PRINTER'S NO. 647
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 20070S0597B0647 - 2 -
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 20070S0597B0647 - 3 -
1 the Commonwealth. 2 Section 8. Effective date. 3 This act shall take effect in 60 days. L20L71JS/20070S0597B0647 - 4 -