SUMMARY:  This bill would amend Article 3 of Chapter 5 of Title 28 of the O.C.G.A. to require a fiscal note when any fiscal bill has significant impact upon anticipated revenues or expenditures of a local school system.  It would mean that no such bill could be introduced any later than the 20^th day of any session.

REQUIREMENTS:

• Significant impact would include impact on the operations or programs of a local school or local school system.
• Such a bill would have to be introduced no later than the 20^th day of any session.
• The sponsor would have to request the fiscal note from OPB and the DOA by November 1 preceding the annual convening of the General Assembly, unless it were proposed by a member-elect, who would have until December 1 to request the fiscal note.
• When such a bill is introduced, the OPB would transmit a copy of the bill to the State School Superintendent, who would promptly transmit a copy to each local school superintendent, with the same procedure for distributing any resulting fiscal note.
• Unless there is a determination of no significant impact, the effective date could not be earlier than July 1 of the year following the year the bill was introduced.
• Elaborate procedures would exist for the legislature to move forward in spite of a fiscal note showing significant impact, should they be willing to pursue the matter anyway.
• The fiscal note would have to include a reliable estimate in dollars of the anticipated change in revenue or expenditures under the provisions of the bill, as well as a statement of the immediate effect and the long-range effect of the measure.
• If no dollar amount is possible, examples of the situation or group of persons possibly affected by the bill must be in the fiscal note.