HB-5287, As Passed Senate, May 16, 2012

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

SENATE SUBSTITUTE FOR

 

HOUSE BILL NO. 5287

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

     A bill to amend 1976 PA 451, entitled

 

"The revised school code,"

 

by amending sections 622, 1211, and 1223 (MCL 380.622, 380.1211,

 

and 380.1223), sections 622 and 1223 as amended by 2009 PA 22 and

 

section 1211 as amended by 2011 PA 317.

 

THE PEOPLE OF THE STATE OF MICHIGAN ENACT:

 

     Sec. 622. (1) The intermediate school board shall select

 

financial institutions for the deposit of school funds. The

 

intermediate school board shall keep a set of coded accounts to be

 

approved by the superintendent of public instruction and shall have

 

its books audited at least annually by a certified public

 

accountant. General operating funds, building and site funds,

 

cooperative education funds, special education funds, vocational-

 


technical education funds, and debt retirement funds shall be

 

maintained separately and shall not be commingled, except that the

 

intermediate school board, by resolution, may authorize the

 

treasurer to combine money from more than 1 fund for the purpose of

 

making an investment authorized by subsection (2)(g).

 

     (2) The treasurer of an intermediate school district, if

 

authorized by resolution of the intermediate school board, may

 

invest general operating funds, special education funds, area

 

vocational-technical education funds, building and site funds,

 

cooperative education funds, and debt retirement funds of the

 

district. Investments shall be made subject to subsection (4) and

 

shall be restricted to any of the following:

 

     (a) Bonds, bills, or notes of the United States or obligations

 

of this state.

 

     (b) Certificates of deposit issued by a financial institution.

 

     (c) Commercial paper rated prime at the time of purchase and

 

maturing not more than 270 days after the date of purchase.

 

     (d) Securities issued or guaranteed by agencies or

 

instrumentalities of the United States government.

 

     (e) United States government or federal agency obligation

 

repurchase agreements.

 

     (f) Bankers' acceptances issued by a bank that is a member of

 

the federal deposit insurance corporation.

 

     (g) Investment pools, as authorized by the surplus funds

 

investment pool act, 1982 PA 367, MCL 129.111 to 129.118, composed

 

entirely of instruments that are legal for direct investment by an

 

intermediate school district.

 


     (h) Mutual funds composed entirely of investment vehicles that

 

are legal for direct investment by an intermediate school district.

 

     (i) Certificates of deposit issued in accordance with the

 

following conditions:

 

     (i) The funds are initially invested through a financial

 

institution that is not ineligible to be a depository of surplus

 

funds belonging to this state under section 6 of 1855 PA 105, MCL

 

21.146.

 

     (ii) The financial institution arranges for the investment of

 

the funds in certificates of deposit in 1 or more insured

 

depository institutions, as defined in 12 USC 1813, or 1 or more

 

insured credit unions, as defined in 12 USC 1752, for the account

 

of the intermediate school district.

 

     (iii) The full amount of the principal and any accrued interest

 

of each certificate of deposit is insured by an agency of the

 

United States.

 

     (iv) The financial institution acts as custodian for the

 

intermediate school district with respect to each certificate of

 

deposit.

 

     (v) At the same time that the funds of the intermediate school

 

district are deposited and the certificate or certificates of

 

deposit are issued, the financial institution receives an amount of

 

deposits from customers of other insured depository institutions or

 

insured credit unions equal to or greater than the amount of the

 

funds initially invested by the intermediate school district

 

through the financial institution.

 

     (j) Deposit accounts that meet all of the following

 


conditions:

 

     (i) The funds are initially deposited in a financial

 

institution that is not ineligible to be a depository of surplus

 

funds belonging to this state under section 6 of 1855 PA 105, MCL

 

21.146.

 

     (ii) The financial institution arranges for the deposit of the

 

funds in deposit accounts in 1 or more insured depository

 

institutions, as defined in 12 USC 1813, or 1 or more insured

 

credit unions, as defined in 12 USC 1752, for the account of the

 

intermediate school district.

 

     (iii) The full amount of the principal and any accrued interest

 

of each deposit account is insured by an agency of the United

 

States.

 

     (iv) The financial institution acts as custodian for the

 

intermediate school district with respect to each deposit account.

 

     (v) On the same date that the funds of the intermediate school

 

district are deposited under subparagraph (ii), the financial

 

institution receives an amount of deposits from customers of other

 

insured depository institutions or insured credit unions equal to

 

or greater than the amount of the funds initially deposited by the

 

intermediate school district in the financial institution.

 

     (3) The earnings of an investment shall become a part of the

 

fund from which the investment was made. When money of more than 1

 

fund of a single intermediate school district or money of more than

 

1 intermediate school district are combined for an investment pool

 

authorized by subsection (2)(g), the money shall be accounted for

 

separately, and the earnings from the investment shall be

 


separately and individually computed, recorded, and credited to the

 

fund or intermediate school district, as the case may be, for which

 

the investment was acquired.

 

     (4) Notwithstanding subsection (2), additional funds of an

 

intermediate school district shall not be deposited or invested in

 

a financial institution that is not eligible to be a depository of

 

surplus funds belonging to this state under section 6 of 1855 PA

 

105, MCL 21.146.

 

     (5) Assets acceptable for pledging to secure deposits of funds

 

under this act are limited to any of the following:

 

     (a) Assets considered acceptable to the state treasurer under

 

section 3 of 1855 PA 105, MCL 21.143, to secure deposits of state

 

surplus funds.

 

     (b) Any of the following:

 

     (i) Securities issued by the federal home loan mortgage

 

corporation.

 

     (ii) Securities issued by the federal national mortgage

 

association.

 

     (iii) Securities issued by the government national mortgage

 

association.

 

     (c) Securities considered acceptable to the intermediate

 

school board and the financial institution.

 

     (6) Security in the form of collateral, surety bond, or

 

another form may be taken for the deposits or investments of an

 

intermediate school district in a financial institution. However,

 

an investment under subsection (2)(e) or in an investment pool that

 

includes instruments eligible for investments under subsection

 


(2)(e) shall be secured by the transfer of title and custody of the

 

obligations to which the repurchase agreements relate and an

 

undivided interest in those obligations must be pledged to the

 

intermediate school district for these agreements.

 

     (7) (6) As used in this section, "deposit" includes purchases

 

of or investment in shares of a credit union.

 

     (8) (7) As used in this section, "financial institution" means

 

a state or nationally chartered bank or a state or federally

 

chartered savings and loan association, savings bank, or credit

 

union whose deposits are insured by an agency of the United States

 

government and that maintains a principal office or branch office

 

located in this state under the laws of this state or the United

 

States.

 

     Sec. 1211. (1) Except as otherwise provided in this section

 

and section 1211c, the board of a school district shall levy not

 

more than 18 mills for school operating purposes or the number of

 

mills levied in 1993 for school operating purposes, whichever is

 

less. A principal residence, qualified agricultural property,

 

qualified forest property, supportive housing property, property

 

occupied by a public school academy, and industrial personal

 

property are exempt from the mills levied under this subsection

 

except for the number of mills by which that exemption is reduced

 

under this subsection. Except as otherwise provided in subsection

 

(9), the board of a school district that had a foundation allowance

 

for the 1994-95 state fiscal year greater than $6,500.00 may reduce

 

the number of mills from which a principal residence, qualified

 

agricultural property, qualified forest property, supportive

 


housing property, property occupied by a public school academy, and

 

industrial personal property are exempted under this subsection by

 

up to the number of mills, as certified under section 1211a,

 

required to be levied on a principal residence, qualified

 

agricultural property, qualified forest property, supportive

 

housing property, property occupied by a public school academy, and

 

industrial personal property for the school district's combined

 

state and local revenue per membership pupil for the school fiscal

 

year ending in 1995 to be equal to the school district's foundation

 

allowance for the state fiscal year ending in 1995, and the board

 

also may levy in 1994 or a succeeding year that number of mills for

 

school operating purposes on a principal residence, qualified

 

agricultural property, qualified forest property, supportive

 

housing property, property occupied by a public school academy, and

 

industrial personal property.

 

     (2) Subject to subsection (3), if the department of treasury

 

determines that the maximum number of mills allowed to be levied

 

under subsection (1) on all classes of property was not sufficient

 

for a school district's combined state and local revenue per

 

membership pupil for the school fiscal year ending in 1995 to be

 

equal to the school district's foundation allowance for that school

 

fiscal year, the board of the school district may levy in 1994 or a

 

succeeding year additional mills uniformly on all property up to

 

the number of mills required for the school district's combined

 

state and local revenue per membership pupil for the school fiscal

 

year ending in 1995 to be equal to the school district's foundation

 

allowance for the state fiscal year ending in 1995. However, the

 


board of a school district described in this subsection, by board

 

resolution, may elect to exempt each principal residence and all

 

qualified agricultural property, qualified forest property,

 

supportive housing property, property occupied by a public school

 

academy, and industrial personal property located in the school

 

district from some or all of the mills that the board is authorized

 

to levy under this subsection.

 

     (3) After 1994, the number of mills a school district may levy

 

under this section on any class of property shall not exceed the

 

lesser of the number of mills the school district was certified by

 

the department of treasury under section 1211a to levy on that

 

class of property under this section in 1994 or the number of mills

 

required to be levied on that class of property under this section

 

to ensure that the increase from the immediately preceding state

 

fiscal year in the school district's combined state and local

 

revenue per membership pupil, calculated as if the school district

 

had levied the maximum number of mills the school district was

 

allowed to levy under this section regardless of the number of

 

mills the school district actually levied, does not exceed the

 

lesser of the dollar amount of the increase in the basic foundation

 

allowance under section 20 of the state school aid act of 1979, MCL

 

388.1620, from the immediately preceding state fiscal year or the

 

percentage increase in the general price level in the immediately

 

preceding calendar year. If the number of mills a school district

 

is allowed to levy under this section in a year after 1994 is less

 

than the number of mills the school district was allowed to levy

 

under this section in the immediately preceding year, any reduction

 


required by this subsection in the school district's millage rate

 

shall be calculated by first reducing the number of mills the

 

school district is allowed to levy under subsection (2) and then

 

increasing the number of mills from which a principal residence,

 

qualified agricultural property, qualified forest property,

 

supportive housing property, property occupied by a public school

 

academy, and industrial personal property are exempted under

 

subsection (1).

 

     (4) Commercial personal property is exempt from 12 of the

 

mills levied under this section. However, if the number of mills

 

from which industrial personal property is exempted for a specific

 

school district is reduced under this section, then the number of

 

mills from which commercial personal property is exempted for that

 

school district shall be reduced by that same number of mills.

 

     (5) Millage levied under this section must be approved by the

 

school electors. For the purposes of this section, millage approved

 

by the school electors before January 1, 1994 for which the

 

authorization has not expired is considered to be approved by the

 

school electors.

 

     (6) If a school district levies millage for school operating

 

purposes that is in excess of the limits of this section, the

 

amount of the resulting excess tax revenue shall be deducted from

 

the school district's next regular tax levy.

 

     (7) If a school district levies millage for school operating

 

purposes that is less than the limits of this section, the board of

 

the school district may levy at the school district's next regular

 

tax levy an additional number of mills not to exceed the additional

 


millage needed to make up the shortfall.

 

     (8) A school district shall not levy mills allocated under the

 

property tax limitation act, 1933 PA 62, MCL 211.201 to 211.217a,

 

other than mills allocated to a school district of the first class

 

for payment to a public library commission under section 11(4) of

 

the property tax limitation act, 1933 PA 62, MCL 211.211, after

 

1993.

 

     (9) Beginning with taxes levied for 2011, if a school district

 

had a foundation allowance for the 1994-95 state fiscal year

 

greater than $6,500.00 and if the school district's foundation

 

allowance for the 2009-2010 state fiscal year was less than the

 

basic foundation allowance prescribed for the 2009-2010 state

 

fiscal year under section 20 of the state school aid act of 1979,

 

MCL 388.1620, the school district may not reduce the number of

 

mills from which certain classes of property are exempted from the

 

levy of millage under subsection (1) and may not levy that number

 

of mills on those classes of property as would otherwise be allowed

 

under subsection (1).

 

     (10) As used in this section:

 

     (a) "Combined state and local revenue per membership pupil"

 

means that term as defined in section 20 of the state school aid

 

act of 1979, MCL 388.1620.

 

     (b) "Commercial personal property" means property classified

 

as commercial personal property under section 34c of the general

 

property tax act, 1893 PA 206, MCL 211.34c.

 

     (c) "Foundation allowance" means a school district's

 

foundation allowance as calculated under section 20 of the state

 


school aid act of 1979, MCL 388.1620.

 

     (d) "General price level" means that term as defined in

 

section 33 of article IX of the state constitution of 1963.

 

     (e) "Industrial personal property" means the following:

 

     (i) Except as otherwise provided in subparagraph (ii), property

 

classified as industrial personal property under section 34c of the

 

general property tax act, 1893 PA 206, MCL 211.34c.

 

     (ii) Beginning December 31, 2011, industrial personal property

 

does not include a turbine powered by gas, steam, nuclear energy,

 

coal, or oil the primary purpose of which is the generation of

 

electricity for sale.

 

     (f) "Membership" means that term as defined in section 6 of

 

the state school aid act of 1979, MCL 388.1606.

 

     (g) "Owner", "person", "principal residence", and "qualified

 

agricultural property" mean those terms as defined in section 7dd

 

of the general property tax act, 1893 PA 206, MCL 211.7dd.

 

     (h) "Property occupied by a public school academy" means

 

property occupied by a public school academy, urban high school

 

academy, or school of excellence that is used exclusively for

 

educational purposes.

 

     (i) (h) "Qualified forest property" means that term as defined

 

in section 7jj of the general property tax act, 1893 PA 206, MCL

 

211.7jj[1].

 

     (j) (i) "School operating purposes" includes expenditures for

 

furniture and equipment, for alterations necessary to maintain

 

school facilities in a safe and sanitary condition, for funding the

 

cost of energy conservation improvements in school facilities, for

 


deficiencies in operating expenses for the preceding year, and for

 

paying the operating allowance due from the school district to a

 

joint high school district in which the school district is a

 

participating school district under former part 3a. Taxes levied

 

for school operating purposes do not include any of the following:

 

     (i) Taxes levied by a school district for operating a community

 

college under part 25.

 

     (ii) Taxes levied under section 1212.

 

     (iii) Taxes levied under section 1356 for eliminating an

 

operating deficit.

 

     (iv) Taxes levied for operation of a library under section 1451

 

or for operation of a library established pursuant to 1913 PA 261,

 

MCL 397.261 to 397.262, that were not included in the operating

 

millage reported by the district to the department as of April 1,

 

1993. However, a district may report to the department not later

 

than April 1, 1994 the number of mills it levied in 1993 for a

 

purpose described in this subparagraph that the school district

 

does not want considered as operating millage and then that number

 

of mills is excluded under this section from taxes levied for

 

school operating purposes.

 

     (v) Taxes paid by a school district of the first class to a

 

public library commission pursuant to section 11(4) of the property

 

tax limitation act, 1933 PA 62, MCL 211.211.

 

     (vi) Taxes levied under former section 1512 for operation of a

 

community swimming pool. In addition, if a school district included

 

the millage it levied in 1993 for operation of a community swimming

 

pool as part of its operating millage reported to the department

 


for 1993, the school district may report to the department not

 

later than June 17, 1994 the number of mills it levied in 1993 for

 

operation of a community swimming pool that the school district

 

does not want considered as operating millage and then that number

 

of mills is excluded under this section from taxes levied for

 

school operating purposes.

 

     (k) (j) "Supportive housing property" means real property

 

certified as supportive housing property under chapter 3B of the

 

state housing development authority act of 1966, 1966 PA 346, MCL

 

125.1459 to 125.1459b.125.1459a.

 

     Sec. 1223. (1) If authorized by resolution of the board of a

 

school district, the treasurer may invest debt retirement funds,

 

building and site funds, building and site sinking funds, or

 

general funds of the district. The investment shall be made under

 

subject to subsection (7) and shall be restricted to the following:

 

     (a) Bonds, bills, or notes of the United States; obligations,

 

the principal and interest of which are fully guaranteed by the

 

United States; or obligations of the state. In a primary or fourth

 

class school district, the bonds, bills, or notes shall be payable,

 

at the option of the holder, upon not more than 90 days' notice, or

 

if not so payable, shall have maturity dates not more than 5 years

 

after the purchase dates.

 

     (b) Certificates of deposit issued by a financial institution

 

or share certificates of a state or federal credit union that is a

 

financial institution.

 

     (c) Commercial paper rated prime at the time of purchase and

 

maturing not more than 270 days after the date of purchase.

 


     (d) Securities issued or guaranteed by agencies or

 

instrumentalities of the United States government.

 

     (e) United States government or federal agency obligation

 

repurchase agreements.

 

     (f) Bankers' acceptances issued by a bank that is a member of

 

the federal deposit insurance corporation.

 

     (g) Mutual funds composed entirely of investment vehicles that

 

are legal for direct investment by a school district.

 

     (h) Investment pools, as authorized by the surplus funds

 

investment pool act, 1982 PA 367, MCL 129.111 to 129.118, composed

 

entirely of instruments that are legal for direct investment by a

 

school district.

 

     (i) Certificates of deposit issued in accordance with the

 

following conditions:

 

     (i) The funds are initially invested through a financial

 

institution that is not ineligible to be a depository of surplus

 

funds belonging to this state under section 6 of 1855 PA 105, MCL

 

21.146.

 

     (ii) The financial institution arranges for the investment of

 

the funds in certificates of deposit in 1 or more insured

 

depository institutions, as defined in 12 USC 1813, or 1 or more

 

insured credit unions, as defined in 12 USC 1752, for the account

 

of the school district.

 

     (iii) The full amount of the principal and any accrued interest

 

of each certificate of deposit is insured by an agency of the

 

United States.

 

     (iv) The financial institution acts as custodian for the school

 


district with respect to each certificate of deposit.

 

     (v) At the same time that the funds of the school district are

 

deposited and the certificate or certificates of deposit are

 

issued, the financial institution receives an amount of deposits

 

from customers of other insured depository institutions or insured

 

credit unions equal to or greater than the amount of the funds

 

initially invested by the school district through the financial

 

institution.

 

     (j) Deposit accounts that meet all of the following

 

conditions:

 

     (i) The funds are initially deposited in a financial

 

institution that is not ineligible to be a depository of surplus

 

funds belonging to this state under section 6 of 1855 PA 105, MCL

 

21.146.

 

     (ii) The financial institution arranges for the deposit of the

 

funds in deposit accounts in 1 or more insured depository

 

institutions, as defined in 12 USC 1813, or 1 or more insured

 

credit unions, as defined in 12 USC 1752, for the account of the

 

school district.

 

     (iii) The full amount of the principal and any accrued interest

 

of each deposit account is insured by an agency of the United

 

States.

 

     (iv) The financial institution acts as custodian for the school

 

district with respect to each deposit account.

 

     (v) On the same date that the funds of the school district are

 

deposited under subparagraph (ii), the financial institution

 

receives an amount of deposits from customers of other insured

 


depository institutions or insured credit unions equal to or

 

greater than the amount of the funds initially deposited by the

 

school district in the financial institution.

 

     (2) An obligation purchased under this section, when received

 

by the treasurer, shall be deposited with the financial institution

 

having the deposit of the money of the particular fund from which

 

the obligation was purchased.

 

     (3) Money in the several funds of a school district shall not

 

be commingled for the purpose of making an investment authorized by

 

this section except that:as follows:

 

     (a) The board of a school district may establish and maintain

 

1 common debt retirement fund for issues of bonds of similar

 

character.

 

     (b) The board of a school district, by resolution, may

 

authorize the treasurer to combine money from more than 1 fund for

 

the purpose of making an investment authorized by subsection

 

(1)(h).

 

     (4) Earnings of an investment shall become a part of the fund

 

for which the investment was made. When money of more than 1 fund

 

of a single district or money of more than 1 district are combined

 

for an investment pool authorized by subsection (1)(h), the money

 

shall be accounted for separately, and the earnings from the

 

investment shall be separately and individually computed, recorded,

 

and credited to the fund or district, as the case may be, for which

 

the investment was acquired.

 

     (5) The treasurer of a school district, if authorized by

 

resolution of the board, may deposit upon approval of the employee,

 


funds accumulated under a deferred compensation program in a

 

federally insured financial institution authorized by law to do

 

business in this state. If authorized by a resolution of the board,

 

the treasurer of a school district, with the prior consent of the

 

employee, may use funds accumulated under a deferred compensation

 

plan to purchase from a life insurance company authorized to do

 

business in this state an annuity contract or life insurance policy

 

in the manner and for the purposes described in section 457 of the

 

internal revenue code.

 

     (6) Security in the form of collateral, surety bond, or

 

another form may be taken for the deposits or investments of a

 

school district in a financial institution. However, an investment

 

under section 622(2)(e) or subsection (1)(e) or in an investment

 

pool that includes instruments eligible for investments under

 

section 622(2)(e) or subsection (1)(e) shall be secured by the

 

transfer of title and custody of the obligations to which the

 

repurchase agreements relate and an undivided interest in those

 

obligations must be pledged to the school district for these

 

agreements.

 

     (7) Notwithstanding subsection (1), additional funds of a

 

school district shall not be deposited or invested in a financial

 

institution that is not eligible to be a depository of surplus

 

funds belonging to this state under section 6 of 1855 PA 105, MCL

 

21.146.

 

     (8) As used in this section, "deposit" includes purchase of or

 

investment in shares of a credit union.

 

     (9) As used in this section, "financial institution" means a

 


state or nationally chartered bank or a state or federally

 

chartered savings and loan association, savings bank, or credit

 

union whose deposits are insured by an agency of the United States

 

government and which maintains a principal office or branch office

 

located in this state under the laws of this state or the United

 

States.