2004 Legislation
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HOUSE BILL NO. 550 – Schools, unsafe/unhealthy, levy

HOUSE BILL NO. 550

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Bill Status



H0550..............................................................by RINGO
SCHOOLS - UNSAFE OR UNHEALTHY CONDITIONS LEVY - Amends existing law
relating to the Constitutionally-based Educational Claims Act to remove
authority for imposition of an educational necessity levy to abate unsafe
or unhealthy conditions; and to remove provisions authorizing application
of this section to certain pending lawsuits.
                                                                        
01/27    House intro - 1st rdg - to printing
01/28    Rpt prt - to Rev/Tax

Bill Text


                                                                        
                                                                        
  ]]]]              LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF IDAHO             ]]]]
 Fifty-seventh Legislature                 Second Regular Session - 2004
                                                                        
                                                                        
                              IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES
                                                                        
                                     HOUSE BILL NO. 550
                                                                        
                                          BY RINGO
                                                                        
  1                                        AN ACT
  2    RELATING TO THE CONSTITUTIONALLY BASED EDUCATIONAL CLAIMS ACT;  AMENDING  SEC-
  3        TION  6-2214,  IDAHO CODE, TO REMOVE AUTHORITY FOR IMPOSITION OF AN EDUCA-
  4        TIONAL NECESSITY LEVY TO ABATE UNSAFE OR UNHEALTHY CONDITIONS; AND  AMEND-
  5        ING  SECTION 6-2215, IDAHO CODE, TO REMOVE PROVISIONS AUTHORIZING APPLICA-
  6        TION OF THIS SECTION TO CERTAIN PENDING LAWSUITS IN THE  MANNER  PROVIDED;
  7        AND DECLARING AN EMERGENCY.
                                                                        
  8    Be It Enacted by the Legislature of the State of Idaho:
                                                                        
  9        SECTION  1.  That  Section  6-2214, Idaho Code, be, and the same is hereby
 10    amended to read as follows:
                                                                        
 11        6-2214.  EDUCATIONAL NECESSITY LEVY. (1) In general. There is hereby  cre-
 12    ated  an  educational necessity levy that may be levied by a local school dis-
 13    trict as authorized in this chapter.  The  educational  necessity  levy  shall
 14    expire  upon  order  of  the  district  court  having jurisdiction over a suit
 15    brought under this chapter or five (5) years after it  comes  into  existence,
 16    whichever  comes first. An educational necessity levy authorized by this chap-
 17    ter may be imposed under the terms of this chapter, notwithstanding the provi-
 18    sions of section 63-802, Idaho Code.
 19        (2)  For safety and health. Notwithstanding any other provisions  of  this
 20    chapter,  the  district court may impose an educational necessity levy for the
 21    purpose of raising revenues to abate unsafe or unhealthy conditions that  have
 22    been  identified by findings of fact or a judgment of the district court, by a
 23    consent agreement that has been accepted (with or without modification) by the
 24    district court, or by  a  local  school  district  plan  to  abate  unsafe  or
 25    unhealthy  conditions that has been accepted (with or without modification) by
 26    the district court. The district court shall approve an educational  necessity
 27    levy if it finds that the school district has no alternative source of revenue
 28    to  use  to  abate unsafe or unhealthy conditions that have been identified by
 29    findings of fact or judgment of the district court,  by  a  consent  agreement
 30    that has been accepted (with or without modification) by the district court or
 31    by  a  local school district plan to abate unsafe or unhealthy conditions that
 32    has been accepted (with or without modification) by the  district  court.  The
 33    limitations  of sections 6-2209 and 6-2210, Idaho Code, regarding the calcula-
 34    tion of and the maximum amount of the educational necessity levy do not  apply
 35    to  an  educational necessity levy imposed to abate unsafe or unhealthy condi-
 36    tions that have been identified by findings of fact or a judgment of the  dis-
 37    trict  court,  by  a consent agreement that has been accepted (with or without
 38    modification) by the district court, or by a local  school  district  plan  to
 39    abate  unsafe  or unhealthy conditions that has been accepted (with or without
 40    modification) by the district court.
                                                                        
 41        SECTION 2.  That Section 6-2215, Idaho Code, be, and the  same  is  hereby
 42    amended to read as follows:
                                                                        
                                           2
                                                                        
  1        6-2215.  EFFECT  ON  PENDING  LAWSUITS.  (1)  Chapter  to apply to pending
  2    lawsuits. This chapter shall not apply to any lawsuit pending on its effective
  3    date that has not proceeded to final judgment in the  district  court  on  the
  4    effective  date of this amendment to this section if the lawsuit presents con-
  5    stitutionally based educational claims or counterclaims by any patrons  or  by
  6    the state of Idaho or state officers and but shall apply to any lawsuit bring-
  7    ing    a  constitutionally  based  educational claim filed after its effective
  8    date.
  9        (2)  Procedure for pending lawsuits. If this chapter applies to a  lawsuit
 10    pending  on the effective date of this amendment to this section, all proceed-
 11    ings in the lawsuit shall be suspended for fifty-six (56) days from the effec-
 12    tive date of this amendment to this section, except  to  notify  the  district
 13    court  of  the  passage  of this amendment and to allow refiling of complaints
 14    consistent with this subsection. Any patrons who are parties to such a lawsuit
 15    shall have the fifty-six (56) days of the suspension  period  to  file  parens
 16    patriae  complaint(s)  consistent  with  the requirements of this chapter. The
 17    legislature and superintendent of public instruction shall have the  fifty-six
 18    (56) days of the suspension period to file parens patriae complaint(s) consis-
 19    tent with the requirements of this chapter. If a patron files a parens patriae
 20    complaint  under  this  subsection,  the legislature and the superintendent of
 21    public instruction may intervene as a matter  of  right  pursuant  to  section
 22    6-2206, Idaho Code, within the time period prescribed by section 6-2206, Idaho
 23    Code.  If  any complaints are filed under this subsection, separate complaints
 24    shall be filed for each school district that is a  defendant,  and  venue  for
 25    such  a  suit  against  a  school district shall be in the county in which the
 26    school district maintains its principal business office. At the expiration  of
 27    the  fifty-six  (56)  day suspension period described in the first sentence of
 28    this subsection, any school districts that are defendants to patron  suits  or
 29    to parens patriae suits under this chapter shall be able to answer as provided
 30    by  the Idaho rules of civil procedure. All further proceedings in such a suit
 31    shall be pursuant to this chapter.
 32        (3)  Dismissal of entities not parties and transfer of records in  pending
 33    lawsuit.  School  districts that were parties to a lawsuit that presented con-
 34    stitutionally based educational claims or counterclaims on the effective  date
 35    of  this  section and that are not defendants in any complaints filed pursuant
 36    to subsection (2) of this section shall no longer be parties and shall be dis-
 37    missed from any proceedings that were suspended. Any defendant  to  a  lawsuit
 38    that  presented  constitutionally based educational claims or counterclaims on
 39    the effective date of this section and who is not a  defendant  authorized  by
 40    this  chapter  shall  be dismissed from any proceeding that was suspended. Any
 41    plaintiff, defendant or an intervenor as of right to  a  lawsuit  filed  under
 42    subsection  (2) of this section in which there is a school district that was a
 43    party to a lawsuit that presented constitutionally based educational claims or
 44    counterclaims and which lawsuit was suspended under  subsection  (2)  of  this
 45    section  may  designate  the  portions of the records of the suspended lawsuit
 46    that pertain to the school district. Upon written request  of  the  plaintiff,
 47    the  defendant,  or  an intervenor as of right or the court in a lawsuit filed
 48    under subsection (2) of this section, those parts of the record designated  by
 49    the  plaintiff,  defendant  or an intervenor as of right or the court shall be
 50    copied by the clerk of the district court of the suspended  lawsuit  and  for-
 51    warded  to  the clerk of the district court presiding over the complaint filed
 52    under subsection (2) of this section and shall be included in  the  record  of
 53    that case.
                                                                        
 54        SECTION  3.  An  emergency  existing  therefor,  which emergency is hereby
                                                                        
                                           3
                                                                        
  1    declared to exist, this act shall be in full force and effect on and after its
  2    passage and approval.

Statement of Purpose / Fiscal Impact



                       STATEMENT OF PURPOSE
                             RS 13681
The purpose of this legislation is to repeal H 403AA which was
passed in the 2003 Legislature.  The law enacted by this
legislation has been found unconstitutional by two district court
judges.  The decision to appeal will be costly, and the law does
not address the inequities with respect to providing safe school
facilities.
                          FISCAL IMPACT
There will be a savings as a result of terminating lawsuits. 
However, there will be lawsuits remaining which will continue to
cost the State.






Contact
Name: Representatives Ringo, Trail, Sayler, Mitchell, Naccarato,
Shepherd, Andersen, Martinez, Douglas, Boe, Pasley-Stewart,
Robison, Smith, Henbest, Langhorst, Jaquet, and Senators Keough
and Schroeder
Phone: 332-1000




STATEMENT OF PURPOSE/FISCAL NOTE                      H 550