SF 46: School Finance – Recapture – 2
2007 General Session

Sponsor: Joint Education Interim Committee

SF 46 would implement an amendment to the Wyoming Constitution that was approved by the voters of the state in the 2006 general election. Property tax revenues flow to the state, which redistributes them to schools across the state using the school funding model. In certain counties with very high property tax revenues from the mineral industry, school districts have been allowed to keep (recapture) a percentage of property tax revenue, in addition to the funding they receive from the school funding model. Concern about the resulting inequality in funding between school districts led voters to approve an amendment to constitutionally prohibit this practice in the last general election.

SF 46 would statutorily require school districts that are subject to recapture to remit the excess revenues to the state for the 2006-2007 school year and every year thereafter. Contractual obligations encumbered before March 15, 2007 would be honored and deducted from 2006-2007 recaptured amounts. Recaptured revenues would flow into the public school foundation account.

The Senate passed SF 46, 26-3 (1 excused). The votes listed below are the Senate third reading (final passage) votes. A YES vote means the legislator wanted to implement the voter-approved amendment to the Wyoming Constitution that would require school districts to give excess revenues they receive from recapture back to the school foundation fund. A NO vote means the legislator did not support implementing the constitutional amendment as proposed in SF 46.

ENGROSSED