Amendment #181 to H4000

Commission to Study School Busing Costs

Representatives Puppolo of Springfield, Ashe of Longmeadow, Cariddi of North Adams, Cutler of Duxbury, DiNatale of Fitchburg, Dwyer of Woburn, Fernandes of Milford, Garry of Dracut, Gifford of Wareham, Gregoire of Marlborough, Harrington of Groton, Heroux of Attleboro, Pignatelli of Lenox, Rogers of Cambridge and Walsh of Framingham move to amend the bill by inserting the following section:

SECTION XXX  A special commission is hereby established to investigate and study the reimbursement of costs to cities and towns by the state for mandatory busing to public and regional school systems.  The investigation and study shall include, but not be limited to, examining the costs of busing in each municipality or town, the dates these costs are submitted to the state for reimbursement, the actual reimbursement amounts received by the municipality or town from the state and the timeliness of those amounts following submission.  The commission shall be appointed by the Governor and shall consist of 11 members as follows:  The Speaker of the House of Representatives or his designee; the President of the Senate or her designee; The House and Senate chairs of the Joint Committee on Education who shall serve as co-chairs of the commission; the House and Senate chairs of the Committee on Ways and Means or their designees; The Secretary of Administration and Finance or his designee; The Commissioner of Education or his designee; the State Auditor or her designee; a representative of the Massachusetts Association of Regional Schools; and a representative of the Massachusetts Municipal Association.  The commission shall report to the General Court the results of its study, together with drafts of legislation necessary to carry such recommendations into effect, by filing the same with the Clerk of the House of Representatives on or before December 31, 2014