HOUSE BILL REPORT

                  HB 2947

             As Reported By House Committee On:

                       Appropriations

Title:  An act relating to reimbursement for school buses.

Brief Description:  Providing reimbursement for school buses.

Sponsors:  Representatives Beeksma, Quall, Hymes, Sehlin, Honeyford, L. Thomas and Thompson.

Brief History:

  Committee Activity:

Appropriations:  2/3/96 [DPS].

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 Substitute Bill:  Categories based on engine placement are added to existing categories.  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 transportation coordinators of the Educational Service Districts and the Superintendent of Public Instruction.

Substitute Bill Compared to Original Bill:  Makes the bill null and void if specific funding to implement the bill is not provided in the supplemental omnibus appropriations act.

Appropriation:  None.

Fiscal Note:  Not requested.

Effective Date of Substitute Bill:  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.