SENATE BILL NO. 146 "An Act relating to the regional educational attendance area and small municipal school district fund; relating to Mt. Edgecumbe High School; and relating to teacher housing." 10:26:29 AM Co-Chair Hoffman relayed that the committee had first heard SB 146 on April 4 and had taken public testimony and reviewed the fiscal notes at the time. 10:26:56 AM Liz Harpold, Staff, Senator Donny Olson, explained that SB 146 proposed to amend the Regional Educational Attendance Area (REAA) Fund language to include major maintenance and construction at Mount Edgecumbe High School (MEHS) and major maintenance for teacher housing in REAA or small municipal areas as allowable uses for the fund. The bill also proposed to remove the $70 million cap on the fund value preventing any fund balance above the amount from lapsing into the General Fund at the end of the year. She reminded that MEHS was a public boarding school, and its maintenance was part of DEED's advocacy efforts unlike other high schools around the state. By amending the REAA Fund language, MEHS would be able to advocate to put itself on the major maintenance and deferred maintenance lists as other high schools in the state. 10:27:59 AM Co-Chair Stedman added that MEHS could not be put in the major maintenance list for K-12. He mentioned vetoes related to the topic. He emphasized that MEHS had to compete with all other DOT maintenance requests around the state, and due to its small size did not get much attention. He noted that he had not seen advocacy from DEED on behalf of MEHS. He mentioned difficulty in getting the deferred maintenance list from the department. There was concern that without inclusion the school would continue to be disadvantaged. He discussed the age of the MEHS buildings, which were built before World War II. He thought planning was necessary for the benefit of MEHS. He pointed out that MEHS was one of the state's best performing schools, and many future leaders had come from and would come from the school. Co-Chair Hoffman stressed that Co-Chair Stedman had been the school's sole advocate for years. He expressed support for the bill. Co-Chair Stedman MOVED to report SB 146 out of Committee with individual recommendations and the accompanying fiscal note. There being NO OBJECTION, it was so ordered. SB 146 was REPORTED out of committee with five "do pass" recommendations and with two "no recommendation" recommendations, and with one new fiscal impact note from the Department of Education and Early Development. 10:31:05 AM AT EASE 10:32:57 AM RECONVENED Co-Chair Hoffman discussed the agenda for the afternoon meeting.