California Assembly Bill AB2440 Amended / Bill

 BILL NUMBER: AB 2440AMENDED BILL TEXT AMENDED IN ASSEMBLY MARCH 12, 2014 INTRODUCED BY Assembly Member Hagman FEBRUARY 21, 2014 An act to  amend Section 15144 of the Education Code, and to amend Section 53508.6 of the Government Code, relating to school bonds.   add Section 60650 to the Education Code, relating to pupil assessments.  LEGISLATIVE COUNSEL'S DIGEST AB 2440, as amended, Hagman.  School bonds: equipment purchases.   Pupil assessments: Measurement of Academic Performance and Progress: school district opt out.   Existing law establishes the Measurement of Academic Performance and Progress (MAPP) and requires the first full administration of assessments aligned to the common core standards in English language arts and mathematics to occur in the 2014-15 school year unless the State Board of Education determines that the assessments cannot be fully implemented.   This bill would authorize a school district to delay until the 2015-16 school year the administration of any assessment aligned to the common core academic content standards in English language arts and mathematics, including, but not limited to, any MAPP assessment. The bill would authorize a school district that delays administration to administer a standards-based achievement test pursuant to the former Standardized Testing and Reporting Program, which was repealed on January 1, 2014.   (1) Existing law authorizes the governing board of any school district or community college district to order an election and submit to the electors of the district the question whether the bonds of the district should be issued and sold to raise money for specified purposes. Existing law requires the number of years the whole or any part of the bonds are to run to not exceed 25 years.   This bill would require bonds to have a maturity that does not exceed 10 years if proceeds of the bond would be used to purchase equipment with a useful life of less than 5 years.   (2) Additionally and alternatively to the authority described above, existing law authorizes the legislative body of any issuer, by resolution, to provide for the issuance of bonds or refunding bonds. Existing law provides that bonds issued pursuant to this authority by a school district or community college district that do not allow for the compounding of interest may have a maturity that is greater than 30 years, but not greater than 40 years, if certain requirements are satisfied.   This bill would require bonds issued pursuant to this authority to have a maturity that does not exceed 10 years if proceeds of the bond would be used to purchase equipment with a useful life of less than 5 years.  Vote: majority. Appropriation: no. Fiscal committee:  no   yes  . State-mandated local program: no. THE PEOPLE OF THE STATE OF CALIFORNIA DO ENACT AS FOLLOWS:  SECTION 1.   Section 60650 is added to the   Education Code   , to read:   60650. (a) Notwithstanding any other law, a school district may delay until the 2015-16 school year the administration of any assessment aligned to the common core academic content standards in English language arts and mathematics, including, but not limited to, any Measurement of Academic Performance and Progress assessment. (b) A school district that delays administration of any assessment pursuant to subdivision (a) may administer a standards-based achievement test pursuant to the provisions of the former Standardized Testing and Reporting Program set forth in Section 60640, as that section read on December 31, 2013.   SECTION 1.   Section 15144 of the Education Code is amended to read: 15144. (a) Except as provided in subdivision (b), the number of years the whole or any part of the bonds are to run shall not exceed 25 years, from the date of the bonds or the date of any series of the bonds. (b) If bond proceeds will be used to purchase equipment with a useful life of less than five years, bonds issued and sold pursuant to this chapter and Chapter 1.5 (commencing with Section 15264) shall have a maturity that does not exceed 10 years.   SEC. 2.   Section 53508.6 of the Government Code is amended to read: 53508.6. (a) Except as provided in subdivision (b), notwithstanding any other law, a school district or community college district may, pursuant to this article, issue bonds that do not allow for the compounding of interest and that have a maturity greater than 30 years, but not greater than 40 years, if the school district or community college district does both of the following: (1) Complies with the requirements of subdivisions (b) and (c) of Section 15146 of the Education Code. (2) Makes a finding that the useful life of the facility financed with the bonds that do not allow for the compounding of interest and that have a maturity greater than 30 years, but not greater than 40 years, equals or exceeds the maturity date of those bonds. (b) If bond proceeds will be used to purchase equipment with a useful life of less than five years, bonds issued and sold by a school district or community college district pursuant to this article shall have a maturity that does not exceed 10 years.