LEGISLATIVE NEWSLETTER

March 25, 2011

NDSBA covered several hearings and extensive committee work this week.

On Monday, the Senate Education Committee heard HB1248. As introduced, this bill required North Dakota to join the Interstate Compact for Educational Opportunities for Military Children. The bill was amended in the House to say North Dakota schools will do everything they can to ease transition for military transfer students but would not require joining an interstate compact that could pass requirements which would supersede local school policy and state law. NDSBA supported changes made in the House. During the Senate Education hearing, sponsors of the bill asked that the Compact be amended back into the bill. The committee resisted the sponsors’ request, added an interim study of the issue to the bill, and gave it a DO PASS recommendation.

Senate Finance and Taxation held a hearing on HB1194, which has been labeled “Truth in Taxation.” This bill would require school districts to hold a public budget hearing if they are proposing a budget that will require more property tax revenue than generated by the property tax levy for the current year. The purpose of the hearing would be to explain budget increases and how patrons’ tax bills could be affected. While public input will be received, the school board is not prevented from adopting increases allowed by law. NDSBA did not object to the hearing requirement, but we are working with the committee chair to ensure districts will have flexibility to adjust budgets when final valuations are set in October. Since district preliminary budgets are set in July based on valuation estimates, we could not support the bill without the ability to make adjustments in October.

HB1229 was heard on Tuesday in the Senate Education Committee. As introduced, this bill required school districts to teach specific abstinence-based concepts in sex education. The House amended the bill to say abstinence-based concepts must be included in sex education but they did not include specific curriculum content. At the Senate Education Committee hearing, the bill’s primary sponsor Betty Grande asked that specific content be put back in. The committee rejected the amendments and gave the bill--as it came from the House-- a DO PASS recommendation. Two committee members were not present for the vote so it may be reconsidered in committee next week. If it is not reconsidered in committee, there will be amendments--restoring the prescriptive content--proposed from the Senate floor. Please contact your senators and ask them to leave specific curriculum content as a local control issue and support HB1229 as it came from the House.

Also on Tuesday, Senate Education heard HB1215 that requires districts to conduct lockdown drills. As introduced, the bill contained requirements for detailed lockdown plans and frequency of drills. The prescriptive requirements were amended out in the House. Senate Education gave the House engrossed bill a DO PASS recommendation.

SB2281, the concussion management bill, was heard in the House Education Committee on Wednesday. It requires concussion training for coaches and other supervisors. It also requires medical attention for athletes who sustain a blow to the head and medical permission in order to return to play. Training can be accomplished free of charge online. This is another wellness issue receiving increasing attention nationwide.

Committee work on SB2150 began this week in the House Education Committee. So far, the committee has adopted amendments that do the following:

Returns permissive pre-school provision language from the original version of the bill
Returns and refines reimbursement language for Professional Development Advisory Committee members
Removes new language that changed compulsory attendance ages
Removes the writing test requirement for Career and Technology Scholarship
Removes all-day kindergarten impact report
Removes teacher compensation reform study

On Monday, the committee will consider amendments to SB2150 that address funding for districts agreeing to pursue alternative compensation plans, assistance for rapidly growing school districts, and impacts from extreme valuation increases. The bill should be voted out of committee Monday or Tuesday.

Senate Education has the following hearings scheduled for next week:

Tuesday

9:00 HB1029 - New school approval requirements

10:15 HB1030 - Gubernatorial weather-related waivers

Everyone has access to bill topics and texts, hearing schedules, and bill status reports at the Legislature’s Web site. NDSBA’s Web site includes this weekly Legislative Newsletter, hearing schedules for the upcoming week, and the list of bills NDSBA is tracking. Updated information will be posted Thursday or Friday each week depending on when information becomes available.

ADDITIONAL INFORMATION:

ND State Web site: www.nd.gov

ND Legislative Information Web site: www.legis.nd.gov

Legislature Toll Free # 1-888-635-3447

Bismarck Legislative # 328-3373