BILL ANALYSIS

 

 

Senate Research Center                                                                                                 C.S.S.B. 881

80R11853 ESH-D                                                                                                           By: Shapiro

                                                                                                                                            Education

                                                                                                                                            3/29/2007

                                                                                                        Committee Report (Substituted)

 

 

AUTHOR'S / SPONSOR'S STATEMENT OF INTENT

 

Currently, in order to issue bonds, school districts must prove to the attorney general that they can pay for outstanding debt as they mature in the future at a tax rate of 50 cents or less per $100 of valuation.  This causes some districts to extend the life of their bonds to satisfy these requirements, increasing the interest paid by local taxpayers.

 

C.S.S.B. 881 authorizes school districts to issue bonds if the actual tax rate does not exceed 50 cents and bond issuances would not exceed 10 percent of the district's assessed property value.  This bill ensures fiscal responsibility by school districts and saves local taxpayers money by not requiring districts to extend the life of their bonded indebtedness.

 

RULEMAKING AUTHORITY

 

This bill does not expressly grant any additional rulemaking authority to a state officer, institution, or agency.

 

SECTION BY SECTION ANALYSIS

 

SECTION 1.  Amends Section 45.0031, Education Code, by adding Subsection (f), to authorize a school district, in lieu of demonstrating to the attorney general the ability to comply with Subsection (a), before bonds are issued, to demonstrate that the district's current tax rate for all previously issued bonds, other than bonds authorized to be issued at an election held on or before April 1, 1991, and issued before September 1, 1992, is less than $0.50 per $100 of valuation and that the aggregate principal amount of tax bond indebtedness of the district after the proposed issuance would not exceed 10 percent of the assessed valuation of taxable property in the district according to the most recent certified ad valorem tax rolls of the district.

 

SECTION 2.  Makes application of this Act prospective.

 

SECTION 3.  Effective date: upon passage or September 1, 2007.