House File 250 - Introduced HOUSE FILE 250 BY KLEIN A BILL FOR An Act relating to school district transportation costs 1 by making appropriations to be used for transportation 2 assistance aid and including effective date and 3 applicability provisions. 4 BE IT ENACTED BY THE GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF THE STATE OF IOWA: 5 TLSB 2072YH (3) 86 md/sc

H.F. 250 Section 1. Section 257.31, subsection 17, paragraphs a and 1 d, Code 2015, are amended to read as follows: 2 a. If a school district’s average transportation costs per 3 pupil exceed the state average transportation costs per pupil 4 determined under paragraph “c” by one hundred fifty percent , the 5 committee may shall grant transportation assistance aid to the 6 district if the district meets the requirements of paragraph 7 “b” . Such aid shall be miscellaneous income and shall not be 8 included in district cost. 9 d. (1) For each fiscal year beginning on or after July 10 1, 2015, there is appropriated from the general fund of the 11 state to the committee an amount necessary, less the amount 12 transferred to the committee under subparagraph (2), to provide 13 transportation assistance aid in the amount determined under 14 subparagraph (3) for each school district with an average 15 transportation costs per pupil that exceeds the state average 16 transportation costs per pupil determined under paragraph “c” . 17 (2) Funds transferred to the committee in accordance with 18 section 321.34, subsection 22 , are appropriated to and may be 19 expended for the purposes of the committee, as described in 20 this section subsection . However, highest priority shall be 21 given to districts that meet the conditions described in this 22 subsection . Notwithstanding any other provision of the Code, 23 unencumbered or unobligated funds transferred to the committee 24 pursuant to section 321.34, subsection 22 , remaining on June 25 30 of the fiscal year for which the funds were transferred, 26 shall not revert but shall be available for expenditure for the 27 purposes of this subsection in subsequent fiscal years. 28 (3) For fiscal years beginning on or after July 1, 2015, 29 the amount of transportation assistance aid for each district 30 eligible under this subsection shall be equal to the district’s 31 actual enrollment used to calculate the district’s average 32 transportation costs per pupil under section 257.31, subsection 33 17, paragraph “c” , multiplied by the difference between the 34 district’s average transportation costs per pupil and the state 35 -1- LSB 2072YH (3) 86 md/sc 1/ 3

H.F. 250 average transportation costs per pupil, as those amounts are 1 determined under section 257.31, subsection 17, paragraph “c” . 2 Sec. 2. EFFECTIVE UPON ENACTMENT. This Act, being deemed of 3 immediate importance, takes effect upon enactment. 4 Sec. 3. APPLICABILITY. This Act applies to school budget 5 years beginning on or after July 1, 2015. 6 EXPLANATION 7 The inclusion of this explanation does not constitute agreement with 8 the explanation’s substance by the members of the general assembly. 9 Current Code section 257.31(17) authorizes the school budget 10 review committee to grant transportation assistance aid to 11 a school district if the district’s average transportation 12 costs per pupil exceed the state average transportation costs 13 per pupil by 150 percent and if the district meets certain 14 data reporting requirements. Currently, the funding for such 15 transportation assistance aid comes from a transfer of fees 16 collected from the issuance of certain education license plates 17 under Code section 321.32(34) and is considered miscellaneous 18 income and is not included in district cost. 19 Under this bill, if a school district’s average 20 transportation costs per pupil exceed the state average 21 transportation costs per pupil and the district meets certain 22 data reporting requirements, the school budget review committee 23 is required to grant transportation assistance aid to the 24 district. For fiscal years beginning on or after July 1, 25 2015, the amount of transportation assistance aid for each 26 district eligible under the bill is equal to the district’s 27 actual enrollment used to calculate the district’s average 28 transportation costs, multiplied by the remainder of the 29 district’s average transportation costs per pupil minus the 30 state average transportation costs per pupil. 31 For each fiscal year beginning on or after July 1, 2015, 32 the bill appropriates to the school budget review committee 33 from the general fund of the state an amount necessary, less 34 the amount transferred to the committee from the collection 35 -2- LSB 2072YH (3) 86 md/sc 2/ 3

H.F. 250 of education license plate fees, to provide transportation 1 assistance aid in the amount determined under the bill. The 2 bill also strikes a provision prohibiting the reversion of the 3 license plate fees appropriated to the school budget review 4 committee for the purposes of transportation assistance aid. 5 The bill takes effect upon enactment and applies to school 6 budget years beginning on or after July 1, 2015. 7 -3- LSB 2072YH (3) 86 md/sc 3/ 3