HB0299

Official summary

Bill No.: <billno> Drafter: <drafterinit> Bill No.: HB0299 Drafter: DRN LSO No.: 09LSO-0654 Effective Date: 7/1/2009 Enrolled Act No.: HEA0119 Chapter No.: 207 Prime Sponsor: Representative Harshman Catch Title: School facilities-budget process. Subject: School facilities budget process for forwarding school building and facility construction and renovation projects. Summary/Major Elements: Current law provides for direct submission of school facility budgets from the school facility commission to the governor, placing the legislative school facilities committee in an advisory capacity with respect to school facility budget development; Under the bill, the school facilities commission is required to submit proposed budget recommendations to the select committee and the governor by September 1 of each year, and the select school facilities committee submits budget recommendations to the joint appropriations committee and the governor by November 1; Budget recommendations from the commission to the select committee must include a prioritized list of projects, the estimated costs and proposed funding amounts of each project and the amount of funding allocated to each project, together with the annual status report of school buildings; The budget request submitted by the select committee is to be attached to specified projects in one of two categories, planning and design phase projects and construction phase projects. 15% of total funding may be moved within or between phases, which movement requires commission approval and quarterly reporting to the select committee; The school facilities commission may no longer authorize the transfer of major maintenance funds to capital construction projects, as was allowed in 2008 legislation; By September 1, 2009, the commission is required to conduct and report to the select committee a comprehensive audit of agency accounting for all school facility projects funded in the 2009‑2010 biennium as well as all processes of the commission and the linkage between those processes and relevant law. $190,000 is appropriated effective immediately to the agency for this purpose COMMENT. Final action on this bill was not taken at the time this summary was prepared. Should changes be made to the bill upon final passage, an updated summary will be transmitted to all legislators.