On January 31, the Senate Budget and Taxation Committee unanimously passed SB 40 to expand BUILT school construction funding, after approving an amendment to the bill.
SB 40 Interagency Commission on School Construction – Systemic Renovation Projects – Eligibility and its cross-file, HB 68, would require the Interagency Commission on School Construction (IAC) to consider systemic renovation projects, regardless of cost, as eligible for funding from the Supplemental Public School Construction Financing Fund and the Supplemental Public School Construction Facilities Fund of the BUILT to Learn Act.
The Senate Budget and Taxation Committee amended SB 40 before passing it unanimously on January 31. The amendment altered the bill to still require a minimum project cost to be eligible for BUILT funding, but one that is much more conducive to county needs, at $100,000.
Currently, systemic school projects, such as updating HVAC units, are only eligible for financing under the BUILT to Learn Act if they meet a minimum total cost of $4 million, a rather arbitrary figure that effectively denies meritorious smaller-scale improvements.
MACo Associate Policy Director Brianna January testified on January 19 in support of SB 40 and on February 1 in support of its cross-file HB 68.
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