House Bill 2127, Third Engrossed Substitute House Bill 2127, making supplemental appropriations for the 2011-13 operating budget, passed 64-34 in the House on April 11, 2012.

This act creates the supplemental operating appropriations for the 2011-13 operating budget. This act takes effect immediately. This bill was referred to the Senate for further consideration.

House Bill 2127, Third Engrossed Substitute House Bill 2127, making supplemental appropriations for the 2011-13 operating budget, passed 42-2 in the Senate on April 11, 2012.

This act was delivered to the Governor for signature on April 11, 2012.

Senate Bill 6635, Engrossed Senate Bill 6635, repealing, modifying, or revising tax preferences, passed 35-10 in the Senate on April 11, 2012.

This act limits the first interest mortgage business and occupation tax deduction to community banks; extends the business and occupation tax exemption for fruit, vegetable, dairy, and seafood businesses; changes the sales and use tax exemption for certain equipment used in computer data centers; revises the definition of “newspaper” for purposes of business and occupation taxes; and repeals the sales tax exemption for certain phone services. This act was referred to the House for further consideration.

Senate Bill 6635, Engrossed Senate Bill 6635, repealing, modifying, or revising tax preferences, passed 35-10 in the Senate on April 11, 2012.

This act was delivered to the Governor for signature on April 11, 2012.

Senate Joint Resolution 8221, Engrossed Senate Joint Resolution 8221, amending the Constitution to include the recommendations of the commission on state debt, passed 38-7 in the Senate on April 11, 2012.

This act reduces the constitutional debt limit over time from 9.0 percent to 8.0 percent by July 1, 2034. It is set at 8.5 percent starting July 1, 2014; 8.25 percent starting July 1, 2016, and 8.0 percent starting July 1, 2034. The percentage debt limit is applied to the average of general state revenues for the previous six fiscal years instead of the current three-year average. The definition of general state revenues includes property taxes deposited in the General Fund. This act was referred to the House for further consideration.

Senate Joint Resolution 8221, Engrossed Senate Joint Resolution 8221, amending the Constitution to include the recommendations of the commission on state debt, passed 91-7 in the House on April 11, 2012.

This act was delivered to the Governor for signature on April 11, 2012.

House Bill 2565, Third Engrossed Second Substitute House Bill 2565, regulating the operation of roll your own cigarette machines at retail establishments, passed 66-32 in the House on April 11, 2012.

This act requires retailers providing roll-your-own cigarette machines to collect the state cigarette tax. This act was referred to the Senate for further consideration.

House Bill 2565, Third Engrossed Second Substitute House Bill 2565, regulating the operation of roll your own cigarette machines at retail establishments, passed 27-19 in the Senate on April 11, 2012.

This act was delivered to the Governor for signature on April 11, 2012.

Senate Bill 5940, Substitute Senate Bill 5940, regarding reforms to school employee benefits purchasing, passed 25-20 in the Senate on April 11, 2012.

This act clarifies the requirements for a school district to maintain the authorization to procure benefits locally. A school district must offer employees the option to enroll in a Health Savings Account/High Deductible Health Plan option; charge employee premiums for family coverage that are no more than three times the premiums charged for employee-only coverage in the same plan, phased in by 2014; offer at least one comprehensive plan in which a full-time employee’s share of premium costs does not exceed the share of premium costs paid by state employees; and meet competitive procurement standards for all contracts. This bill was referred to the House for further consideration.

Senate Bill 5940, Substitute Senate Bill 5940, regarding reforms to school employee benefits purchasing, passed 53-45 in the House on April 11, 2012.

This act was delivered to the Governor for signature on April 11, 2012.

House Bill 2823, Engrossed Substitute House Bill 2823, redirecting existing state revenues into the state general fund, passed 53-45 in the House on April 11, 2012.

This act redirects certain existing state revenues from the Education Construction Fund, the Public Works Assistance Account, the Liquor Revolving Fund, and the Liquor Excise Tax Fund into the State General Fund. This bill was referred to the Senate for further consideration.

House Bill 2823, Engrossed Substitute House Bill 2823, redirecting existing state revenues into the state general fund, passed 25-21 in the Senate on April 11, 2012.

This act was delivered to the Governor for signature on April 11, 2012.

House Bill 2824, House Bill 2824, repealing Initiative 728 and creating a joint task force on education funding, passed 28-20 in the Senate on April 10, 2012.

This act repeals the statutory requirement to provide funding in specified annual amounts for the Student Achievement Program, originally enacted as Initiative 728 in 2000. This act creates a joint task force on education funding that will make recommendations for fully funding basic education programs, including the requirements of Engrossed Substitute House Bill 2261 and Substitute House Bill 2776. This bill was referred to the Senate for further consideration.

House Bill 2824, House Bill 2824, repealing Initiative 728 and creating a joint task force on education funding, passed 74-24 in the House on April 10, 2012.

This act was delivered to the Governor for signature on April 10, 2012.

Senate Bill 6378, Second Engrossed Senate Bill 6378, reforming the state retirement plans, passed 27-22 in the Senate on April 10, 2012.

This act provides that members of PERS, TRS, and SERS who first establish membership after June 30, 2012, are ineligible for the alternative early retirement and enhanced early retirement options. A member with at least 20 years of service credit may retire early beginning at age 55, however the retirement allowance of a member choosing to do so will be subject to a reduction reflecting the full actuarial impact of early retirement. PERS, TRS, and SERS Plans 2 are closed to new members after June 30, 2012; on July 1, 2012, new members will be enrolled in Plans 3. The employer contributions collected in PERS, TRS, SERS, and PSERS for the purpose of paying off the unfunded UAALs of PERS Plan 1 and TRS Plan 1 are suspended for Fiscal Year 2013. Employer UAAL contributions resume in Fiscal Year 2014. This act was referred to the House for further consideration.

Senate Bill 6636, Substitute Senate Bill 6636, requiring a balanced state budget for the current and ensuing fiscal biennium, passed 79-19 in the House on April 10, 2012.

This act requires a balanced budget beginning with the 2013-15 biennium. In addition, beginning with the 2013-2015 fiscal biennium, the Legislature must enact a budget bill that does not require appropriations from the state General Fund and related funds to maintain the continuing costs of current program and service levels in the next ensuing fiscal biennium in an amount that does not exceed state General Fund and related fund revenues for that fiscal biennium, as forecast by the Economic and Revenue Forecast Council. The balanced budget requirement does not apply to (1) an “early action” budget bill that makes net reductions in appropriations and is enacted between July 1 and February 15 of any year; (2) a budget bill that is enacted by a sixty-percent vote in each house of the Legislature; or (3) a fiscal biennium in which monies are withdrawn from the Budget Stabilization Account. This act was referred to the Senate for further consideration.

Senate Bill 6636, Substitute Senate Bill 6636, requiring a balanced state budget for the current and ensuing fiscal biennium, passed 38-9 in the Senate on April 10, 2012.

This act was delivered to the Governor for signature on April 10, 2012.