HOUSE BILL No. 6029

 

April 13, 2010, Introduced by Rep. Bledsoe and referred to the Committee on Appropriations.

 

     A bill to amend 1979 PA 94, entitled

 

"The state school aid act of 1979,"

 

by amending sections 11 and 11a (MCL 388.1611 and 388.1611a),

 

section 11 as amended by 2009 PA 203 and section 11a as amended by

 

2009 PA 121.

 

THE PEOPLE OF THE STATE OF MICHIGAN ENACT:

 

     Sec. 11. (1) For the fiscal year ending September 30, 2010,

 

there is appropriated for the public schools of this state and

 

certain other state purposes relating to education the sum of

 

$10,793,954,100.00 from the state school aid fund established by

 

section 11 of article IX of the state constitution of 1963 and the

 

sum of $31,800,000.00 from the general fund. For the fiscal year

 

ending September 30, 2010, there is also appropriated the sum of


 

$450,000,000.00 from the federal funding awarded to this state

 

under title XIV of the American recovery and reinvestment act of

 

2009, Public Law 111-5, to be used solely for the purpose of

 

funding the primary funding formula calculated under section 20, in

 

accordance with federal law. In addition, any money received by

 

this state from the federal incentive grant program created under

 

sections 14005 and 14006 of title XIV of the American recovery and

 

reinvestment act of 2009, Public Law 111-5, known as the "race to

 

the top" grant program, and all other available federal funds are

 

appropriated for the fiscal year ending September 30, 2010.

 

     (2) Beginning with the appropriations process for the 2010-

 

2011 fiscal year, all of the following apply to appropriations

 

under this act:

 

     (a) In addition to the economic forecasts required under

 

section 367b of the management and budget act, 1984 PA 431, MCL

 

18.1367b, each consensus revenue estimating conference shall

 

forecast revenues available to the state school aid fund for the

 

next 2 fiscal years after the date of the conference.

 

     (b) Based on the revenue forecasts under subdivision (a), the

 

legislature shall appropriate money from the state school aid fund

 

for the purposes of this act as follows:

 

     (i) During the appropriations process for the 2010-2011 fiscal

 

year, the legislature shall appropriate money from the state school

 

aid fund for both the 2010-2011 fiscal year and the 2011-2012

 

fiscal year.

 

     (ii) During the appropriations process for the 2011-2012 fiscal

 

year, the legislature shall appropriate money from the state school


 

aid fund for the 2012-2013 fiscal year. During the appropriations

 

process for each subsequent fiscal year, the legislature shall

 

appropriate money from the state school aid fund for the fiscal

 

year that begins on the October 1 of the year after that

 

appropriations process.

 

     (c) In each bill making appropriations for this act for a

 

fiscal year, the legislature shall appropriate the entire amount of

 

the revenue that was forecast to be available to the state school

 

aid fund for that fiscal year under subdivision (a) at the May

 

revenue estimating conference that occurs during that year's

 

appropriations process.

 

     (d) If the amount appropriated under this section from the

 

state school aid fund and the school aid stabilization fund created

 

in section 11a for a fiscal year exceeds the amount available for

 

expenditure from the state school aid fund for a fiscal year, the

 

amount of the difference between the amount appropriated from those

 

sources and the amount available for expenditure from the state

 

school aid fund is automatically appropriated from the general fund

 

for the purposes of this act.

 

     (e) If the amount appropriated under this section from the

 

state school aid fund for a fiscal year exceeds the amount

 

necessary to fully fund allocations under this act from the state

 

school aid fund, that excess amount shall not be expended in that

 

state fiscal year and shall not lapse to the general fund, but

 

instead shall be deposited into the school aid stabilization fund

 

created in section 11a.

 

     (3) (2) The appropriations under this section shall be


 

allocated as provided in this act. Money appropriated under this

 

section from the general fund shall be expended to fund the

 

purposes of this act before the expenditure of money appropriated

 

under this section from the state school aid fund. If the maximum

 

amount appropriated under this section from the state school aid

 

fund for a fiscal year exceeds the amount necessary to fully fund

 

allocations under this act from the state school aid fund, that

 

excess amount shall not be expended in that state fiscal year and

 

shall not lapse to the general fund, but instead shall be deposited

 

into the school aid stabilization fund created in section 11a.

 

     (3) If the maximum amount appropriated under this section from

 

the state school aid fund and the school aid stabilization fund for

 

a fiscal year exceeds the amount available for expenditure from the

 

state school aid fund for that fiscal year, payments under sections

 

11f, 11g, 11j, 22a, 26a, 26b, 31d, 31f, 51a(2), 51a(12), 51c, 53a,

 

and 56 shall be made in full. In addition, for districts beginning

 

operations after 1994-95 that qualify for payments under section

 

22b, payments under section 22b shall be made so that the

 

qualifying districts receive the lesser of an amount equal to the

 

1994-95 foundation allowance of the district in which the district

 

beginning operations after 1994-95 is located or $5,500.00. The

 

amount of the payment to be made under section 22b for these

 

qualifying districts shall be as calculated under section 22a, with

 

the balance of the payment under section 22b being subject to the

 

proration otherwise provided under this subsection and subsection

 

(4). If proration is necessary, state payments under each of the

 

other sections of this act from all state funding sources shall be


 

prorated in the manner prescribed in subsection (4) as necessary to

 

reflect the amount available for expenditure from the state school

 

aid fund for the affected fiscal year. However, if the department

 

of treasury determines that proration will be required under this

 

subsection, or if the department of treasury determines that

 

further proration is required under this subsection after an

 

initial proration has already been made for a fiscal year, the

 

department of treasury shall notify the state budget director, and

 

the state budget director shall notify the legislature at least 30

 

calendar days or 6 legislative session days, whichever is more,

 

before the department reduces any payments under this act because

 

of the proration. During the 30 calendar day or 6 legislative

 

session day period after that notification by the state budget

 

director, the department shall not reduce any payments under this

 

act because of proration under this subsection. The legislature may

 

prevent proration from occurring by, within the 30 calendar day or

 

6 legislative session day period after that notification by the

 

state budget director, enacting legislation appropriating

 

additional funds from the general fund, countercyclical budget and

 

economic stabilization fund, state school aid fund balance, or

 

another source to fund the amount of the projected shortfall.

 

     (4) If proration is necessary under subsection (3), the

 

department shall calculate the proration in district and

 

intermediate district payments that is required under subsection

 

(3) as follows:

 

     (a) The department shall calculate the percentage of total

 

state school aid allocated under this act for the affected fiscal


 

year for each of the following:

 

     (i) Districts.

 

     (ii) Intermediate districts.

 

     (iii) Entities other than districts or intermediate districts.

 

     (b) The department shall recover a percentage of the proration

 

amount required under subsection (3) that is equal to the

 

percentage calculated under subdivision (a)(i) for districts by

 

reducing payments to districts. This reduction shall be made by

 

calculating an equal dollar amount per pupil as necessary to

 

recover this percentage of the proration amount and reducing each

 

district's total state school aid from state sources, other than

 

payments under sections 11f, 11g, 11j, 22a, 26a, 26b, 31d, 31f,

 

51a(2), 51a(12), 51c, and 53a, by that amount.

 

     (c) The department shall recover a percentage of the proration

 

amount required under subsection (3) that is equal to the

 

percentage calculated under subdivision (a)(ii) for intermediate

 

districts by reducing payments to intermediate districts. This

 

reduction shall be made by reducing the payments to each

 

intermediate district, other than payments under sections 11f, 11g,

 

26a, 26b, 51a(2), 51a(12), 53a, and 56, on an equal percentage

 

basis.

 

     (d) The department shall recover a percentage of the proration

 

amount required under subsection (3) that is equal to the

 

percentage calculated under subdivision (a)(iii) for entities other

 

than districts and intermediate districts by reducing payments to

 

these entities. This reduction shall be made by reducing the

 

payments to each of these entities, other than payments under


 

sections 11j, 26a, and 26b, on an equal percentage basis.

 

     (4) (5) Except for the allocation under section 26a, any

 

general fund allocations under this act that are not expended by

 

the end of the state fiscal year are transferred to the school aid

 

stabilization fund created under section 11a.

 

     Sec. 11a. (1) The school aid stabilization fund is created as

 

a separate account within the state school aid fund established by

 

section 11 of article IX of the state constitution of 1963.

 

     (2) The state treasurer may receive money or other assets from

 

any source for deposit into the school aid stabilization fund. The

 

state treasurer shall deposit into the school aid stabilization

 

fund all of the following:

 

     (a) Unexpended and unencumbered state school aid fund revenue

 

for a fiscal year that remains in the state school aid fund as of

 

the bookclosing for that fiscal year.

 

     (b) Money statutorily dedicated to the school aid

 

stabilization fund.

 

     (c) Money appropriated to the school aid stabilization fund.

 

     (3) Money available in the school aid stabilization fund may

 

not be expended without a specific appropriation from the school

 

aid stabilization fund. Money in the school aid stabilization fund

 

shall be expended only for purposes for which state school aid fund

 

money may be expended.

 

     (4) The state treasurer shall direct the investment of the

 

school aid stabilization fund. The state treasurer shall credit to

 

the school aid stabilization fund interest and earnings from fund

 

investments.


 

     (5) Money in the school aid stabilization fund at the close of

 

a fiscal year shall remain in the school aid stabilization fund and

 

shall not lapse to the unreserved school aid fund balance or the

 

general fund.

 

     (6) If the maximum amount appropriated under section 11 from

 

the state school aid fund for a fiscal year exceeds the amount

 

available for expenditure from the state school aid fund for that

 

fiscal year, there is appropriated from the school aid

 

stabilization fund to the state school aid fund an amount equal to

 

the projected shortfall as determined by the department of

 

treasury, but not to exceed available money in the school aid

 

stabilization fund. If the money in the school aid stabilization

 

fund is insufficient to fully fund an amount equal to the projected

 

shortfall, the state budget director shall notify the legislature

 

as required under section 11(3) and state payments in an amount

 

equal to the remainder of the projected shortfall shall be prorated

 

in the manner provided under section 11(4).

 

     (7) For 2009-2010, there is appropriated from the school aid

 

stabilization fund to the state school aid fund the amount

 

necessary to fully fund the allocations under this act.