2015 -- H 6123

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LC002381

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     STATE OF RHODE ISLAND

IN GENERAL ASSEMBLY

JANUARY SESSION, A.D. 2015

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A N   A C T

RELATING TO TOWNS AND CITIES -- LOW AND MODERATE INCOME HOUSING

     

     Introduced By: Representatives Morin, Carson, Phillips, Maldonado, and Casey

     Date Introduced: April 29, 2015

     Referred To: House Finance

     It is enacted by the General Assembly as follows:

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     SECTION 1. Chapter 45-53 of the General Laws entitled "Low and Moderate Income

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Housing" is hereby amended by adding thereto the following section:

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     45-53-10. Education aid to be indexed to achieving low and moderate income

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housing levels. – (a) Effective January 1, 2016, a community's receipt of permanent foundation

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education aid pursuant to chapter 7.2 of title 16 shall be indexed to a municipality's ability to

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successfully meet its low and moderate income housing goals as provided for in this chapter, in

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the following manner:

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     (1) For purposes of this section, commencing on January 1, 2016, and for each successive

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year thereafter, every community shall have a five (5) year period to meet the goal of ten percent

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(10%) of the year-round units or, in the case of certain urban towns or cities, fifteen percent

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(15%) of the occupied rental housing units as being low and moderate income housing, as

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provided for in § 45-53-3. If a community's minimum percentage requirements of low or

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moderate income housing are adjusted by statute, then the provisions of this section shall be

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indexed and tied to those adjustments such that whether a community's education aid is increased

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or decreased will be dependent upon the adjusted minimum amount of low and moderate income

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housing that is required;

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     (2) After the five (5) year period provided for in subsection (a)(1) of this section, and for

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each year thereafter, any community that exceeds the required minimum goals identified in

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subsection (a)(1) of this section for low and moderate income housing shall have its education aid

 

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increased in a percentage amount equal to the percentage by which the community exceeds its

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required minimum goals of ten percent (10%) or fifteen percent (15%) whichever is applicable.

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Any community which receives an increase in education aid pursuant to the provisions of this

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section shall be eligible to receive increases so long as the community maintains an amount of

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low and moderate income housing in excess of the community’s statutory minimum

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requirements.

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     (3) The division of planning of the department of administration shall certify to the

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general assembly on or before April 1 of each year as to the percentage and amount of low

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income housing in a municipality as of the previous year, for purposes of implementing this

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section.

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     (b) As used herein:

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     (1) The term "community" means the municipality or municipalities serviced by, a part

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of, or in a given school district; and

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     (2) The term "education aid" means the permanent foundation education aid received by

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each school district established pursuant to the provisions of chapter 7.2 of title 16, "The

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Education Equity and Property Tax Relief Act."

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     SECTION 2. Section 16-7.2-3 of the General Laws in Chapter 16-7.2 entitled "The

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Education Equity and Property Tax Relief Act" is hereby amended to read as follows:

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     16-7.2-3. Permanent foundation education aid established. -- (a) Beginning in the

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2012 fiscal year, the following foundation education aid formula shall take effect. The foundation

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education aid for each district shall be the sum of the core instruction amount in (a)(1) and the

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amount to support high need students in (a)(2), which shall be multiplied by the district state

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share ratio calculated pursuant to § 16-7.2-4 to determine the foundation aid.

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      (1) The core instruction amount shall be an amount equal to a statewide per pupil core

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instruction amount as established by the department of elementary and secondary education,

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derived from the average of northeast regional expenditure data for the states of Rhode Island,

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Massachusetts, Connecticut, and New Hampshire from the National Center for Education

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Statistics (NCES) that will adequately fund the student instructional needs as described in the

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basic education program and multiplied by the district average daily membership as defined in §

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16-7-22. Expenditure data in the following categories: instruction and support services for

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students, instruction, general administration, school administration and other support services

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from the National Public Education Financial Survey as published by NCES and enrollment data

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from the Common Core of Data also published by NCES will be used when determining the core

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instruction amount. The core instruction amount will be updated annually. For the purpose of

 

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calculating this formula, school districts' resident average daily membership shall exclude charter

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school and state-operated school students.

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      (2) The amount to support high need students beyond the core instruction amount shall

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be determined by multiplying a student success factor of forty percent (40%) by the core

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instruction per pupil amount described in § 16-7.2-3(1) and applying that amount to all resident

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children eligible for USDA reimbursable school meals.

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      (b) LEAs may set aside a portion of funds received under subsection (a) to expand

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learning opportunities such as after school and summer programs, full day kindergarten and/or

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multiple pathway programs provided that the basic education program and all other approved

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programs required in law are funded.

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     (c) The provisions of § 45-33-10 shall be applied after the yearly amount of education aid

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provided for under subsection (a) of this section is calculated.

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     SECTION 3. This act shall take effect on January 1, 2016.

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EXPLANATION

BY THE LEGISLATIVE COUNCIL

OF

A N   A C T

RELATING TO TOWNS AND CITIES -- LOW AND MODERATE INCOME HOUSING

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     This act would provide for increases in the amount of foundation level school support

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that a community would receive, based upon a community's ability to meet and surpass its

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minimum low and moderate income housing requirements.

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     This act would take effect on January 1, 2016.

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