Texas 2017 - 85th 1st C.S.

Texas Senate Bill SB69 Compare Versions

Only one version of the bill is available at this time.

Old	New	Differences
1	1	85S10561 KKA-D
2	2	By: Perry S.B. No. 69
3	3
4	4
5	5	A BILL TO BE ENTITLED
6	6	AN ACT
7	7	relating to the creation of a commission to evaluate the effect on
8	8	school districts of the loss of additional state aid for tax
9	9	reduction and recommend improvements to the public school finance
10	10	system.
11	11	BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF TEXAS:
12	12	SECTION 1. Chapter 42, Education Code, is amended by adding
13	13	Subchapter L to read as follows:
14	14	SUBCHAPTER L. TEXAS COMMISSION ON PUBLIC SCHOOL FINANCE
15	15	Sec. 42.601. DEFINITION. In this subchapter, "commission"
16	16	means the Texas Commission on Public School Finance.
17	17	Sec. 42.602. TEXAS COMMISSION ON PUBLIC SCHOOL FINANCE.
18	18	(a) The Texas Commission on Public School Finance is established
19	19	to:
20	20	(1) evaluate the effect on school districts of the
21	21	loss of additional state aid for tax reduction; and
22	22	(2) develop and make recommendations for improvements
23	23	to the current public school finance system or for new methods of
24	24	financing public schools.
25	25	(b) The commission is composed of 15 members, consisting of
26	26	the following:
27	27	(1) four members appointed by the governor;
28	28	(2) three members appointed by the lieutenant
29	29	governor;
30	30	(3) three members appointed by the speaker of the
31	31	house of representatives;
32	32	(4) the chair of the senate committee on education, or
33	33	a representative designated by the chair;
34	34	(5) the chair of the senate committee on finance, or a
35	35	representative designated by the chair;
36	36	(6) the chair of the house of representatives
37	37	committee on public education, or a representative designated by
38	38	the chair;
39	39	(7) the chair of the house of representatives
40	40	committee on appropriations, or a representative designated by the
41	41	chair; and
42	42	(8) a member of the State Board of Education, as
43	43	designated by the chair of that board.
44	44	(c) In making appointments under Subsections (b)(1), (2),
45	45	and (3), the governor, lieutenant governor, and speaker of the
46	46	house of representatives shall coordinate to ensure that the
47	47	membership of the commission reflects, to the extent possible, the
48	48	ethnic diversity of this state and includes at least one of each of
49	49	the following representatives:
50	50	(1) an administrator in the public school system or an
51	51	elected member of the board of trustees of a school district;
52	52	(2) a member of the business community; and
53	53	(3) a member of the civic community.
54	54	Sec. 42.603. PRESIDING OFFICER. The governor shall
55	55	designate the presiding officer of the commission.
56	56	Sec. 42.604. COMPENSATION AND REIMBURSEMENT. A member of
57	57	the commission is not entitled to compensation for service on the
58	58	commission but is entitled to reimbursement for actual and
59	59	necessary expenses incurred in performing commission duties.
60	60	Sec. 42.605. ADMINISTRATIVE SUPPORT AND FUNDING.
61	61	(a) Staff members of the agency shall provide administrative
62	62	support for the commission.
63	63	(b) Funding for the administrative and operational expenses
64	64	of the commission shall be provided by appropriation to the agency
65	65	for that purpose.
66	66	Sec. 42.606. EVALUATION OF EFFECT ON SCHOOL DISTRICTS OF
67	67	LOSS OF ADDITIONAL STATE AID FOR TAX REDUCTION. (a) The commission
68	68	shall evaluate the effect on school districts of the loss of
69	69	additional state aid for tax reduction formerly provided under
70	70	Section 42.2516 and discontinued after the 2016-2017 school year.
71	71	(b) The evaluation must include:
72	72	(1) determination of the degree to which the loss of
73	73	additional state aid for tax reduction resulted in campus closures,
74	74	reductions in school district staff, and other adverse educational
75	75	program changes;
76	76	(2) for each school district that received additional
77	77	state aid for tax reduction during at least one of the 2012-2013
78	78	through 2016-2017 school years, identification of the percentage of
79	79	the district's total maintenance and operations budget provided by
80	80	the additional state aid for each year during which the aid was
81	81	received; and
82	82	(3) a focused assessment of the effect of the loss of
83	83	additional state aid for tax reduction on rural school districts
84	84	and the communities served by those school districts, particularly
85	85	school districts in counties in which only one school district
86	86	campus is located.
87	87	Sec. 42.607. RECOMMENDATIONS. (a) The commission shall
88	88	develop recommendations under this subchapter to address issues
89	89	related to the public school finance system, including:
90	90	(1) the purpose of the public school finance system
91	91	and the relationship between state and local funding in that
92	92	system;
93	93	(2) the appropriate levels of local maintenance and
94	94	operations and interest and sinking fund tax effort necessary to
95	95	implement a public school finance system that complies with the
96	96	requirements under the Texas Constitution; and
97	97	(3) policy changes to the public school finance system
98	98	necessary to adjust for student demographics and the geographic
99	99	diversity in the state.
100	100	(b) The commission may establish one or more working groups
101	101	composed of not more than five members of the commission to study,
102	102	discuss, and address specific policy issues and recommendations to
103	103	refer to the commission for consideration.
104	104	Sec. 42.608. REPORT. Not later than December 31, 2018, the
105	105	commission shall prepare and deliver a report to the governor and
106	106	the legislature that recommends statutory changes to improve the
107	107	public school finance system, including any adjustments to funding
108	108	to account for student demographics.
109	109	Sec. 42.609. PUBLIC MEETINGS AND PUBLIC INFORMATION.
110	110	(a) The commission may hold public meetings as needed to fulfill
111	111	its duties under this subchapter.
112	112	(b) The commission is subject to Chapters 551 and 552,
113	113	Government Code.
114	114	Sec. 42.610. COMMISSION ABOLISHED; EXPIRATION OF
115	115	SUBCHAPTER. (a) The commission is abolished January 8, 2019.
116	116	(b) This subchapter expires January 8, 2019.
117	117	SECTION 2. This Act takes effect immediately if it receives
118	118	a vote of two-thirds of all the members elected to each house, as
119	119	provided by Section 39, Article III, Texas Constitution. If this
120	120	Act does not receive the vote necessary for immediate effect, this
121	121	Act takes effect on the 91st day after the last day of the
122	122	legislative session.