01/27/2004 11:00 AM House EDU

                                                                                                                                
HB  26-INCREASE EDUCATION FUNDING                                                                                             
HB 220-INCREASE EDUCATION FUNDING                                                                                             
HB 222-FOUNDATION FORMULA INFLATION ADJUSTMENT                                                                                
HB 361-APPROP: CLASSROOM INSTRUCTION GRANTS                                                                                   
HB 265-ANNUALLY INCREASE EDUCATION FUNDING                                                                                    
                                                                                                                                
Number 0066                                                                                                                     
                                                                                                                                
CHAIR GATTO announced  his intention to assign HB 26,  HB 220, HB
, HB 361,  and HB 265 to a subcommittee  which can combine the                                                               
best features  of each  of these education  funding bills  into a                                                               
single bill.   Chair Gatto reminded the members that  this is the                                                               
same process the  committee used last session.   He appointed the                                                               
following  members to  the  subcommittee:   Representatives  Ogg,                                                               
Seaton, and Gara.  Representative  Ogg was appointed the chair of                                                               
the subcommittee.                                                                                                               
                                                                                                                                
Number 0265                                                                                                                     
                                                                                                                                
REPRESENTATIVE GARA  asked Chair Gatto if  Senator Wagoner's bill                                                               
would be considered  in subcommittee.  He commented  that he also                                                               
has a base student allocation bill.                                                                                             
                                                                                                                                
CHAIR GATTO acknowledged  that there are many  bills to consider.                                                               
He   offered  that   the  subcommittee   could  take   additional                                                               
information from other legislation;  however, these are the bills                                                               
before the  House Special  Committee on  Education.   Chair Gatto                                                               
reiterated his  intention that the  subcommittee will  create one                                                               
bill so that  there are not competing  [education funding] bills,                                                               
and therefore  the whole  committee can  work toward  that bill's                                                               
passage.                                                                                                                        
                                                                                                                                
REPRESENTATIVE GARA  said for the  record that his bill,  HB 220,                                                               
was  a reasonable  bill for  last year;  however, there  has been                                                               
another year of inflation.                                                                                                      
                                                                                                                                
Number 361                                                                                                                      
                                                                                                                                
REPRESENTATIVE  OGG told  the members  that his  intention is  to                                                               
have  the first  subcommittee meeting  next Tuesday  [February 3,                                                               
2004].   The first  15 minutes of  the subcommittee  meeting will                                                               
include  discussion  among  the   subcommittee  members  and  the                                                               
remainder of the meeting will  be a public hearing, he announced.                                                               
He asked  whether the  subcommittee could  meet during  the House                                                               
Special Committee on Education's normal time.                                                                                   
                                                                                                                                
CHAIR GATTO  agreed to have  the subcommittee  meetings scheduled                                                               
during  the timeframe  the House  Special Committee  on Education                                                               
normally  meets.    He  related  that  he  would  hope  that  the                                                               
subcommittee would bring back a  bill and then [the House Special                                                               
Committee on Education] would take public testimony.