0001|                            SENATE BILL 38
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0002|     43RD LEGISLATURE - STATE OF NEW MEXICO - SECOND SESSION, 1998
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0003|                            INTRODUCED BY
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0004|                            LEONARD TSOSIE
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0005|     
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0006|                                   
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0007|     
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0008|                                   
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0009|     
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0010|                                AN ACT
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0011|     RELATING TO PUBLIC SCHOOL FUNDING; AMENDING THE STATE
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0012|     EQUALIZATION FORMULA; PROVIDING FOR THE DISTRIBUTION OF
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0013|     CERTAIN FEDERAL FUNDS. 
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0014|     
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0015|     BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF NEW MEXICO:
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0016|          Section 1.  Section 22-8-25 NMSA 1978 (being Laws 1981,
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0017|     Chapter 176, Section 5, as amended) is amended to read:
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0018|          "22-8-25.  STATE EQUALIZATION GUARANTEE DISTRIBUTION--
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0019|     DEFINITIONS--DETERMINATION OF AMOUNT.--
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0020|               A.  The state equalization guarantee distribution
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0021|     is that amount of money distributed to each school district to
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0022|     ensure that the school district's operating revenue, including
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0023|     its local and federal revenues as defined in this section, is
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0024|     at least equal to the school district's program cost.
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0025|               B.  "Local revenue", as used in this section, means
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0001|     ninety-five percent of receipts to the school district derived
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0002|     from that amount produced by a school district property tax
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0003|     applied at the rate of fifty cents ($.50) to each one thousand
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0004|     dollars ($1,000) of net taxable value of property allocated to
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0005|     the school district and to the assessed value of products
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0006|     severed and sold in the school district as determined
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0007|     [under] pursuant to the Oil and Gas Ad Valorem Production
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0008|     Tax Act and upon the assessed value of equipment in the school
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0009|     district as determined [under] pursuant to the Oil and Gas
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0010|     Production Equipment Ad Valorem Tax Act.
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0011|               C.  As used in this section:
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0012|                    (1)  "federal revenue" [as used in this
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0013|     section] means ninety-five percent of receipts to the school
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0014|     district, excluding amounts which, if taken into account in
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0015|     the computation of the state equalization guarantee
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0016|     distribution, result, under federal law or regulations, in a
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0017|     reduction in or elimination of federal school funding
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0018|     otherwise receivable by the school district, derived from the
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0019|     following:
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0020|                         [(1)] (a)  the school district's
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0021|     share of forest reserve funds distributed in accordance with
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0022|     Section 22-8-33 NMSA 1978; and
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0023|                         [(2)] (b)  grants from the federal
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0024|     government as assistance to those areas affected by federal
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0025|     activity authorized in accordance with [Sections 236 through
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0001|     240] Title 8 of the Elementary and Secondary Education Act,
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0002|     Sections 7701 through 7714 of Title 20 of the United States
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0003|     Code, commonly known as ["PL 874 funds" or an amount equal to
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0004|     the revenue the district was entitled to receive if no
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0005|     application was made for such funds] impact aid and formerly
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0006|     known as PL 874 funds, but deducting from those grants:  1)
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0007|     the [additional amounts to which school districts would be
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0008|     entitled because of the provisions of Subparagraph (D) of
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0009|     Paragraph (2) of Subsection (d) of Section 238 of Title 20 of
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0010|     the United States Code] impact aid payments generated by
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0011|     that part of a factor in excess of 1.0 for children residing
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0012|     on Indian lands within the school district, payments in
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0013|     addition to the basic payment for children with disabilities
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0014|     for heavily impacted school districts or for school districts
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0015|     with high concentrations of children with severe disabilities
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0016|     and any other payments that cannot be used to equalize state
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0017|     funding to school districts pursuant to federal law or
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0018|     regulation; and 2) after deduction of the amount identified in
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0019|     Item 1) of this subparagraph, that percent of the remaining
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0020|     impact aid generated by children who reside on Indian lands
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0021|     that a school district elects to retain for use solely for
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0022|     capital improvements on district facilities, provided that the
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0023|     amount shall be no more than the product of the percent of
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0024|     obligated bonding capacity of the school district as of June
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0025|     30 of the prior fiscal year multiplied by the amount of impact
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0001|     aid for children who reside on Indian lands received by that
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0002|     school district in the current fiscal year that is potentially
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0003|     available for use in the state equalization guarantee
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0004|     distribution formula if it is not retained for capital
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0005|     improvements; and
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0006|                    (2)  "federal revenue" shall not include
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0007|     amounts of impact aid generated by children living on Indian
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0008|     lands if that inclusion would result in lower funding per
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0009|     pupil for a district than for the highest funded school
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0010|     district in the state.  To determine if that impact aid if
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0011|     included as federal revenue would result in lower funding per
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0012|     pupil, the funding shall be calculated by the use of basic
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0013|     program ADM on the fortieth day and shall include all impact
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0014|     aid funds for the school district.
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0015|               D.  To determine the amount of the state
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0016|     equalization guarantee distribution, the state superintendent
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0017|     shall:
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0018|                    (1)  calculate the number of program units to
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0019|     which each school district is entitled using the basic program
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0020|     membership of the fortieth day for all programs; provided that
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0021|     special education program units shall be calculated using the
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0022|     membership in special education programs on December 1; or
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0023|                    (2)  calculate the number of program units to
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0024|     which a school district operating under an approved year-round
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0025|     school calendar is entitled using the basic program membership
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0001|     on an appropriate date established by the state board; or
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0002|                    (3)  calculate the number of program units to
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0003|     which a school district with a basic program MEM of 200 or
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0004|     less is entitled by using the basic program membership on the
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0005|     fortieth day of either the prior or the current year,
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0006|     whichever is greater; provided that special education program
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0007|     units shall be calculated using the membership in special
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0008|     education programs on December 1 of either the prior or the
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0009|     current year; and
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0010|                    (4)  using the results of the calculations in
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0011|     Paragraph (1), (2) or (3) of this subsection and the
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0012|     instructional staff training and experience index from the
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0013|     October report of the prior school year, establish a total
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0014|     program cost of the school district;
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0015|                    (5)  calculate the local and federal revenues
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0016|     as defined in this section;
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0017|                    (6)  deduct the sum of the calculations made
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0018|     in Paragraph (5) of this subsection from the program cost
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0019|     established in Paragraph (4) of this subsection; and
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0020|                    (7)  deduct the total amount of guaranteed
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0021|     energy savings contract payments that the state superintendent
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0022|     determines will be made to the school district from the public
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0023|     school energy efficiency fund during the fiscal year for which
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0024|     the state equalization guarantee distribution is being
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0025|     computed.
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0001|               E.  The amount of the state equalization guarantee
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0002|     distribution to which a school district is entitled is the
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0003|     balance remaining after the deductions made in Paragraphs (6)
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0004|     and (7) of Subsection D of this section.
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0005|               F.  The state equalization guarantee distribution
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0006|     shall be distributed prior to June 30 of each fiscal year. 
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0007|     The calculation shall be based on the local and federal
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0008|     revenues specified in this section received from June 1 of the
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0009|     previous fiscal year through May 31 of the fiscal year for
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0010|     which the state equalization guarantee distribution is being
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0011|     computed.  In the event that a district has received more
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0012|     state equalization guarantee funds than its entitlement, a
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0013|     refund shall be made by the district to the state general
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0014|     fund.
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0015|               G.  Notwithstanding the methods of calculating the
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0016|     state equalization guarantee distribution in this section and
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0017|     Laws 1974, Chapter 8, Section 22, if a school district
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0018|     received funds under Section 2391 of Title 42 USCA and if the
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0019|     federal government takes into consideration grants authorized
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0020|     by Sections 236 through 240 of Title 20 of the United States
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0021|     Code and all other revenues available to the school district
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0022|     in determining the level of federal support for the school
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0023|     district for the sixty-fourth and succeeding fiscal years, the
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0024|     state equalization guarantee distribution for school districts
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0025|     receiving funds under this subsection shall be computed as
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0001|     follows:
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0002|          fiscal year program cost         prior fiscal year
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0003|          excluding special education      state equalization
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0004|                                                for the year for which the    x  guarantee distribution
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0005|          state equalization guarantee     excluding special
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0006|          distribution is being computed   education
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0007|          ______________________________
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0008|          prior fiscal year program cost
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0009|          excluding special education
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0010|     plus special education funding in accordance with Paragraphs
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0011|     (1), (2) or (3) and (4) of Subsection D of this section and
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0012|     Section 22-8-21 NMSA 1978 plus an amount that would be
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0013|     produced by applying a rate of eight dollars forty-two and
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0014|     one-half cents ($8.425) to each one thousand dollars ($1,000)
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0015|     of net taxable value of property as defined in the Property
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0016|     Tax Code for property taxation purposes in the school district
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0017|     and to each one thousand dollars ($1,000) of the assessed
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0018|     value of products severed and sold in the school district as
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0019|     determined under the Oil and Gas Ad Valorem Production Tax Act
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0020|     and upon the assessed value of equipment in the school
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0021|     district as determined under the Oil and Gas Production
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0022|     Equipment Ad Valorem Tax Act and then reduced by the total
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0023|     amount of guaranteed energy savings contract payments, if any,
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0024|     that the state superintendent determines will be made to the
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0025|     school district from the public school energy efficiency fund
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0001|     during the fiscal year for which the state equalization
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0002|     guarantee distribution is being computed, equals the fiscal
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0003|     year state equalization guarantee distribution for the year
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0004|     for which the state equalization guarantee distribution is
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0005|     being computed.
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0006|          If at any time grants from the federal government as
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0007|     assistance to those areas affected by federal activity
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0008|     authorized in accordance with Sections 236 through 240 of
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0009|     Title 20 of the United States Code (commonly known as "PL 874
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0010|     funds") are reduced or are no longer available, the state
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0011|     equalization guarantee distribution shall be computed by the
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0012|     formula contained in this subsection plus an increase by fifty
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0013|     percent of the amount the prior year's PL 874 funds exceed PL
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0014|     874 funds for the year for which the state equalization
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0015|     guarantee distribution is being computed."
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0016|                              
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