Lawmakers split over whether towns should keep excess SWEP funds as court cases loom

Members of the House education committee spent the morning debating multiple bills that would change how the statewide education property tax (commonly called SWEP or “swept”) is treated when a municipality’s local share exceeds calculated adequacy aid.

The committee discussed HB137, introduced by Representative Cordelli, which would allow municipalities to keep excess SWEP funds and spend them on education-related purposes. Representative Spilsbury framed the debate as the opposite approach, noting he had introduced a bill the previous day that would remit excess swept funds to the Department of Revenue Administration (DRA). “I do think it’s a fundamental conversation for the committee,” Spilsbury said, “our hand hasn’t been forced yet, but it’s moving towards the inevitable that we need to call for the excess to be remitted to the DRA.”

Why it…