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                                                       PRINTER'S NO. 647

THE GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF PENNSYLVANIA


SENATE BILL

No. 597 Session of 2007


        INTRODUCED BY ORIE, ERICKSON, RAFFERTY, GORDNER, FOLMER,
           FONTANA, PILEGGI, D. WHITE, BROWNE, TOMLINSON, PIPPY, BAKER,
           EARLL AND RHOADES, MARCH 20, 2007

        REFERRED TO EDUCATION, MARCH 20, 2007

                                     AN ACT

     1  Requiring fiscal notes and a continuing study of all
     2     legislation, regulations and court decisions having a fiscal
     3     impact on public schools.

     4     The General Assembly of the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania
     5  hereby enacts as follows:
     6  Section 1.  Short title.
     7     This act shall be known and may be cited as the Public School
     8  Fiscal Impact Act.
     9  Section 2.  Legislative intent.
    10     It is the intent of the General Assembly to provide an
    11  ongoing mechanism to monitor fiscal impacts on public schools,
    12  to review proposed changes and reforms in the public schools and
    13  to review relevant statutes.
    14  Section 3.  Definitions.
    15     The following words and phrases when used in this act shall
    16  have the meanings given to them in this section unless the
    17  context clearly indicates otherwise:
    18     "Committee."  For a bill introduced in the Senate, the

     1  Education Committee of the Senate. For a bill introduced in the
     2  House of Representatives, the Education Committee of the House
     3  of Representatives.
     4     "Department."  The Department of Education of the
     5  Commonwealth.
     6  Section 4.  Powers and duties.
     7     The committee shall have the following powers and duties:
     8         (1)  To analyze any bill relating to public schools or
     9     public school fiscal policy and to issue a fiscal note
    10     thereto in a timely fashion. Such a fiscal note shall be
    11     submitted to the Governor and the General Assembly and shall
    12     include an assessment of the fiscal impact, feasibility and
    13     cost of such legislation.
    14         (2)  To monitor and evaluate from time to time all the
    15     laws and systems thereunder which relate to public school
    16     fiscal policy in this Commonwealth.
    17         (3)  To study the relationship of public school fiscal
    18     policy to other aspects of public school policy and to the
    19     effective operation of government generally.
    20         (4)  To recommend to the General Assembly a change in the
    21     process by which public school legislation having a fiscal
    22     impact on the Commonwealth or public schools is analyzed and
    23     acted upon by the General Assembly.
    24         (5)  To issue fiscal impact notes pursuant to section 5.
    25         (6)  To issue fiscal impact studies pursuant to section
    26     6.
    27  Section 5.  Fiscal impact notes.
    28     (a)  Note required for bills.--No bill proposing any change
    29  relative to the imposition or expansion of a mandate on public
    30  schools shall be given second consideration in either house of
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     1  the General Assembly until the committee has attached a fiscal
     2  impact note which shall include a reliable estimate of the cost
     3  and fiscal effect of the proposed change in any such public
     4  school.
     5     (b)  Note required for amendments.--No amendment to any bill
     6  concerning the imposition or expansion of a mandate on public
     7  schools shall be considered by either house of the General
     8  Assembly until a fiscal impact note has been attached.
     9     (c)  Contents of note.--The fiscal impact note shall be
    10  factual and shall, if possible, provide a reliable estimate of
    11  both the immediate cost and effect of the bill and, if
    12  determinable or reasonably foreseeable, the long-range cost and
    13  effect of the measure.
    14     (d)  Notes for proposed constitutional amendments.--The
    15  committee shall issue a fiscal impact note for any joint
    16  resolution proposing an amendment to the Constitution of
    17  Pennsylvania which initially passes either house of the General
    18  Assembly. If said joint resolution is subsequently amended and
    19  passes either house of the General Assembly, a new fiscal impact
    20  note shall be prepared.
    21  Section 6.  Fiscal impact study.
    22     The committee shall conduct a fiscal impact study on any
    23  department regulation, enacted law or judicial decision of an
    24  action in which the department is a party to determine how costs
    25  imposed by the regulation, act or decision will be allocated
    26  between the State and local school districts.
    27  Section 7.  Reports to be public information.
    28     All reports and analyses compiled by the committee shall be
    29  public records and shall be available for public inspection at
    30  the offices of the committee during the usual business hours of
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     1  the Commonwealth.
     2  Section 8.  Effective date.
     3     This act shall take effect in 60 days.


















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