HOUSE BILL REPORT

                 ESHB 2947

                      As Passed House:

                      February 9, 1996

Title:  An act relating to reimbursement for school buses.

Brief Description:  Providing reimbursement for school buses.

Sponsors:  By House Committee on Appropriations (originally sponsored by Representatives Beeksma, Quall, Hymes, Sehlin, Honeyford, L. Thomas and Thompson).

Brief History:

  Committee Activity:

Appropriations:  2/3/96 [DPS].

  Floor Activity:

Passed House:  2/9/96, 97-0.

HOUSE COMMITTEE ON APPROPRIATIONS

Majority Report:  The substitute bill be substituted therefor and the substitute bill do pass.  Signed by 28 members:  Representatives Huff, Chairman; Clements, Vice Chairman; Pelesky, Vice Chairman; H. Sommers, Ranking Minority Member; Valle, Assistant Ranking Minority Member; Beeksma; Brumsickle; Carlson; Chappell; Cooke; Crouse; Dellwo; Dyer; Foreman; Grant; Hargrove; Hickel; Kessler; Lambert; Linville; McMorris; Poulsen; Reams; Rust; Sehlin; Sheahan; Talcott and Wolfe.

Staff:  Jack Daray (786-7178).

Background:   School districts are provided funding to replace school buses that have reached the end of their designated useful lives.   Replacement funding is provided in annual payments from the date the district obtains a bus until sufficient funds to replace a similar bus (state specification bus) are made to the district; useful lifetimes (eight, 15, and 20 years) depend on the category of bus.  Categories are established based on passenger capacity, engine type, and service duty rating of school buses.  Currently, there are 14 categories of buses used for payment purposes, ranging from 20-passenger/"A" (light duty)/gas engines to 86-passenger/"H" (heavy duty)/diesel engines.  Payments are based on the lowest bid received in each category, adjusted to each year=s low bid quote.

Summary of Bill:  Categories based on engine placement are added to existing categories and must be ready to bid by June 1, 1996.  Districts may place buses in the new categories only during 1996. Districts may place buses new to the payment schedule for categories created in 1996 only if the district=s reasons for choosing one of the new categories over the 1995 categories is satisfactory to a majority of regional transportation coordinators of the Educational Service Districts and the Superintendent of Public Instruction.  If a request by a district is denied, the reasons are to be documented and submitted to the Superintendent of Public Instruction.

Appropriation:  None.

Fiscal Note:  Not requested.

Effective Date:  Ninety days after adjournment of session in which bill is passed.  However, the bill is null and void if not funded in the budget.

Testimony For:  Rear engine buses are easier to work on; they have fewer parts; these types of buses have been more expensive.

Testimony Against:  None.

Testified:  Mark Triplett, N.C. Power Systems.