Alabama 2023 Regular Session

Alabama Senate Bill SB269 Compare Versions

Version 1 (Old)

Version 2 (New)

Old	New		Differences
1		-	~~SB269ENROLLED~~
	1	+	SB269INTRODUCED
2	2		Page 0
3		-	EH7BC2-3
	3	+	EH7BC2-1
4	4		By Senator Orr
5	5		RFD: Finance and Taxation Education
6	6		First Read: 02-May-23
7	7		2023 Regular Session
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12		-	5 SB269 EnrolledSB269 Enrolled
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	13	+	6 EH7BC2-1 05/01/2023 KHF (F)KHF 2023-1718
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14		-	Enrolled, An Act,
	15	+	SYNOPSIS:
	16	+	This bill would establish the K-12 Capital Grant
	17	+	Program within the Office of the Lieutenant Governor to
	18	+	provide grants to local schools to assist with capital
	19	+	project, deferred maintenance, or technology needs.
	20	+	This bill would establish the process for grant
	21	+	applications, the purposes for which grant funds could
	22	+	be made, and the criteria used to evaluate grant
	23	+	proposals.
	24	+	In addition, this bill would establish the K-12
	25	+	Capital Grant Program Fund in the State Treasury to
	26	+	receive appropriations made by the Legislature to
	27	+	implement the program.
	28	+	A BILL
	29	+	TO BE ENTITLED
	30	+	AN ACT
15	31		Relating to education; to establish the K-12 Capital
16	32		Grant Program within the Office of the Lieutenant Governor to
17	33		provide grants to local schools to assist with capital
18	34		project, deferred maintenance, or technology needs; to provide
19	35		the purposes for which grant funds can be used; to establish
20	36		the process for grant applications and approvals; to establish
21		-	the K-12 Capital Grant Program Fund in the State Treasury; and
22		-	to provide an effective date.
23		-	BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF ALABAMA:
24		-	Section 1. The following words and phrases, whenever
25		-	used in this act, shall have the following meanings:
26		-	(1) ELIGIBLE K-12 ENTITY. Any public school in
27		-	operation in the current fiscal year, the Alabama School of
28		-	Math and Science, the Alabama School of Fine Arts, the Alabama
29		-	School for Cyber Technology and Engineering, the portion of
30		-	the Alabama Institute for Deaf and Blind providing appropriate
31		-	elementary/secondary instruction, and may include the
32		-	Department of Youth Services School District.
33		-	(2) GRANT. The award by the Office of the Lieutenant
34		-	Governor of funds appropriated by the Legislature to an
35		-	eligible K-12 entity.
36		-	(3) GRANT PROPOSAL. A written plan for the expenditure
37		-	of funds by an eligible K-12 entity, which meets one or more
38		-	of the purposes outlined in Section 3, subject to the approval
39		-	by the Office of the Lieutenant Governor and expended under
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67		-	28 SB269 ~~EnrolledSB269 Enrolled~~
	64	+	28 SB269 INTRODUCEDSB269 INTRODUCED
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	66	+	the K-12 Capital Grant Program Fund in the State Treasury; and
	67	+	to provide an effective date.
	68	+	BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF ALABAMA:
	69	+	Section 1. The following words and phrases, whenever
	70	+	used in this act, shall have the following meanings:
	71	+	(1) ELIGIBLE K-12 ENTITY. Any public school in
	72	+	operation for the current fiscal year providing appropriate
	73	+	elementary instruction and eligible to participate in
	74	+	allocations from the Advancement and Technology Fund pursuant
	75	+	to Section 29-9-4, Code of Alabama 1975.
	76	+	(2) GRANT. The award by the Office of the Lieutenant
	77	+	Governor of funds appropriated by the Legislature to an
	78	+	eligible K-12 entity.
	79	+	(3) GRANT PROPOSAL. A written plan for the expenditure
	80	+	of funds by an eligible K-12 entity, which meets one or more
	81	+	of the purposes outlined in Section 3, subject to the approval
	82	+	by the Office of the Lieutenant Governor and expended under
69	83		the direction of the head of the eligible K-12 entity.
70	84		Section 2. There is hereby created the Alabama K-12
71	85		Capital Grant Program within the Office of the Lieutenant
72	86		Governor to award grants to local school systems to assist
73	87		with capital project, deferred maintenance, or technology
74	88		needs of the school systems. The Legislature may from time to
75	89		time appropriate funds into the K-12 Capital Grant Program
76	90		Fund hereby established within the State Treasury to
77		-	facilitate the grant program. An amount determined necessary
78		-	by the Office of the Lieutenant Governor, but not to exceed
79		-	one-quarter of one percent of the available fund monies, may
80		-	be used for the administrative costs of implementing the grant
81		-	program. Provided, however, that no funds shall be withdrawn
82		-	or expended except as budgeted and allocated in accordance
83		-	with Article 4 of Chapter 4 of Title 41, Code of Alabama 1975,
84		-	and only in the amounts provided by the Legislature in an
85		-	appropriation bill. Any unencumbered and unexpended balance of
86		-	this fund remaining at the end of any fiscal year shall not
87		-	lapse or revert, but shall be carried forward for the purposes
88		-	of this act until expended.
89		-	Section 3. K-12 Capital Grants shall be made for only
90		-	the following purposes: 1) To assist with the total cost of
91		-	capital projects that will enhance the educational environment
92		-	of students, including the construction, reconstruction, or
93		-	renovation of permanent buildings containing classrooms,
94		-	offices, libraries, laboratories, teaching facilities,
95		-	training facilities, cafeterias, alternative schools, physical
96		-	education facilities, including athletic facilities,
	91	+	facilitate the grant program. Provided, however, that no funds
	92	+	shall be withdrawn or expended except as budgeted and
	93	+	allocated in accordance with Article 4 of Chapter 4 of Title
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124		-	56 SB269 ~~EnrolledSB269 Enrolled~~
	121	+	56 SB269 INTRODUCEDSB269 INTRODUCED
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	123	+	41, Code of Alabama 1975, and only in the amounts provided by
	124	+	the Legislature in an appropriation bill. Any unencumbered and
	125	+	unexpended balance of this fund remaining at the end of any
	126	+	fiscal year shall not lapse or revert, but shall be carried
	127	+	forward for the purposes of this act until expended.
	128	+	Section 3. K-12 Capital Grants shall be made for only
	129	+	the following purposes: 1) To assist with the total cost of
	130	+	capital projects that will enhance the educational environment
	131	+	of students, including the construction, reconstruction, or
	132	+	renovation of permanent buildings containing classrooms,
	133	+	offices, libraries, laboratories, teaching facilities,
	134	+	training facilities, cafeterias, alternative schools, physical
	135	+	education facilities, including athletic facilities,
126	136		facilities for the performing arts and arts education,
127	137		together with tangible personal property that becomes a part
128	138		of such facilities; 2) to provide funds to assist with the
129	139		payment of existing debt service related to capital projects;
130	140		3) to assist with the total cost of necessary deferred
131	141		maintenance for existing facilities; 4) to assist with the
132	142		total cost of projects that will improve school security and
133	143		safety; and 5) for technology and equipment for schools or
134	144		students that will provide access expanded educational
135	145		opportunities.
136	146		Section 4. (a) The Office of the Lieutenant Governor
137	147		shall evaluate grant proposals based upon the following
138	148		criteria:
139	149		(1) The total amount of state funds available for
140	150		grants, with the maximum grant amount from state funds not to
141		-	exceed $5 million for any grant proposal;
142		-	(2) The purposes for which the grant funds are
143		-	intended;
144		-	(3) The availability of local matching funds, so long
145		-	as there is not a required match of more than 35% of the total
146		-	cost of the project; and
147		-	(4) The extent to which the grant proposals benefit
148		-	eligible K-12 entities in each geographic area of the state,
149		-	understanding the number of students and school systems
150		-	located within each geographic area vary throughout the state.
151		-	(b) All applications for grants shall be endorsed by a
152		-	member of the Senate and House of Representatives from the
153		-	affected delegation in order to be considered.
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181		-	84 SB269 ~~EnrolledSB269 Enrolled~~
	178	+	84 SB269 INTRODUCEDSB269 INTRODUCED
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183		-	(c) The Office of the Lieutenant Governor shall utilize
	180	+	exceed $5 million for any grant proposal;
	181	+	(2) The purposes for which the grant funds are
	182	+	intended;
	183	+	(3) The availability of local matching funds, so long
	184	+	as there is not a required match of more than 35% of the total
	185	+	cost of the project; and
	186	+	(4) The extent to which the grant proposals benefit
	187	+	eligible K-12 entities in each geographic area of the state,
	188	+	understanding the number of students and school systems
	189	+	located within each geographic area vary throughout the state.
	190	+	(b) The Office of the Lieutenant Governor shall utilize
184	191		a sliding scale of matching requirements for grant proposals,
185	192		taking into consideration the financial capacity of the
186	193		eligible K-12 entity to provide matching funds. The office
187	194		shall ensure that grant proposals from eligible K-12 entities
188	195		with considerable populations of at-risk students receive
189	196		priority consideration for review.
190	197		(c) Any eligible K-12 entity receiving grant funds
191	198		pursuant to this act shall file a report with the Office of
192	199		the Lieutenant Governor within one-year following the receipt
193	200		of the funds. The report shall indicate that expenditures are
194	201		in accordance with the associated grant proposal and other
195	202		state laws. Upon a finding that grant expenditures are not in
196	203		accordance with these conditions, the Office of the Lieutenant
197	204		Governor shall suspend the release of further grant funds to
198	205		the entity.
199	206		(d) The Department of the Examiners of Public Accounts
200	207		shall examine compliance of the recipient K-12 entities with
201		-	the grant program.
202		-	(e) The Office of the Lieutenant Governor shall design
203		-	and distribute a grant proposal instrument to the State
204		-	Department of Education to make available to eligible K-12
205		-	entities. The Office shall maintain electronic records of all
206		-	grant proposals for all grants currently in effect and all
207		-	completed grants and may promulgate reasonable rules necessary
208		-	to implement the provisions of this act.
209		-	Section 5. This act shall become effective immediately
210		-	following its passage and approval by the Governor, or its
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238		-	112 SB269 ~~EnrolledSB269 Enrolled~~
	235	+	112 SB269 INTRODUCEDSB269 INTRODUCED
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240		-	otherwise becoming law.113 SB269 EnrolledSB269 Enrolled
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242		-	________________________________________________
243		-	President and Presiding Officer of the Senate
244		-	________________________________________________
245		-	Speaker of the House of Representatives
246		-	SB269
247		-	Senate 04-May-23
248		-	I hereby certify that the within Act originated in and passed
249		-	the Senate, as amended.
250		-	Patrick Harris,
251		-	Secretary.
252		-	House of Representatives
253		-	Amended and passed: 25-May-23
254		-	Senate concurred in House amendment 25-May-23
255		-	By: Senator Orr
	237	+	the grant program.
	238	+	(e) The Office of the Lieutenant Governor shall design
	239	+	and distribute a grant proposal instrument to the State
	240	+	Department of Education to make available to eligible K-12
	241	+	entities. The Office shall maintain electronic records of all
	242	+	grant proposals for all grants currently in effect and all
	243	+	completed grants and may promulgate reasonable rules necessary
	244	+	to implement the provisions of this act.
	245	+	Section 5. This act shall become effective immediately
	246	+	following its passage and approval by the Governor, or its
	247	+	otherwise becoming law.
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