Get Full Government Meeting Transcripts, Videos, & Alerts Forever!
Get email alerts on the School Facilities topic
No spam. Unsubscribe anytime.
Committee amends then recommends 'do not pass' on House Bill 1476 after funding and mandate concerns
Summary
Lawmakers debated House Bill 1476, which would require DPI to build and maintain a school‑building assessment database; members amended two mandated “shall” provisions to “may,” rejected a due‑pass motion, and later approved a committee-level do‑not‑pass recommendation citing funding and local control concerns.
The Senate Education Committee considered House Bill 1476, a bill that would require the Department of Public Instruction to collect and maintain a statewide inventory and assessment of school buildings.
Committee members questioned whether the department should be required to perform the work without a specific appropriation. An amendment offered by Senator Bauchay changed two occurrences of “shall” to “may” (lines 8 and 13 of the April draft), making some data‑collection duties permissive; the amendment passed on a 5–0–1 voice vote. Vice Chair Lem then moved a due‑pass recommendation on the bill as amended; the motion failed on a 2–3–1 vote. Senator Gearhart then moved a do‑not‑pass recommendation, which the committee approved 3–2–1. The committee recorded that the House had earlier removed a $4,000,000 appropriation attached to the original version.
Supporters argued for the value of consistent statewide building data to help prioritize school facilities and to standardize assessments. Opponents cautioned the measure could create an unfunded state mandate and risked creating expectations that the state would pay for local facility maintenance. Several members said they preferred leaving collection as optional for DPI unless funds were provided.
Senator Gearhart moved the committee’s do‑not‑pass recommendation, saying the modified bill could be handled under existing DPI authorities without creating an unfunded mandate. The motion carried and Senator Gearhart agreed to carry the committee’s recommendation to the next legislative stop.
The committee’s action substitutes permissive language in parts of the bill, preserves a mandatory rule‑making line that would let DPI adopt implementation rules, and rejects a fiscal appropriation. The committee record shows the bill now carries a do‑not‑pass recommendation from the Senate Education Committee.
