Get Full Government Meeting Transcripts, Videos, & Alerts Forever!
Get email alerts on the School Finance topic
No spam. Unsubscribe anytime.
House pauses school-finance amendment after fiscal questions and member concerns
Summary
House Bill 87, which would remove the cap on the board-and-voted guarantee in the Minimum School Program, was presented and drew extended questioning over a fiscal note estimating $14,000,000 in 2012; the body voted to 'circle' the bill and delay action for further review.
Representative Newbold introduced House Bill 87 to remove the statutory cap on the board-and-voted guarantee within the Minimum School Program and to allow a small annual increase to continue. "House Bill 87 is really a very simple bill, and what it does is it removes the cap in the board and voted guarantee," the sponsor said, explaining the measure's mechanics and pointing members to distributed fiscal analyses.
Members pressed the sponsor on budgetary consequences and distributional effects. Representative Cox asked about the fiscal note, saying, "When I look at the fiscal note of $14,000,000 for 2012 ... I'm not sure I understand exactly where the money is coming from or leaving." The sponsor responded that the change would not affect the current year's budget and that the estimated impact would likely show up in the following fiscal year; she said the provision would operate through the existing minimum school program formulas rather than creating a new local tax.
Other questions centered on whether districts would be winners or losers under the adjusted guarantee and whether the change would amount to a tax increase. The sponsor said local property-tax levies would not change and that the measure redistributes state-allocated portions of funding within the established formula. Members asked for additional caucus review and more time to parse line references; one member moved to "circle" the bill to allow further discussion.
The motion to circle passed by voice vote, delaying further House action on HB87 and signaling additional internal review before the bill returns to the floor for further consideration.
