Title: An act relating to funding for reading achievement.

Brief Description: Creating the reading achievement account.

Sponsors: House Committee on Appropriations (originally sponsored by Representatives Sommers, Kagi, Green and Kilmer).

Brief History: Passed House: 2/09/06, 97-1.

Committee Activity: Ways & Means: 2/21/06, 2/22/06 [DPA].

SENATE COMMITTEE ON WAYS & MEANS

Majority Report: Do pass as amended.Signed by Senators Prentice, Chair; Fraser, Vice Chair, Capital Budget Chair; Doumit, Vice Chair, Operating Budget; Zarelli, Ranking Minority Member; Brandland, Fairley, Kohl-Welles, Parlette, Pflug, Pridemore, Rasmussen, Regala, Rockefeller and Thibaudeau.

Staff: Bryon Moore (786-7726)

Background: In the 2005-07 budget, $250,000 was appropriated to the Office of the Superintendent of Public Instruction to establish the Early Reading Initiative (Initiative). The Initiative is a grant program targeted at pre-reading and early reading skills through community-based initiatives. Under legislation under consideration during the 2006 session, this funding will be transferred to the new Department of Early Learning.

The Office of the State Treasurer manages over 400 trust accounts and funds. If a fund or account is located within the State Treasury, an appropriation is required for expenditures. Ordinarily, unspent appropriations lapse at the close of the fiscal year. Funds and accounts in the custody of the State Treasurer are nonappropriated and generally restricted to a particular purpose. Monthly interest earned from the investment of trust accounts and funds can either be set aside for the State General Fund, or a proportionate share of earnings can remain in specified accounts or funds.

Summary of Amended Bill: A Reading Achievement Account (Account) is created in the custody of the State Treasurer. The Account is a non-appropriated but allotted fund. The Account is allowed to retains its own interest. The Director of the Department for Early Learning (Director) must deposit in the Account all state appropriations to the Department and all non-state monies received by the Department for reading achievement, including reading foundations and implementation of research-based reading models.

Monies deposited in the Account will not lapse at the close of the fiscal period for which they were appropriated. The Director, or the Director's designee, may expend monies in the Account only for the purposes for which they were appropriated, and is subject to any other conditions or limitations placed on the appropriations.

Amended Bill Compared to Original Bill: Language was added that clarifies that the Reading Achievement Account is a non-appropriated but allotted fund.

Appropriation: None.

Fiscal Note: Not requested.

Committee/Commission/Task Force Created: No.

Effective Date: Ninety days after adjournment of session in which bill is passed.