGS RESERVE FUND SHALL BE APPROPRIATED BY THE  LEGISLA-
 8        TURE AND DISTRIBUTED BY THE STATE BOARD OF EDUCATION TO ASSIST SCHOOL DIS-
 9        TRICTS  PAY  THE COSTS ASSOCIATED WITH SCHOOL BONDS, TO PROVIDE FOR RETURN
10        OF UNUSED MONEYS, TO PROVIDE REGIONS, TO PROVIDE THAT BOARDS  OF  TRUSTEES
11        OF SCHOOL DISTRICTS THAT HAVE PASSED SCHOOL BONDS MAY APPLY FOR MONEYS, TO
12        PROVIDE  FOR  ESTABLISHMENT OF PROCEDURES FOR APPLICATION AND CRITERIA FOR
13        DENIAL AND APPROVAL OF APPLICATIONS BY THE STATE BOARD  OF  EDUCATION,  TO
14        PROVIDE THAT CRITERIA SHALL BE REVIEWED BY THE LEGISLATURE, TO PROVIDE FOR
15        WARRANTS,  TO  PROVIDE  FOR  USE OF MONEYS BY SCHOOL DISTRICTS, TO PROVIDE
16        LIBERAL CONSTRUCTION AND TO PROVIDE APPLICATION; AMENDING SECTION 57-723A,
17        IDAHO CODE, AS ADDED BY SECTION 40, CHAPTER 256, LAWS OF 1998, TO  PROVIDE
18        FOR  PAYMENT OF MONEYS TO SCHOOL DISTRICTS FOR SCHOOL BOND ASSISTANCE; AND
19        PROVIDING AN EFFECTIVE DATE.

20    Be It Enacted by the Legislature of the State of Idaho:

21        SECTION 1.  That Section 33-902A, Idaho Code, as added by Section 8, Chap-
22    ter 256, Laws of 1998, be, and the same is hereby amended to read as follows:

23        33-902A.  PUBLIC SCHOOL EARNINGS RESERVE FUND. (1) There is established in
24    the state treasury the public school earnings reserve fund.  The fund shall be
25    managed and invested by the endowment fund investment board according  to  law
26    and  the  policies  established  by the state board of land commissioners. The
27    public school earnings reserve fund shall consist of the following:
28        (a)  All earnings of the public school permanent endowment fund;
29        (b)  Proceeds of the sale of timber on public school endowment lands;
30        (c)  Proceeds of leases of public school endowment lands;
31        (d)  Proceeds of interest charged upon deferred payments on public  school
32        endowment lands or timber on those lands;
33        (e)  Earnings  on  contracts  for the sale of timber and the sale of lands
34        related to the public school endowment; and
35        (f)  All other proceeds received from the use of public  school  endowment
36        lands and not otherwise designated for deposit in the public school perma-
37        nent endowment fund.
38        (2)  Moneys shall be distributed out of the public school earnings reserve
39    fund only to support the beneficiaries of the public school endowment, includ-
40    ing  distributions  by  the  state  board  of land commissioners to the public
41    school permanent endowment fund and the public school income fund  ,  and
42    distributions to school districts for school bond assistance ; provided,
43    that funds shall not be  otherwise  appropriated by the legislature


                                           2

 1    from  the public school earnings reserve fund except to pay for administrative
 2    costs incurred managing the assets of the public school  endowment  including,
 3    but not limited to, real property and monetary assets.

 4        SECTION  2.  That  Chapter  9,  Title  33, Idaho Code, be, and the same is
 5    hereby amended by the addition thereto of a  NEW SECTION  ,  to  be
 6    known and designated as Section 33-902B, Idaho Code, and to read as follows:

 7        33-902B.  PUBLIC  SCHOOL  EARNINGS RESERVE FUND -- SCHOOL BOND ASSISTANCE.
 8    (1) Each fiscal year, the first twenty percent (20%) of the moneys in the pub-
 9    lic school earnings reserve fund shall be appropriated by the legislature  and
10    distributed by the state board of education to help school districts that have
11    passed  school  bonds  pursuant to chapter 11, title 33, Idaho Code, pay costs
12    associated with those bonds including,  but  not  limited  to,  administrative
13    costs  and interest. At the end of each fiscal year, any portion of the twenty
14    percent (20%) not expended as provided in this subsection shall be returned to
15    the public school earnings reserve fund.
16        (2)  In order to distribute the moneys described in subsection (1) of this
17    section to assist school districts pay costs associated with school bonds, the
18    state shall be divided into seven (7) regions of equal  population,  each  one
19    consisting of five (5) legislative districts as follows:
20        (a)  Region one. Legislative districts one (1) through five (5);
21        (b)  Region two. Legislative districts six (6) through ten (10);
22        (c)  Region three. Legislative districts eleven (11) through fifteen (15);
23        (d)  Region four. Legislative districts sixteen (16) through twenty (20);
24        (e)  Region  five.  Legislative  districts twenty-one (21) through twenty-
25        five (25);
26        (f)  Region six. Legislative  districts  twenty-six  (26)  through  thirty
27        (30);
28        (g)  Region  seven.  Legislative districts thirty-one (31) through thirty-
29        five (35).
30        (3)  Annually, each region shall be allotted an initial  amount  equal  to
31    one-seventh  (1/7) of the first twenty percent (20%) of the moneys in the pub-
32    lic school earnings reserve fund. Each  school  district  that  has  passed  a
33    school  bond  in that year may apply to receive assistance in an amount not to
34    exceed twenty percent (20%) of the total bond amount.   However,  in  no  case
35    shall  the  amount  paid to a school district for bond assistance exceed seven
36    hundred fifty thousand dollars ($750,000) in a single  year  or  exceed  fifty
37    percent  (50%)  of  the  amount allotted to that region for school bond assis-
38    tance. If school districts within a region do not apply for all of the initial
39    amount allotted to that region, the remainder shall become available for  dis-
40    tribution to other regions.  Distributions shall be based on applications sub-
41    mitted  pursuant  to this section and the criteria and procedures developed by
42    the state board of education. Applications shall be  evaluated  by  the  state
43    board  of education in the order they are received and awards shall be made to
44    successful applicants in that same order.
45        (4)  The board of trustees of any school district that has passed a school
46    bond may apply to the state board of education for school bond assistance. The
47    state board of education shall establish equitable criteria  for  distribution
48    of moneys for school bond assistance and shall provide procedures for applica-
49    tion, denial and approval of distributions pursuant to this section.  Criteria
50    developed  by  the  state board of education shall be reviewed by the legisla-
51    ture.
52        (5)  All distributions for bond assistance shall be paid directly  to  the
53    school district in warrants drawn by the state controller upon presentation of


                                           3

 1    proper vouchers from the state board of education. Pending distribution out of
 2    the  public  school  earnings  reserve  fund,  the moneys in the fund shall be
 3    invested as provided by law for earnings of the public school endowment.
 4        (6)  Distributions for school bond assistance received by  a  school  dis-
 5    trict  may be used by the school district only to reduce costs associated with
 6    the bond issued including, but not limited to, administrative costs and inter-
 7    est.
 8        (7)  This section authorizes the issuance of warrants and shall be  liber-
 9    ally  construed to accomplish the purpose of assisting school districts to pay
10    the costs associated with bond issues. Any restrictions, limitations or  regu-
11    lations  relative to the issuance of warrants contained in any other act shall
12    not apply to warrants issued under this section.  Any  act  inconsistent  with
13    this  section  shall be deemed modified to conform with the provisions of this
14    section for the purposes of this section only.
15        (8)  This section applies only to school bonds issued after the  effective
16    date of this section.

17        SECTION  3.  That  Section  57-723A,  Idaho  Code, as added by Section 40,
18    Chapter 256, Laws of 1998, be, and the same is hereby amended to read as  fol-
19    lows:

20        57-723A.  DEPOSIT  AND  DISTRIBUTION  OF  EARNINGS RESERVE FUNDS -- INCOME
21    FUNDS -- ADMINISTRATIVE COSTS. (1) As directed by the state board of land com-
22    missioners, the investment  board  shall  distribute  the  earnings  from  the
23    investments  or  securities in accordance with this act and the laws governing
24    the respective endowment funds.  Earnings from  the  investment  of  permanent
25    endowment  funds  related  to  state  land grants shall be deposited into each
26    endowment's respective earnings reserve fund for distribution as  provided  in
27    this section.
28        (2)  At  least  annually, the state board of land commissioners shall dis-
29    tribute moneys constituting earnings reserve funds, in excess  of  the  amount
30    necessary  to  pay administrative costs, to the income funds of the respective
31    endowments, to each endowment's respective permanent endowment fund  or  main-
32    tained  as a free fund balance in the earnings reserve funds, in amounts to be
33    determined by the state board of land commissioners.
34        (3)  Moneys in the earnings reserve funds shall be available for appropri-
35    ation by the legislature to pay for administrative costs incurred managing the
36    assets of the endowments including, but not limited to, real property and mon-
37    etary assets.
38         (4)  Each fiscal year, the first twenty percent (20%) of the  moneys
39    in  the public school earnings reserve fund shall be available for school bond
40    assistance as provided in section 33-902B, Idaho Code. 

41        SECTION 4.  This act shall be in full force and effect on and  after  July
42    1,  2001,  provided  the governor has issued a proclamation declaring that the
43    conditions described in Section 63, Chapter 256, Laws of 1998, have been  sat-
44    isfied.

Statement of Purpose / Fiscal Impact


                         STATEMENT OF PURPOSE
                                   
                               RS08725C3

The purpose of this legislation is to assist local school districts to
upgrade, repair or build new schools. This would be achieved by
providing from the State Public School Endowment fund, the first 20% or
$750,000.00 of a bond passed by a local school district.

                                   
                                   
                                   
                                   
                                   
                              FISCAL NOTE

There will be an impact to the State Public School Endowment Fund. In
the budget year 1999 this would have had close to $20,000,000.00
negative impact to that fund. This bill will commit 20% of the State
Public School Endowment Fund after July 1, 2001 to a School Bond
Assistance Fund. It is estimated that in the year 2001 this amount will
be between 20 to 25 million dollars.

        
        Contact: Representative Roger Chase
                 332-1000
                 Representative Shirley Ringo
         332-1000



STATEMENT OF PURPOSE/ FISCAL NOTE   Bill No.      R 326