By: Taylor of Galveston S.B. No. 2215
A BILL TO BE ENTITLED
AN ACT
relating to state fiscal matters related to public education.
BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF TEXAS:
ARTICLE 1. REDUCTION OF EXPENDITURES AND IMPOSITION OF CHARGES
GENERALLY
SECTION 1.01. This article applies to any state agency,
school, or other entity other than an institution of higher
education, that receives an appropriation under Article III of the
General Appropriations Act.
SECTION 1.02. Notwithstanding any other statute of this
state, each entity to which this article applies is authorized to
reduce or recover expenditures by:
(1) consolidating any reports or publications the
entity is required to make and filing or delivering any of those
reports or publications exclusively by electronic means;
(2) extending the effective period of any license,
permit, or registration the entity grants or administers;
(3) entering into a contract with another governmental
entity or with a private vendor to carry out any of the entity's
duties;
(4) providing that any communication between the
entity and another person and any document required to be delivered
to or by the entity, including any application, notice, billing
statement, receipt, or certificate, may be made or delivered by
e-mail or through the Internet; and
(5) adopting and collecting fees or charges to cover
any costs the entity incurs in performing its lawful functions.
ARTICLE 2. REDUCTION IN GENERAL APPROPRIATIONS ACT
SECTION 2.01. An employee of a state agency, school, or
other entity other than an institution of higher education, that
receives an appropriation under Article III of the General
Appropriations Act, is not entitled to an amount from the state for
expenses, per diem, travel, or salary that exceeds the amount
authorized for those purposes by the General Appropriations Act.
SECTION 2.02. An employee of a state agency, school, or
other entity other than an institution of higher education, that
receives an appropriation under Article III of the General
Appropriations Act, is not entitled to an amount from the state for
a salary, a salary supplement, office expenses or reimbursement of
office expenses, or travel that exceeds the amount authorized for
those purposes by the General Appropriations Act.
ARTICLE 3. SCHEDULE OF INSTALLMENT PAYMENTS
SECTION 3.01. Subsections (c), (d), and (f), Section
42.259, Education Code, are amended to read as follows:
(c) Payments from the foundation school fund to each
category 2 school district shall be made as follows:
(1) 22 percent of the yearly entitlement of the
district shall be paid in an installment to be made on or before the
25th day of September of a fiscal year;
(2) 18 percent of the yearly entitlement of the
district shall be paid in an installment to be made on or before the
25th day of October;
(3) 9.5 percent of the yearly entitlement of the
district shall be paid in an installment to be made on or before the
25th day of November;
(4) 7.5 percent of the yearly entitlement of the
district shall be paid in an installment to be made on or before the
25th day of April;
(5) five percent of the yearly entitlement of the
district shall be paid in an installment to be made on or before the
25th day of May;
(6) 10 percent of the yearly entitlement of the
district shall be paid in an installment to be made on or before the
25th day of June;
(7) 13 percent of the yearly entitlement of the
district shall be paid in an installment to be made on or before the
25th day of July; and
(8) 15 percent of the yearly entitlement of the
district shall be paid in an installment to be made after the 5th
day of September and not later than the 10th day of September of the
calendar year following the calendar year of the payment made under
Subdivision (1) [on or before the 25th day of August].
(d) Payments from the foundation school fund to each
category 3 school district shall be made as follows:
(1) 45 percent of the yearly entitlement of the
district shall be paid in an installment to be made on or before the
25th day of September of a fiscal year;
(2) 35 percent of the yearly entitlement of the
district shall be paid in an installment to be made on or before the
25th day of October; and
(3) 20 percent of the yearly entitlement of the
district shall be paid in an installment to be made after the 5th
day of September and not later than the 10th day of September of the
calendar year following the calendar year of the payment made under
Subdivision (1) [on or before the 25th day of August].
(f) Except as provided by Subsection (c)(8) or (d)(3), any
[Any] previously unpaid additional funds from prior fiscal years
owed to a district shall be paid to the district together with the
September payment of the current fiscal year entitlement.
SECTION 3.02. Subsection (c), Section 466.355, Government
Code, is amended to read as follows:
(c) Each August the comptroller shall:
(1) estimate the amount to be transferred to the
foundation school fund on or before September 15; and
(2) notwithstanding Subsection (b)(4), transfer the
amount estimated in Subdivision (1) to the foundation school fund
before August 25 [installment payments are made under Section
42.259, Education Code].
SECTION 3.03. Subsections (c) and (e) of Section 42.2591,
Education Code, are amended to read as follows:
(c) Payments from the foundation school fund to an
open-enrollment charter school under this section shall be made as
follows:
(1) 22 percent of the yearly entitlement of the school
shall be paid in an installment to be made on or before the 25th day
of September of a fiscal year;
(2) 18 percent of the yearly entitlement of the school
shall be paid in an installment to be made on or before the 25th day
of October;
(3) 9.5 percent of the yearly entitlement of the
school shall be paid in an installment to be made on or before the
25th day of November;
(4) four percent of the yearly entitlement of the
school shall be paid in an installment to be made on or before the
25th day of December;
(5) four percent of the yearly entitlement of the
school shall be paid in an installment to be made on or before the
25th day of January;
(6) four percent of the yearly entitlement of the
school shall be paid in an installment to be made on or before the
25th day of February;
(7) four percent of the yearly entitlement of the
school shall be paid in an installment to be made on or before the
25th day of March;
(8) 7.5 percent of the yearly entitlement of the
school shall be paid in an installment to be made on or before the
25th day of April;
(9) five percent of the yearly entitlement of the
school shall be paid in an installment to be made on or before the
25th day of May;
(10) seven percent of the yearly entitlement of the
school shall be paid in an installment to be made on or before the
25th day of June;
(11) seven percent of the yearly entitlement of the
school shall be paid in an installment to be made on or before the
25th day of July; and
(12) eight percent of the yearly entitlement of the
school shall be paid in an installment to be made after the 5th day
of September and not later than the 10th day of September of the
calendar year following the calendar year of the payment made under
Subdivision (1)[on or before the 25th day of August].
(e) Except as provided by Subsection (c)(12), previously
[Previously] unpaid additional funds from prior fiscal years owed
to an open-enrollment charter school shall be paid to the school
together with the September payment of the current fiscal year
entitlement.
SECTION 3.04. The changes made by this article to Sections
42.259 and 42.2591, Education Code, apply only to a payment from the
foundation school fund that is made on or after the effective date
of this Act. A payment to a school district from the foundation
school fund that is made before that date is governed by Sections
42.259 and 42.2591, Education Code, as it existed before amendment
by this article, and the former law is continued in effect for that
purpose.
ARTICLE 4. PILOT PROGRAMS
SECTION 4.01 PILOT PROGRAM PROPOSALS AND RULES. The
commissioner of each state agency to which this article applies may
propose to the appropriate legislative committee pilot programs
that could be tested to determine if the programs might produce long
term fiscal benefits to the state. The commissioner may propose
rules necessary to implement the pilot programs.
ARTICLE 5. REPEALER
SECTION 5.01 Section 42.262, Education Code, is repealed.
ARTICLE 6. EFFECTIVE DATE
SECTION 6.01. This Act takes effect immediately if it
receives a vote of two-thirds of all the members elected to each
house, as provided by Section 39, Article III, Texas Constitution.
If this Act does not receive the vote necessary for immediate
effect, this Act takes effect on the 91st day after the last day of
the legislative session.