03/01/2005 05:32 PM House EDU

HB  20-EDUCATION FUNDING                                                                                                      
                                                                                                                                
CHAIR NEUMAN announced that the final order of business would be                                                                
HOUSE BILL  NO. 20 "An  Act relating to a  separate appropriation                                                               
bill  for operating  expenses for  primary  and secondary  public                                                               
education  and establishing  a date  by  which the  bill must  be                                                               
transmitted  to the  governor  each year;  and  providing for  an                                                               
effective date."                                                                                                                
                                                                                                                                
6:22:02 PM                                                                                                                    
                                                                                                                                
REPRESENTATIVE  WILSON moved  to adopt  the committee  substitute                                                               
(CS)  for  SSHB  20,  Version 24-LS0152\F,  Cook,  2/7/05,  as  a                                                               
workdraft.   There being no  objection, Version F was  before the                                                               
committee.                                                                                                                      
                                                                                                                                
REPRESENTATIVE SEATON,  sponsor to  HB 20,  said that  within the                                                               
committee  packet  are letters  of  support  from several  school                                                               
districts, the NEA,  and individuals.  He  explained that [CSSSHB
] changes the  date for notifying tenured teachers  to March 15                                                               
and the deadline  for the legislature to  pass education funding.                                                               
He  said that  included  in [CSSSHB  20]  are appropriations  for                                                               
operating expenses  for primary  and secondary education  but not                                                               
appropriations for other purposes.                                                                                              
                                                                                                                                
REPRESENTATIVE  GATTO inquired  as to  what would  happen if  the                                                               
legislature  does  not  submit  [the  education  budget]  by  the                                                               
deadline.                                                                                                                       
                                                                                                                                
REPRESENTATIVE  SEATON stated  that policies  and procedures  are                                                               
set out by  the legislature and they can be  utilized or ignored.                                                               
He explained that  what this legislation does is  set a procedure                                                               
so  that  by the  fourth  day  of  the legislative  session,  the                                                               
administration  will  submit a  bill  with  a proposed  education                                                               
budget and the process can begin.                                                                                               
                                                                                                                                
6:26:47 PM                                                                                                                    
                                                                                                                                
REPRESENTATIVE SALMON said  that in order to  assure that schools                                                               
would be  adequately funded, schools  could be supplied  with the                                                               
previous  years' funding.   He  said that  an amendment  could be                                                               
added to CSSSHB 20.                                                                                                             
                                                                                                                                
REPRESENTATIVE  WILSON opined  that the  aforementioned amendment                                                               
would  not work.    She  explained that  the  financial needs  of                                                               
schools  change  each year.    She  offered examples  of  certain                                                               
schools  that would  not be  adequately funded  with last  year's                                                               
budget, if they were given the  same amount, this year.  She said                                                               
that the  amendment sounded like a  good idea, but in  reality it                                                               
would be a step backwards for education funding.                                                                                
                                                                                                                                
6:27:53 PM                                                                                                                    
                                                                                                                                
REPRESENTATIVE  SEATON  explained   that  this  [legislation]  is                                                               
separating  the  appropriations  process  so  there  would  be  a                                                               
separate  K-12  education  bill.     He  said  that  the  problem                                                               
associated with this  is that [the legislature]  would be passing                                                               
an appropriation for another legislature.  He continued:                                                                        
                                                                                                                                
     the procedure  that we  are trying to  set out  here is                                                                    
     ...   the  legislature   will   establish  a   separate                                                                    
     appropriation   bill  for   education  ...   we've  had                                                                    
     education and the rest of  the budget all tied together                                                                    
     ...  if you  have  fights either  within  the House  or                                                                    
     between the House and the  Senate, that delays the bill                                                                    
     ...  no  funding goes  forward  until  the end  of  the                                                                    
     session  ... that's  the whole  intent of  this ...  to                                                                    
     create a separate appropriation bill for education ...                                                                     
                                                                                                                                
REPRESENTATIVE GATTO inquired as to the delay of "pink slips."                                                                  
                                                                                                                                
REPRESENTATIVE  SEATON stated  that the  "pink slip"  section has                                                               
been removed  from [CSSSHB 20]  and the  date [March 15]  has not                                                               
changed.   He said that  there is  no impact on  districts laying                                                               
off teachers  and if they did,  they would be able  to attend job                                                               
fairs.  He  explained that the date was moved  forward to March 5                                                               
as the date that the education budget would be completed.                                                                       
                                                                                                                                
REPRESENTATIVE GATTO commented on  the sectional analysis for the                                                               
sponsor  substitute for  HB  20 and  explained  that section  two                                                               
states, "changes the  date that employers are  required to notify                                                               
tenured  teachers of  lay off  from March  16 to  March 25."   He                                                               
asked if this is the sponsor  substitute, which is the bill being                                                               
discussed.                                                                                                                      
                                                                                                                                
REPRESENTATIVE SEATON  clarified that  the bill in  discussion is                                                               
the committee substitute for sponsor substitute HB 20.                                                                          
                                                                                                                                
6:30:51 PM                                                                                                                    
                                                                                                                                
REPRESENTATIVE  WILSON moved  to report  CSSSHB 20(EDU),  Version                                                               
24-LS0152\F;  Cook  2/7/05,  out  of  committee  with  individual                                                               
recommendations and  the accompanying fiscal notes.   There being                                                               
no objection, CSSSHB 20(EDU) was  reported from the House Special                                                               
Committee on Education.