Text: HF00481 Text: HF00483 Text: HF00400 - HF00499 Text: HF Index Bills and Amendments: General Index Bill History: General Index
PAG LIN
1 1 Section 1. NEW SECTION. 257D.1 TITLE.
1 2 This chapter may be cited as the "School Vertical
1 3 Infrastructure Act".
1 4 Sec. 2. NEW SECTION. 257D.2 SCHOOL VERTICAL
1 5 INFRASTRUCTURE FUND.
1 6 1. A school vertical infrastructure fund is created within
1 7 the state treasury under the control of the department of
1 8 education. The fund shall consist of fifty million dollars
1 9 appropriated from the general fund of the state to the
1 10 department for the fiscal year beginning July 1, 1997, and
1 11 each subsequent fiscal year and any other moneys available to
1 12 and obtained or accepted by the department from the federal
1 13 government or private sources for placement in the fund. The
1 14 assets of the fund shall be used by the department for
1 15 carrying out the purposes of sections 257D.3 and 257D.4.
1 16 2. Payments of interest, recaptures of grants, or
1 17 repayments of moneys granted shall be deposited in the fund.
1 18 Section 8.33 does not apply to any moneys in the fund.
1 19 3. The fund is subject to an annual audit by the auditor
1 20 of state. Moneys in the fund, which may be subject to
1 21 warrants written by the director of revenue and finance, shall
1 22 be drawn upon the written requisition of the director of the
1 23 department of education or an authorized representative of the
1 24 director.
1 25 4. As used in this chapter, "vertical infrastructure" has
1 26 the same meaning as in section 8.57, subsection 5, except that
1 27 "vertical infrastructure" shall not include recreational
1 28 trails. A matching grant shall only be awarded for specific
1 29 vertical infrastructure projects certified to the department
1 30 in the application.
1 31 Sec. 3. NEW SECTION. 257D.3 MATCHING SCHOOL VERTICAL
1 32 INFRASTRUCTURE GRANT PROGRAM.
1 33 1. The department of education shall establish a matching
1 34 school vertical infrastructure grant program. The program
1 35 shall make matching grants to eligible school districts for
2 1 vertical infrastructure projects within the school district.
2 2 The total amount of grants shall not exceed thirty million
2 3 dollars from the fund in each fiscal year. The department
2 4 shall allocate fifteen million dollars for grants to be
2 5 distributed October 1 and fifteen million dollars for grants
2 6 distributed on April 1 of each year. The director of the
2 7 department shall recommend rules to the state board of
2 8 education regarding the administration of the program. The
2 9 board shall adopt rules which include at least all of the
2 10 following:
2 11 a. That a school district certify that the district is
2 12 seeking a bond issue under chapter 298 to finance vertical
2 13 infrastructure projects in the district and transmit to the
2 14 department a description of the projects to be funded through
2 15 the bond issue.
2 16 b. That the school district apply for the grant not later
2 17 than five days following action by the board of directors of
2 18 the district to adopt the bond resolution and place the bond
2 19 issue before the voters of the district.
2 20 c. Criteria for the content of the application.
2 21 d. Procedures for the review of each application.
2 22 2. The department shall review each application and
2 23 approve, modify, or reject the application and notify the
2 24 district within ten days of the date the application is
2 25 received by the department. Matching grants are contingent on
2 26 the approval of the bond issue by the voters of the school
2 27 district. Matching grants which are not made due to the
2 28 failure of the school district to approve a bond issue shall
2 29 remain in the fund and be available for award to another
2 30 district.
2 31 3. The department shall award matching grants for vertical
2 32 infrastructure projects in accordance with the following
2 33 priorities:
2 34 a. Projects that reduce or eliminate known life safety
2 35 violations shall receive the highest priority.
3 1 b. Projects regarding a planned reorganization of a
3 2 district which involve the construction of new or significant
3 3 renovation of existing vertical infrastructure in the
3 4 district.
3 5 c. Cooperative education projects involving the
3 6 acquisition of vertical infrastructure, including joint
3 7 facilities pursuant to chapter 28E. In evaluating cooperative
3 8 projects, preference shall be given in the following order to
3 9 projects involving joint libraries and media centers;
3 10 recreational facilities; congregate meal and elder care
3 11 recreation facilities adjacent to or part of a school building
3 12 utilizing school kitchen or recreational facilities; Iowa
3 13 communication network facilities; and other facilities jointly
3 14 operated and maintained by cities, counties, school
3 15 corporations, or the state board of regents under chapter 28E.
3 16 d. Projects connecting schools to the Iowa communications
3 17 network.
3 18 4. The maximum matching grant awarded to any school
3 19 district shall be five million dollars. A school district may
3 20 receive only one matching grant in any five-year period.
3 21 Sec. 4. NEW SECTION. 257D.4 MAINTENANCE ALLOCATION.
3 22 1. Each fiscal year, the department shall distribute
3 23 twenty million dollars of the moneys in the fund to school
3 24 districts in the amount of thirty-eight dollars per pupil in
3 25 actual enrollment in the district as certified pursuant to
3 26 section 257.6. Moneys distributed to school districts under
3 27 this section shall only be used for repair and maintenance of
3 28 vertical infrastructure in the district.
3 29 2. The director of the department shall recommend rules to
3 30 the state board of education regarding administration of this
3 31 section. The rules shall provide for coordination with the
3 32 department of management regarding the timing and distribution
3 33 of moneys under this section.
3 34 EXPLANATION
3 35 This bill provides for the creation of the school vertical
4 1 infrastructure fund under the control of the department of
4 2 education. The department shall receive a $50 million general
4 3 fund appropriation each fiscal year to be deposited in the
4 4 fund. Moneys remaining in the fund at the end of a fiscal
4 5 year do not revert to the general fund. Interest earned on
4 6 moneys in the fund also remains in the fund. The fund is
4 7 subject to an annual audit by the auditor of state.
4 8 The bill provides that moneys in the fund are to be used
4 9 for two programs. The first program is the school vertical
4 10 infrastructure matching grant program. This program will take
4 11 $30 million from the fund each fiscal year and provide
4 12 matching grants of up to $5 million per school district for
4 13 vertical infrastructure projects which are to be funded
4 14 through bonds. Fifteen million dollars is eligible for
4 15 distribution each October 1 and April 1.
4 16 Matching grants are to be awarded on a priority system with
4 17 known life safety violations receiving the highest priority.
4 18 Projects involving a planned reorganization within the
4 19 district, cooperative projects with other governmental
4 20 entities, and Iowa communications network facilities are also
4 21 to be given priority. As used in the bill, "vertical
4 22 infrastructure" means the acquisition of land and
4 23 construction, major renovation, and major repair of buildings,
4 24 all appurtenant structures, utilities, and site development.
4 25 A school district is to apply to the department for a
4 26 matching grant. The district must certify that it is in the
4 27 process of approving a bond issue and detail the vertical
4 28 infrastructure projects to be funded. The department must
4 29 approve, reject, or modify the application and notify the
4 30 district within 10 days of receiving the application, which
4 31 must be received not later than five days after the school
4 32 district approves the resolution submitting the bond issue to
4 33 the voters in the district.
4 34 The bill also provides for a maintenance allocation of $20
4 35 million from the fund each fiscal year for maintenance of
5 1 vertical infrastructure in school districts. The money shall
5 2 be distributed in the amount of $38 per pupil times the number
5 3 of pupils in the district as certified to the department by
5 4 October 1 of each year. The department shall cooperate with
5 5 the department of management in the timing of the distribution
5 6 of these funds.
5 7 LSB 2350HH 77
5 8 mk/jw/5
Text: HF00481 Text: HF00483 Text: HF00400 - HF00499 Text: HF Index Bills and Amendments: General Index Bill History: General Index
Iowa General Assembly
Search: House Bills and Amendments (77th General Assembly)
© 1997 Cornell College and League of Women Voters of Iowa
Comments about this site or page? webmaster@legis.iowa.gov. Please remember that the person listed above does not vote on bills. Direct all comments concerning legislation to State Legislators.
Last update: Tue Mar 18 03:40:05 CST 1997
URL: /DOCS/GA/77GA/Legislation/HF/00400/HF00482/970306.html
jhf