1.1                          A bill for an act 
  1.2             relating to education finance; authorizing additional 
  1.3             funding for the School Building Accessibility Capital 
  1.4             Improvement Grant Act; modifying program criteria; 
  1.5             authorizing the sale of state bonds; appropriating 
  1.6             money; amending Minnesota Statutes 2000, section 
  1.7             123B.69, subdivision 3.  
  1.8   BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF MINNESOTA: 
  1.9      Section 1.  Minnesota Statutes 2000, section 123B.69, 
  1.10  subdivision 3, is amended to read: 
  1.11     Subd. 3.  [AWARD OF GRANTS.] The commissioner shall examine 
  1.12  and consider all applications for grants, and if a district is 
  1.13  found not qualified, the commissioner shall promptly notify the 
  1.14  district board.  ~~The commissioner shall give first priority to~~ 
  1.15  ~~districts that have entered into the cooperation and combination~~ 
  1.16  ~~process under sections 123A.35 to 123A.43, or that have~~ 
  1.17  ~~consolidated since January 1, 1987.~~  The commissioner shall 
  1.18  ~~further~~ prioritize grants on the basis of the following:  the 
  1.19  district's tax burden, the long-term feasibility of the project, 
  1.20  the suitability of the project, and the district's need for the 
  1.21  project.  If the total amount of the applications exceeds the 
  1.22  amount that is or can be made available, the commissioner shall 
  1.23  award grants according to the commissioner's judgment and 
  1.24  discretion and based upon a ranking of the projects according to 
  1.25  the factors listed in this paragraph.  The commissioner shall 
  1.26  promptly certify to each district the amount, if any, of the 
  2.1   grant awarded to it. 
  2.2      <b>[EFFECTIVE DATE.]</b> This section is effective the day 
  2.3   following final enactment.  
  2.4      Sec. 2.  [SCHOOL BUILDING ACCESSIBILITY GRANTS.] 
  2.5      Subdivision 1.  [APPROPRIATION.] $20,000,000 is 
  2.6   appropriated in fiscal year 2003 from the bond proceeds fund to 
  2.7   the commissioner of children, families, and learning for grants 
  2.8   to local school districts under Minnesota Statutes, sections 
  2.9   123B.67 to 123B.69. 
  2.10     Subd. 2.  [BONDS.] To provide the money appropriated by 
  2.11  this section from the bond proceeds fund, the commissioner of 
  2.12  finance shall sell and issue bonds of the state in an amount up 
  2.13  to $20,000,000 in the manner, on the terms, and with the effect 
  2.14  prescribed by Minnesota Statutes, sections 16A.631 to 16A.675, 
  2.15  and by the Minnesota Constitution, article XI, sections 4 to 7.  
  2.16     <b>[EFFECTIVE DATE.]</b> This section is effective the day 
  2.17  following final enactment.