SB1955eng 95TH GENERAL ASSEMBLY

SB1955 Engrossed LRB095 18716 NHT 44819 b

AN ACT concerning education.

Be it enacted by the People of the State of Illinois, represented in the General Assembly:

Section 5. The State Finance Act is amended by changing Section 8a as follows:

(30 ILCS 105/8a) (from Ch. 127, par. 144a)

Sec. 8a. Common School Fund; transfers to Common School Fund and Education Assistance Fund.

(a) Except as provided in subsection (b) of this Section and except as otherwise provided in this subsection (a) with respect to amounts transferred from the General Revenue Fund to the Common School Fund for distribution therefrom for the benefit of the Teachers' Retirement System of the State of Illinois and the Public School Teachers' Pension and Retirement Fund of Chicago:

(1) With respect to all school districts, for each fiscal year before fiscal year 2009, other than fiscal year 1994, on or before the eleventh and twenty-first days of each of the months of August through the following July, at a time or times designated by the Governor, the State Treasurer and the State Comptroller shall transfer from the General Revenue Fund to the Common School Fund and Education Assistance Fund, as appropriate, 1/24 or so much thereof as may be necessary of the amount appropriated to the State Board of Education for distribution to all school districts from such Common School Fund and Education Assistance Fund, for the fiscal year, including interest on the School Fund proportionate for that distribution for such year.

(1.5) With respect to all school districts, for fiscal year 2009 and each fiscal year thereafter, on or before the 11th and 21st days of each of the months of August through the following June, at a time or times designated by the Governor, the State Treasurer and the State Comptroller shall transfer from the General Revenue Fund to the Common School Fund and Education Assistance Fund, as appropriate, 1/22 or so much thereof as may be necessary of the amount appropriated to the State Board of Education for distribution to all school districts from the Common School Fund and Education Assistance Fund, for the fiscal year, including interest on the Common School Fund proportionate for that distribution for that year.

(2) With respect to all school districts, but for fiscal year 1994 only, on the 11th day of August, 1993 and on or before the 11th and 21st days of each of the months of October, 1993 through July, 1994 at a time or times designated by the Governor, the State Treasurer and the State Comptroller shall transfer from the General Revenue Fund to the Common School Fund 1/24 or so much thereof as may be necessary of the amount appropriated to the State Board of Education for distribution to all school districts from such Common School Fund, for fiscal year 1994, including interest on the School Fund proportionate for that distribution for such year; and on or before the 21st day of August, 1993 at a time or times designated by the Governor, the State Treasurer and the State Comptroller shall transfer from the General Revenue Fund to the Common School Fund 3/24 or so much thereof as may be necessary of the amount appropriated to the State Board of Education for distribution to all school districts from the Common School Fund, for fiscal year 1994, including interest proportionate for that distribution on the School Fund for such fiscal year.

The amounts of the payments made in July of each year, if required: (i) shall be considered an outstanding liability as of the 30th day of June immediately preceding those July payments, within the meaning of Section 25 of this Act; (ii) shall be payable from the appropriation for the fiscal year that ended on that 30th day of June; and (iii) shall be considered payments for claims covering the school year that commenced during the immediately preceding calendar year.

Notwithstanding the foregoing provisions of this subsection, as soon as may be after the 10th and 20th days of each of the months of August through May, 1/24, and on or as soon as may be after the 10th and 20th days of June, 1/12 of the annual amount appropriated to the State Board of Education for distribution and payment during that fiscal year from the Common School Fund to and for the benefit of the Teachers' Retirement System of the State of Illinois (until the end of State fiscal year 1995) and the Public School Teachers' Pension and Retirement Fund of Chicago as provided by the Illinois Pension Code and Section 18-7 of the School Code, or so much thereof as may be necessary, shall be transferred by the State Treasurer and the State Comptroller from the General Revenue Fund to the Common School Fund to permit semi-monthly payments from the Common School Fund to and for the benefit of such teacher retirement systems as required by Section 18-7 of the School Code.

Notwithstanding the other provisions of this Section, on or as soon as may be after the 15th day of each month, beginning in July of 1995, 1/12 of the annual amount appropriated for that fiscal year from the Common School Fund to the Teachers' Retirement System of the State of Illinois (other than amounts appropriated under Section 1.1 of the State Pension Funds Continuing Appropriation Act), or so much thereof as may be necessary, shall be transferred by the State Treasurer and the State Comptroller from the General Revenue Fund to the Common School Fund to permit monthly payments from the Common School Fund to that retirement system in accordance with Section 16-158 of the Illinois Pension Code and Section 18-7 of the School Code, except that such transfers in fiscal year 2004 from the General Revenue Fund to the Common School Fund for the benefit of the Teachers' Retirement System of the State of Illinois shall be reduced in the aggregate by the State Comptroller and State Treasurer to adjust for the amount transferred to the Teachers' Retirement System of the State of Illinois pursuant to subsection (a) of Section 6z-61. Amounts appropriated to the Teachers' Retirement System of the State of Illinois under Section 1.1 of the State Pension Funds Continuing Appropriation Act shall be transferred by the State Treasurer and the State Comptroller from the General Revenue Fund to the Common School Fund as necessary to provide for the payment of vouchers drawn against those appropriations.

The Governor may notify the State Treasurer and the State Comptroller to transfer, at a time designated by the Governor, such additional amount as may be necessary to effect advance distribution to school districts of amounts that otherwise would be payable in the next month pursuant to Sections 18-8.05 through 18-9 of the School Code. The State Treasurer and the State Comptroller shall thereupon transfer such additional amount. The aggregate amount transferred from the General Revenue Fund to the Common School Fund in the eleven months beginning August 1 of any fiscal year shall not be in excess of the amount necessary for payment of claims certified by the State Superintendent of Education pursuant to the appropriation of the Common School Fund for that fiscal year. Notwithstanding the provisions of the first paragraph in this section, no transfer to effect an advance distribution shall be made in any month except on notification, as provided above, by the Governor.

The State Comptroller and State Treasurer shall transfer from the General Revenue Fund to the Common School Fund and the Education Assistance Fund such amounts as may be required to honor the vouchers presented by the State Board of Education pursuant to Sections 18-3, 18-4.3, 18-5, 18-6 and 18-7 of the School Code.

The State Comptroller shall report all transfers provided for in this Act to the President of the Senate, Minority Leader of the Senate, Speaker of the House, and Minority Leader of the House.

(b) On or before the 11th and 21st days of each of the months of June, 1982 through July, 1983, at a time or times designated by the Governor, the State Treasurer and the State Comptroller shall transfer from the General Revenue Fund to the Common School Fund 1/24 or so much thereof as may be necessary of the amount appropriated to the State Board of Education for distribution from such Common School Fund, for that same fiscal year, including interest on the School Fund for such year. The amounts of the payments in the months of July, 1982 and July, 1983 shall be considered an outstanding liability as of the 30th day of June immediately preceding such July payment, within the meaning of Section 25 of this Act, and shall be payable from the appropriation for the fiscal year which ended on such 30th day of June, and such July payments shall be considered payments for claims covering school years 1981-1982 and 1982-1983 respectively.

In the event the Governor makes notification to effect advanced distribution under the provisions of subsection (a) of this Section, the aggregate amount transferred from the General Revenue Fund to the Common School Fund in the 12 months beginning August 1, 1981 or the 12 months beginning August 1, 1982 shall not be in excess of the amount necessary for payment of claims certified by the State Superintendent of Education pursuant to the appropriation of the Common School Fund for the fiscal years commencing on the first of July of the years 1981 and 1982.

(Source: P.A. 93-665, eff. 3-5-04; 94-1105, eff. 6-1-07.)

Section 10. The School Code is amended by changing Section 18-11 as follows:

(105 ILCS 5/18-11) (from Ch. 122, par. 18-11)

Sec. 18-11. Payment of claims.

(a) With respect to payments for each fiscal year before fiscal year 2009, except payments for the period of June 1982 through July 1983 and payments for fiscal year 1994, as As soon as may be after the 10th and 20th days of each of the months of August through the following July, if moneys are available in the common school fund in the State treasury for payments under Sections 18-8.05 through 18-9, the State Comptroller shall draw his warrants upon the State Treasurer as directed by the State Board of Education pursuant to Section 2-3.17b and in accordance with the transfers from the General Revenue Fund to the Common School Fund as specified in Section 8a of the State Finance Act.

Each such semimonthly warrant shall be in an amount equal to 1/24 of the total amount to be distributed to school districts for the fiscal year. The amount of payments made in July of each year shall be considered as payments for claims covering the school year that commenced during the immediately preceding calendar year. If the payments provided for under Sections 18-8.05 through 18-9 have been assigned as security for State aid anticipation certificates pursuant to Section 18-18, the State Board of Education shall pay the appropriate amount of the payment, as specified in the notification required by Section 18-18, directly to the assignee.

(a-5) With respect to payments made under Sections 18-8.05 through 18-10 of this Code for fiscal year 2009 and each fiscal year thereafter, as soon as may be after the 10th and 20th days of each of the months of August through the following June, if moneys are available in the Common School Fund in the State treasury for payments under Sections 18-8.05 through 18-10 of this Code, the State Comptroller shall draw his or her warrants upon the State Treasurer as directed by the State Board of Education pursuant to Section 2-3.17b of this Code and in accordance with the transfers from the General Revenue Fund to the Common School Fund as specified in Section 8a of the State Finance Act.

Each such semimonthly warrant shall be in an amount equal to 1/22 of the total amount to be distributed to school districts for the fiscal year. If the payments provided for under Sections 18-8.05 through 18-10 of this Code have been assigned as security for State aid anticipation certificates pursuant to Section 18-18 of this Code, then the State Board of Education shall pay the appropriate amount of the payment, as specified in the notification required by Section 18-18 of this Code, directly to the assignee.

(b) (Blank).

(c) (Blank).

(Source: P.A. 94-1105, eff. 6-1-07; 95-496, eff. 8-28-07.)

Section 99. Effective date. This Act takes effect July 1, 2008.