The Senate Finance Committee met this afternoon to discuss two bills.
Senate Bill 609 would create additional flexibility for school systems in use of school aid funds. Senator Hall said explained an amendment to the bill. The amendment would raise the levy rate and everyone would get their money. If the county so chooses then they won’t have to raise the levy rate if they don’t want to. This would cause everyone to be funded without action. The amendment was adopted.
Senator Stollings (D-Boone) said, “I rise in opposition of this bill. We are basically taking money from education and placing the bill with the counties so they have to find the funds and raise their taxes. If the counties opt out of this, then education will be cut by this amount. When we are in the state we are in right now, we ought to be doubling down on education funding, not the opposite.”
The bill was reported to the floor with the recommendation that it pass as amended with a vote of 15 yeas and 6 nays.
The next bill discussed was a committee originating bill that would create a special revenue fund in the State Treasury for volunteer fire fighters. $1.50 for each acre of timberland would be collected by the tax commissioner and put into that fund. Most will go to volunteer fire departments retirement. The tax commissioner would be able to promulgate rules to carry out the bill.
The bill was reported to the floor with no recommendation for first reading so it could be brought up back to the committee tomorrow.
The committee is in recess until 6 p.m. by request of the president of the Senate.
