Business ready program-education infrastructure.

WORKING DRAFT
2007
STATE OF
WYOMING
07LSO-0469

SENATE FILE
NO.

SF0144

Business ready program-education infrastructure.

Sponsored by:
Senator(s)
Hines
and Anderson, J. and Representative(s) Simpson

A BILL

for

AN ACT relating to economic development; clarifying educational development infrastructure projects funded under the business ready community program; specifying conditions and imposing requirements;
dedicating appropriated funds for this purpose;
and providing for an effective date.

Be It Enacted by the Legislature of the State of
Wyoming
:

Section 1.

W.S. 9
‑
12
‑
601(b) and by creating a new subsection (k) and 21
‑
15
‑
114(a) by creating a new paragraph (xv) and by renumbering (xv) as (xvi) are amended to read:

9
‑
12
‑
601.

Wyoming
business ready community program; purpose; creation; rulemaking.

(b)

The council shall establish and administer a
Wyoming
business ready community program as provided by this article. Any city, town or county may submit an application to the council for a grant or loan under the program on forms prescribed by and subject to rules promulgated by the council. Grants or loans may be applied for by a joint powers board with the approval of all participating agencies to the joint powers agreement. Grants and loans may be made by the council for economic or educational development infrastructure projects, including the purchase of land, buildings, facilities, telecommunications infrastructure, rights of way, airports, sewer and water projects, roads, landscaping, recreational and convention facilities or other infrastructure determined by the council to be consistent with the purposes of this article.
Educational development infrastructure projects shall include projects specified under subsection (k) of this section.
In adopting rules and making grants and loans under this article the council shall require all projects to be related to economic or educational development infrastructure, which
except for projects specified under subsection (k) of this section,
shall not include rehabilitation or expansion of existing infrastructure unless the council determines the rehabilitation or expansion is necessary to meet the purposes of this article. All grants, loans or cooperative agreements made under this article shall be referred by the council to the state loan and investment board for final approval or disapproval. The state loan and investment board may adopt rules as necessary to implement its duties under this article.

(k)

Educational development infrastructure projects specified under subsection (b) of this section shall include projects for roads, utilities and other infrastructure necessary to connect property on which school buildings and facilities are
or will be
situated
,
to existing roads, utilities and other infrastructure of municipalities and other local governmental entities. The council shall by rule and regulation provide procedures applicable to these projects which shall include:

(i)

Value engineering review by the school facilities commission established under W.S. 21
‑
15
‑
113, and subsequent commission approval prior to referral to the state loan and investment board under subsection (b) of this section;

(ii)

Based upon the review required under paragraph (i) of this subsection, a determination by the council as to
the capacity levels necessary to connect existing infrastructure to the property on which school buildings and facilities are
or will be
situated;

(iii)

A process for differentiating infrastructure capacity determined under paragraph (ii) of this subsection
from
any excess
capacity
a
nd a requirement that grants or loans provided under this subsection be matched or include repayments for amounts determined to be
excess under this paragraph
.

21
‑
15
‑
114.

Powers and duties; school facilities office created; director.

(a)

The school facilities commission shall:

(xv)

Through its established value engineering process, review those educational development infrastructure projects identified under W.S. 9
‑
12
‑
610(k) and following review, provide recommendations to the Wyoming business council pursuant to W.S. 9
‑
12
‑
601(k);

(xv)
(xvi)

With prior consultation with the select committee on school facilities, promulgate necessary rules and regulations to administer and implement this act.

Section 2.

Of the general fund appropriation to the Wyoming business council f
or the business ready community program
for the biennial period beginning July 1, 2006, and ending June 30, 2008, not less than
six
million
nine
hundred thousand dollars ($
6
,
9
00,000.00) shall be expended for
educational infrastructure projects specified under W.S. 9
‑
12
‑
601(k) as created under section 1 of this act.

Section
3
.

This act is effective immediately upon co
m
pletion of all acts necessary for a bill to become law as provided by Article 4, Section 8 of the Wyoming Constit
u
tion.

(END)

1
SF0144