79-10,110.

Health and safety modifications prior to April 19, 2016, qualified zone academy, or American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009 purpose; school board; powers and duties; hearing; tax levy authorized; issuance of bonds authorized.

(1) Prior to April 19, 2016, after making a determination that an actual or potential environmental hazard or accessibility barrier exists, that a life safety code violation exists, or that expenditures are needed for indoor air quality or mold abatement and prevention within the school buildings or grounds under its control, a school board may make and deliver to the county clerk of such county in which any part of the school district is situated, not later than the date provided in section 13-508, an itemized estimate of the amounts necessary to be expended for the abatement of such environmental hazard, for accessibility barrier elimination, or for modifications for life safety code violations, indoor air quality, or mold abatement and prevention in such school buildings or grounds. The board shall designate the particular environmental hazard abatement project, accessibility barrier elimination project, or modification for life safety code violations, indoor air quality, or mold abatement and prevention for which the tax levy provided for by this section will be expended, the period of years, which shall not exceed ten years, for which the tax will be levied for such project, and the estimated amount of the levy for each year of the period based on the taxable valuation of the district at the time of issuance.

(2) Prior to April 19, 2016, after a public hearing, a school board may undertake any qualified capital purpose in any qualified zone academy under its control and may levy a tax as provided in this section to repay a qualified zone academy bond issued for such undertaking. The board shall designate: (a) The particular qualified capital purpose for which the qualified zone academy bond was issued and for which the tax levy provided for by this section will be expended; (b) the period of years for which the tax will be levied to repay such qualified zone academy bond, not exceeding the maturity term for such qualified zone academy bond established pursuant to federal law or, for any such bond issued prior to May 20, 2009, fifteen years; and (c) the estimated amount of the levy for each year of the period based on the taxable valuation of the district at the time of issuance. The hearing required by this subsection shall be held only after notice of such hearing has been published for three consecutive weeks prior to the hearing in a legal newspaper published or of general circulation in the school district.

(3) Prior to April 19, 2016, after a public hearing, a school board may undertake any American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009 purpose and may levy a tax to repay any American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009 bond issued for such undertaking. The board shall designate: (a) The American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009 purpose for which the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009 bond will be issued and for which the tax levy provided by this section will be expended; (b) the period of years for which the tax will be levied to repay such American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009 bond, not exceeding the maturity term for the type of American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009 bond established pursuant to federal law or, if no such term is established, thirty years; and (c) the estimated amount of the levy for each year of such period based on the taxable valuation of the district at the time of issuance. Prior to the public hearing, the school board shall prepare an itemized estimate of the amounts necessary to be expended for the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009 purpose. The hearing required by this subsection shall be held only after notice of such hearing has been published for three consecutive weeks prior to the hearing in a legal newspaper published or of general circulation in the school district.

(4) Prior to April 19, 2016, the board may designate more than one project under subsection (1) of this section, more than one qualified capital purpose under subsection (2) of this section, or more than one American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009 purpose under subsection (3) of this section and levy a tax pursuant to this section for each such project, qualified capital purpose, or American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009 purpose, concurrently or consecutively, as the case may be, if the aggregate levy in each year and the duration of each such levy will not exceed the limitations specified in this section. Each levy for a project, a qualified capital purpose, or an American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009 purpose which is authorized by this section may be imposed for such duration as the board specifies, notwithstanding the contemporaneous existence or subsequent imposition of any other levy for another project, qualified capital purpose, or American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009 purpose imposed pursuant to this section and notwithstanding the subsequent issuance by the district of bonded indebtedness payable from its general fund levy.

(5) The county clerk shall levy such taxes, not to exceed five and one-fifth cents per one hundred dollars of taxable valuation on the taxable property of the district necessary to (a) cover the environmental hazard abatement or accessibility barrier elimination project costs or costs for modification for life safety code violations, indoor air quality, or mold abatement and prevention itemized by the board pursuant to subsection (1) of this section and (b) repay any qualified zone academy bonds or American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009 bonds pursuant to subsection (2) or (3) of this section. Such taxes shall be collected by the county treasurer at the same time and in the same manner as county taxes are collected and when collected shall be paid to the treasurer of the district and used to cover the project costs.

(6) Each board which submits an itemized estimate shall establish an environmental hazard abatement and accessibility barrier elimination project account, a life safety code modification project account, an indoor air quality project account, or a mold abatement and prevention project account, each board which undertakes a qualified capital purpose shall establish a qualified capital purpose undertaking account, within the qualified capital purpose undertaking fund, and each board which undertakes an American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009 purpose shall establish an American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009 purpose undertaking account. Taxes collected pursuant to this section shall be credited to the appropriate account to cover the project or undertaking costs. Such estimates may be presented to the county clerk and taxes levied accordingly.

(7) For purposes of this section:

(a) Abatement includes, but is not limited to, any inspection and testing regarding environmental hazards, any maintenance to reduce, lessen, put an end to, diminish, moderate, decrease, control, dispose of, or eliminate environmental hazards, any removal or encapsulation of environmentally hazardous material or property, any related restoration or replacement of material or property, any related architectural and engineering services, and any other action to reduce or eliminate environmental hazards in the school buildings or on the school grounds under the board's control, except that abatement does not include the encapsulation of any material containing more than one percent friable asbestos;

(b) Accessibility barrier means anything which impedes entry into, exit from, or use of any building or facility by all people;

(c) Accessibility barrier elimination includes, but is not limited to, inspection for and removal of accessibility barriers, maintenance to reduce, lessen, put an end to, diminish, control, dispose of, or eliminate accessibility barriers, related restoration or replacement of facilities or property, any related architectural and engineering services, and any other action to eliminate accessibility barriers in the school buildings or grounds under the board's control;

(d) American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009 bond means any type or form of bond permitted by the federal American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009, as such act or bond may be amended and supplemented, including the federal Hiring Incentives to Restore Employment Act, as amended and supplemented, for use by schools, except qualified zone academy bonds;

(e) American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009 purpose means any construction of a new public school facility or the acquisition of land on which such a facility is to be constructed or any expansion, rehabilitation, modernization, renovation, or repair of any existing school facilities financed in whole or in part with an American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009 bond;

(f) Environmental hazard means any contamination of the air, water, or land surface or subsurface caused by any substance adversely affecting human health or safety if such substance has been declared hazardous by a federal or state statute, rule, or regulation;

(g) Modification for indoor air quality includes, but is not limited to, any inspection and testing regarding indoor air quality, any maintenance to reduce, lessen, put an end to, diminish, moderate, decrease, control, dispose of, or eliminate indoor air quality problems, any related restoration or replacement of material or related architectural and engineering services, and any other action to reduce or eliminate indoor air quality problems or to enhance air quality conditions in new or existing school buildings or on school grounds under the control of a school board;

(h) Modification for life safety code violation includes, but is not limited to, any inspection and testing regarding life safety codes, any maintenance to reduce, lessen, put an end to, diminish, moderate, decrease, control, dispose of, or eliminate life safety hazards, any related restoration or replacement of material or property, any related architectural and engineering services, and any other action to reduce or eliminate life safety hazards in new or existing school buildings or on school grounds under the control of a school board;

(i) Modification for mold abatement and prevention includes, but is not limited to, any inspection and testing regarding mold abatement and prevention, any maintenance to reduce, lessen, put an end to, diminish, moderate, decrease, control, dispose of, or eliminate mold problems, any related restoration or replacement of material or related architectural and engineering services, and any other action to reduce or eliminate mold problems or to enhance air quality conditions in new or existing school buildings or on school grounds under the control of a school board;

(j) Qualified capital purpose means (i) rehabilitating or repairing the public school facility in which the qualified zone academy is established or (ii) providing equipment for use at such qualified zone academy;

(k) Qualified zone academy has the meaning found in (i) 26 U.S.C. 1397E(d)(4), as such section existed on October 3, 2008, for qualified zone academy bonds issued on or before such date, and (ii) 26 U.S.C. 54E(d)(1), as such section existed on October 4, 2008, for qualified zone academy bonds issued on or after such date;

(l) Qualified zone academy allocation means the allocation of the qualified zone academy bond limitation by the State Department of Education to the qualified zone academies pursuant to (i) 26 U.S.C. 1397E(e)(2), as such section existed on October 3, 2008, for allocations relating to qualified zone academy bonds issued on or before such date, and (ii) 26 U.S.C. 54E(c)(2), as such section existed on October 4, 2008, for allocations relating to qualified zone academy bonds issued on or after such date; and

(m) Qualified zone academy bond has the meaning found in (i) 26 U.S.C. 1397E(d)(1), as such section existed on October 3, 2008, for such bonds issued on or before such date, and (ii) 26 U.S.C. 54E(a), as such section existed on and after October 4, 2008, for such bonds issued on or after such date, as such section or bonds may be amended or supplemented.

(8) Accessibility barrier elimination project costs includes, but is not limited to, inspection, maintenance, accounting, emergency services, consultation, or any other action to reduce or eliminate accessibility barriers.

(9)(a) For the purpose of paying amounts necessary for the abatement of environmental hazards, for accessibility barrier elimination, for modifications for life safety code violations, indoor air quality, or mold abatement and prevention, for a qualified capital purpose, or for an American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009 purpose, the board may borrow money, establish a sinking fund, and issue bonds and other evidences of indebtedness of the district, which bonds and other evidences of indebtedness shall be secured by and payable from an irrevocable pledge by the district of amounts received in respect of the tax levy provided for by this section and any other funds of the district available therefor. Bonds issued for a qualified capital purpose or an American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009 purpose shall be limited to the type or types of bonds authorized for each purpose in subsections (2) and (3) of this section, respectively. Bonds and other evidences of indebtedness issued by a district pursuant to this subsection shall not constitute a general obligation of the district or be payable from any portion of its general fund levy.

(b) A district may exceed the maximum levy of five and one-fifth cents per one hundred dollars of taxable valuation authorized by subsection (5) of this section in any year in which (i) the taxable valuation of the district is lower than the taxable valuation in the year in which the district last issued bonds pursuant to this section and (ii) such maximum levy is insufficient to meet the combined annual principal and interest obligations for all bonds issued pursuant to this section. The amount generated from a district's levy in excess of the maximum levy upon the taxable valuation of the district shall not exceed the combined annual principal and interest obligations for such bonds minus the amount generated by levying the maximum levy upon the taxable valuation of the district and minus any federal payments or subsidies associated with such bonds.

(10) The total principal amount of bonds for modifications to correct life safety code violations, for indoor air quality problems, for mold abatement and prevention, or for an American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009 purpose which may be issued pursuant to this section shall not exceed the total amount specified in the itemized estimate described in subsections (1) and (3) of this section.

(11) The total principal amount of qualified zone academy bonds which may be issued pursuant to this section for qualified capital purposes with respect to a qualified zone academy shall not exceed the qualified zone academy allocation granted to the board by the department. The total amount that may be financed by qualified zone academy bonds pursuant to this section for qualified purposes with respect to a qualified zone academy shall not exceed seven and one-half million dollars statewide in a single year. In any year that the Nebraska qualified zone academy allocations exceed seven and one-half million dollars for qualified capital purposes to be financed with qualified zone academy bonds issued pursuant to this section, (a) the department shall reduce such allocations proportionally such that the statewide total for such allocations equals seven and one-half million dollars and (b) the difference between the Nebraska allocation and seven and one-half million dollars shall be available to qualified zone academies for requests that will be financed with qualified zone academy bonds issued without the benefit of this section.

Nothing in this section directs the State Department of Education to give any preference to allocation requests that will be financed with qualified zone academy bonds issued pursuant to this section.

(12) The State Department of Education shall establish procedures for allocating bond authority to school boards as may be necessary pursuant to an American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009 bond.