FISCAL NOTE

House Bill 419 as introduced would reduce potential expenditures of K-12 schools or public institutions of higher education by an undetermined amount for (1) capital improvement projects with a certified cost estimate not more than $500,000; (2) repairs or maintenance of HVAC systems; or (3) roof repairs or maintenance, by removing the project approval requirement of the Division of Construction Management (DCM), within the Department of Finance. This bill would correspondingly reduce potential receipts to DCM for these fees that otherwise would have been paid to DCM for projects exempted by this bill.

In addition, this bill would increase the administrative obligations of DCM by an estimated $400,000 annually, according to DCM, by requiring DCM to (1) review and inspect exempt projects for compliance with the Americans with Disabilities Act, and for fire safety and life safety compliance; (2) issue written compliance recommendations, within 30 days, at no cost to the school or institution; (3) develop, in consultation with the State Department of Education, and distribute project forms for use by local boards of education; and (4) ensure the forms do not require use of DCM services for exempt projects, except for issuance of compliance recommendations.