No. CS/HB 273
Filed under Taxes & Budget.
Special District Funding; Revising agency agreements that provide state financial assistance to recipients or subrecipients to include specified special districts as an entity to which such agency may provide for the payment of invoices under specified circumstances; providing construction; requiring state agencies to expedite payment requests from certain counties, municipalities, and special districts for a specified purpose, etc.
Plain English Summary
AI-GENERATEDThe bill expands the definition of a rural community to include independent special districts providing water and wastewater services in rural areas of opportunity. This change allows these districts to access state financial assistance previously limited to counties and municipalities.
State agencies must now expedite payment requests from eligible special districts to ensure timely invoice payment. This requirement applies when a district demonstrates financial hardship, mirroring existing obligations for counties and municipalities.
The amendment clarifies that agencies may pay invoices directly to special districts without requiring reimbursement. This provision is designed to alleviate financial hardships associated with administering state agreements in rural areas.
Eligibility for special districts is strictly limited to those located entirely within a qualifying rural county or municipality, or independent water and wastewater districts in rural areas of opportunity. This prevents broader expansion of rural funding eligibility to other types of special districts.
AIAdds independent water and wastewater special districts to the statutory definition of a rural community.
AIRequires state agencies to pay invoices for special districts that demonstrate financial hardship.
AIAllows agencies to pay invoices for special districts located entirely within eligible rural counties or municipalities.
AIChanges the trigger for the hardship payment provision from discretionary to mandatory.