Senate File 81 - Reprinted





                                       SENATE FILE       
                                       BY  COMMITTEE ON EDUCATION

                                       (SUCCESSOR TO SSB 1013)


    Passed Senate, Date               Passed House,  Date             
    Vote:  Ayes        Nays           Vote:  Ayes        Nays         
                 Approved                            

                                      A BILL FOR

  1 An Act relating to assisting schools to recover from disaster by
  2    changing the approval method for transfers of emergency fund
  3    moneys, by modifying certain funding provisions to relate to
  4    disaster recovery, and by allowing area education agency
  5    boards greater authority to purchase and lease=purchase
  6    property.
  7 BE IT ENACTED BY THE GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF THE STATE OF IOWA:
  8 TLSB 1254SV 83
  9 ak/sc/14

PAG LIN



  1  1    Section 1.  Section 24.6, Code 2009, is amended to read as
  1  2 follows:
  1  3    24.6  EMERGENCY FUND == LEVY.
  1  4    1.  A municipality may include in the estimate required, an
  1  5 estimate for an emergency fund.  A municipality may assess and
  1  6 levy a tax for the emergency fund at a rate not to exceed
  1  7 twenty=seven cents per thousand dollars of assessed value of
  1  8 taxable property of the municipality, provided that.  However,
  1  9 an emergency tax levy shall not be made until the municipality
  1 10 has first petitioned the state board and received its
  1 11 approval.
  1 12    2.  a.  Transfers of moneys may be made from the emergency
  1 13 fund to any other fund of the municipality for the purpose of
  1 14 meeting deficiencies in a fund arising from any cause,
  1 15 provided that.  However, a transfer shall not be made except
  1 16 upon the written approval of the state board, and then only
  1 17 when that approval is requested by a two=thirds vote of the
  1 18 governing body of the municipality.
  1 19    b.  Notwithstanding the requirements of paragraph "a", if
  1 20 the municipality is a school corporation, the school
  1 21 corporation may transfer money from the emergency fund to any
  1 22 other fund of the school corporation for the purpose of
  1 23 meeting deficiencies in a fund arising within two years of a
  1 24 disaster as defined in section 29C.2, subsection 1.  However,
  1 25 a transfer under this paragraph "b" shall not be made without
  1 26 the written approval of the school budget review committee.
  1 27    Sec. 2.  Section 256.9, Code 2009, is amended by adding the
  1 28 following new subsection:
  1 29    NEW SUBSECTION.  61.  Grant to public school districts and
  1 30 accredited nonpublic schools waivers from statutory
  1 31 obligations with which the entities cannot reasonably comply
  1 32 within two years after a disaster as defined in section 29C.2,
  1 33 subsection 1.
  1 34    Sec. 3.  Section 256.9, Code 2009, is amended by adding the
  1 35 following new subsection:
  2  1    NEW SUBSECTION.  62.  Report to the general assembly
  2  2 annually by January 1, beginning January 1, 2010, about the
  2  3 necessity of waiving any statutory obligations for school
  2  4 districts, as authorized under section 256.7, due to a
  2  5 disaster as defined in section 29C.2, subsection 1.  The
  2  6 department's report shall specify each waiver and the
  2  7 determination for granting each waiver.  The department shall
  2  8 provide the report to the speaker of the house and president
  2  9 of the senate and to the chairpersons of the appropriate
  2 10 standing committees of the general assembly.
  2 11    Sec. 4.  Section 257.31, subsection 7, paragraph a, Code
  2 12 2009, is amended to read as follows:
  2 13    a.  The committee may authorize a district to spend a
  2 14 reasonable and specified amount from its unexpended cash
  2 15 balance for either of the following purposes:
  2 16    (1)  Furnishing, equipping, and contributing to the
  2 17 construction of a new building or structure for which the
  2 18 voters of the district have approved a bond issue as provided
  2 19 by law or the tax levy provided in section 298.2.
  2 20    (2)  The costs associated with the demolition of an unused
  2 21 school building, or the conversion of an unused school
  2 22 building for community use, in a school district involved in a
  2 23 dissolution or reorganization under chapter 275, if the costs
  2 24 are incurred within three years of the dissolution or
  2 25 reorganization.
  2 26    (3)  The costs associated with the demolition or repair of
  2 27 a building or structure in a school district if such costs are
  2 28 necessitated by, and incurred within two years of, a disaster
  2 29 as defined in section 29C.2, subsection 1.
  2 30    Sec. 5.  Section 273.2, subsection 2, Code 2009, is amended
  2 31 to read as follows:
  2 32    2.  An area education agency established under this chapter
  2 33 is a body politic as a school corporation for the purpose of
  2 34 exercising powers granted under this chapter, and may sue and
  2 35 be sued.  An area education agency may hold property and
  3  1 execute purchase agreements within two years of a disaster as
  3  2 defined in section 29C.2, subsection 1, and lease=purchase
  3  3 agreements pursuant to section 273.3, subsection 7, and if the
  3  4 lease lease=purchase agreement exceeds ten years or the
  3  5 purchase price of the property to be acquired pursuant to a
  3  6 purchase or lease=purchase agreement exceeds twenty=five
  3  7 thousand dollars, the area education agency shall conduct a
  3  8 public hearing on the proposed purchase or lease=purchase
  3  9 agreement and receive approval from the area education agency
  3 10 board of directors and the director of the department state
  3 11 board of education or its designee before entering into the
  3 12 agreement.
  3 13    Sec. 6.  Section 273.3, subsection 7, Code 2009, is amended
  3 14 to read as follows:
  3 15    7.  Be authorized to lease, purchase, or lease=purchase,
  3 16 subject to the approval of the director of the department
  3 17 state board of education or its designee and to receive by
  3 18 gift and operate and maintain facilities and buildings
  3 19 necessary to provide authorized programs and services.
  3 20 However, a lease for less than ten years and with an annual
  3 21 cost of less than twenty=five thousand dollars does not
  3 22 require the approval of the director state board.  If a lease
  3 23 requires approval, the director The state board shall not
  3 24 approve the a lease, purchase, or lease=purchase until the
  3 25 director state board is satisfied by investigation that public
  3 26 school corporations within the area do not have suitable
  3 27 facilities available.  A purchase of property that is not a
  3 28 lease=purchase may be made only within two years of a disaster
  3 29 as defined in section 29C.2, subsection 1, and subject to the
  3 30 requirements of this subsection.
  3 31    Sec. 7.  NEW SECTION.  273.14  EMERGENCY REPAIRS.
  3 32    When emergency repairs costing more than the competitive
  3 33 bid threshold in section 26.3, or the adjusted competitive bid
  3 34 threshold established in section 314.1B, subsection 2, are
  3 35 necessary in order to ensure the use of an area education
  4  1 agency facility, the provisions of law with reference to
  4  2 advertising for bids shall not apply within two years of a
  4  3 disaster as defined in section 29C.2, subsection 1, and the
  4  4 area education agency board may contract for such emergency
  4  5 repairs without advertising for bids.  However, before such
  4  6 emergency repairs can be made to an area education agency
  4  7 facility, the state board of education or its designee must
  4  8 certify that such emergency repairs are necessary to ensure
  4  9 the use of the area education agency facility.
  4 10    Sec. 8.  Section 297.8, Code 2009, is amended to read as
  4 11 follows:
  4 12    297.8  EMERGENCY REPAIRS.
  4 13    When emergency repairs costing more than the competitive
  4 14 bid threshold in section 26.3, or as established in section
  4 15 314.1B, are necessary in order to prevent the closing ensure
  4 16 the continued use of any school or attendance center, the
  4 17 provisions of the law with reference to advertising for bids
  4 18 shall not apply, and in that event the board may contract for
  4 19 such emergency repairs without advertising for bids.  However,
  4 20 before such emergency repairs can be made to any schoolhouse
  4 21 or attendance center, it shall be necessary to procure a
  4 22 certificate from the area education agency administrator that
  4 23 such emergency repairs are necessary to prevent the closing
  4 24 ensure the continued use of the school or attendance center.
  4 25    Sec. 9.  Section 298.3, Code 2009, is amended by adding the
  4 26 following new subsection:
  4 27    NEW SUBSECTION.  13.  Demolition, clean up, and other costs
  4 28 if such costs are necessitated by, and incurred within two
  4 29 years of, a disaster as defined in section 29C.2, subsection
  4 30 1.
  4 31 SF 81
  4 32 ak/sc/jh/26