09 LC 33
3022
House
Bill 649
By:
Representatives Ashe of the
56th,
Abrams of the
84th,
Porter of the
143rd,
Hugley of the
133rd,
Smyre of the
132nd,
and others
A
BILL TO BE ENTITLED
AN ACT
AN ACT
To
amend Code Section 20-2-161 of the Official Code of Georgia Annotated, relating
to the Quality Basic Education Formula, so as to provide that no voucher,
school choice, or scholarship program shall be implemented or enforced unless
the Quality Basic Education Formula is fully funded by the General Assembly; to
provide for related matters; to repeal conflicting laws; and for other
purposes.
BE
IT ENACTED BY THE GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF GEORGIA:
SECTION
1.
Code
Section 20-2-161 of the Official Code of Georgia Annotated, relating to the
Quality Basic Education Formula, is amended by revising subsection (a) to read
as follows: "(a) The high school general education program is declared to
be the base program against which the cost of all other instructional programs
shall be compared. The amount of funds needed by each full-time equivalent
student in the base program, in order that such program can be sufficiently
funded to provide quality basic education to all enrolled students, shall be
known as the 'base amount' and shall reflect program components which constitute
the program weight for the high school general education program in Code
Sections 20-2-182 through 20-2-186. However, the General Assembly shall
annually establish through the General Appropriations Act the base amount to be
used each year. In the event that the base amount so established when
multiplied by the program weights in subsection (b) of this Code section
requires funds in excess of the appropriation for the Quality Basic Education
Formula grants, the funds which are appropriated for the Quality Basic Education
Formula shall be prorated to each of the Quality Basic Education Formula cost
categories.
No voucher,
school choice, scholarship, or similar program whereby state funds are
transferred to a nonpublic school shall be implemented or enforced unless the
full funding for local school systems required by this article is appropriated
by the General
Assembly."
SECTION
2.
All
laws and parts of laws in conflict with this Act are repealed.