SB 78 — Cost to Comply/Fed Ed Funds/PED Study.

GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF NORTH CAROLINA SESSION 2017 S 21 SENATE BILL 78 House Committee Substitute Favorable 6/29/17 Short Title:

Senators Daniel (Primary Sponsor);

Brock, Cook, Krawiec, Pate, and Rabin.

Rules and Operations of the Senate February 15, 2017 A BILL TO BE ENTITLED AN ACT TO STUDY THE FINANCIAL COSTS TO THE STATE AND LOCAL SCHOOL ADMINISTRATIVE UNITS OF COMPLIANCE WITH FEDERAL MANDATES RELATED TO THE RECEIPT OF FEDERAL EDUCATION FUNDINGFUNDING. AND TO ESTABLISH THE JOINT LEGISLATIVE STUDY COMMISSION ON EFFICIENCY AND COST-SAVINGS IN STATE GOVERNMENT.

9SECTION PART1. I.

STUDY FINANCIAL COSTS OF FEDERAL MANDATES SECTION 1.(a) By no later than January 15, 2018, the Department of Public Instruction shall study, report, and provide any supporting data to the Fiscal Research Division and the Program Evaluation Division of the General Assembly on the cost of compliance with federal education funding mandates to local school administrative units.

SECTION 1.(b)2. The Joint Legislative Program Evaluation Oversight Committee shall consider including in the 2017-2018 Work Plan for the Program Evaluation Division an evaluation of the cost of compliance with federal education funding mandates for K-12 education and, if included in the Work Plan, report its findings and recommendations to the General Assembly at a date to be determined by the Committee.

PARTThe II.Joint Legislative Program Evaluation Oversight Committee shall consider including in the 2017-2018 Work Plan for the Program Evaluation Division an evaluation of the cost of compliance with federal education funding mandates for K-12 education and, if included in the Work Plan, report its findings and recommendations to the General Assembly at a date to be determined by the Committee.

JOINT LEGISLATIVE STUDY COMMISSION ON EFFICIENCY AND COST-SAVINGS IN STATE GOVERNMENT SECTION 2.(a)3. There is established the Joint Legislative Study Commission on Efficiency and Cost-Savings in State Government (Commission).

SECTIONThis 2.(b)act Theis Commissioneffective shallwhen beit composedbecomes oflaw. 10 members appointed as follows:

(1)*S78-v-1* Five senators appointed by the President Pro Tempore of the Senate.

(2) Five representatives appointed by the Speaker of the House of Representatives.

Vacancies on the Commission shall be filled by the appointing authority.

The President Pro Tempore of the Senate and the Speaker of the House of Representatives shall each designate a cochair.

A quorum of the Commission shall be a majority of its members.

The Commission may meet at any time upon call of the chairs.

The Commission may meet in the Legislative Building or the Legislative Office Building.

The Commission may contract for professional, clerical, or consultant services as provided by G.S.

120-32.02.

The Commission, while in the discharge of its official duties, may exercise all powers provided for under G.S.

120-19 and G.S.

120-19.1 through G.S.

120-19.4, including the *S78-v-2* General Assembly Of North Carolina Session 2017 power to request all officers, agents, agencies, and departments of the State to provide any information, data, or documents within their possession, ascertainable from their records, or otherwise available to them, and the power to subpoena witnesses and documents.

The Legislative Services Commission, through the Legislative Services Officer, shall assign other professional staff to assist the Commission in its work.

The House of Representatives' and Senate's Directors of Legislative Assistants shall assign clerical staff to the Commission, and the expenses relating to the clerical employees shall be borne by the Commission.

Members of the Commission shall receive subsistence and travel expenses at the rates set forth in G.S.

120-3.1.

SECTION 2.(c) The Commission shall use a zero-based budgeting review process to study whether there are obsolete programs, cost-reduction opportunities in State government, and any cases where existing funds can be redirected to meet new and changing demands for public services.

The Commission shall start the review process with the Department of the Secretary of State.

The Commission may require any agency under review to submit written information in a form specified by the Commission by a specified time.

The Commission may accept or reject any or part of any information submitted and require revision or resubmission.

The Commission may require information as follows:

(1) Identification of decision units.

– The agency shall identify decision units representing any group of services with a common set of objectives or comprising an agency program or administrative support unit.

(2) Impact of discontinuing each decision unit.

– The agency shall provide a quantitative estimate of any adverse impacts that could reasonably be expected should the State discontinue a decision unit, together with a full description of the methods by which the adverse impact is estimated.

(3) Division of decision units into decision packages.

– The agency shall divide each decision unit into the following four discrete decision packages:

a.

Minimum.