HB83 Alabama 2014 Session

Summary

Primary Sponsor

Laura HallRepresentative

Democrat

Session

Regular Session 2014

Title

Penny Trust Fund (PTF), Comptroller authorized to transmit funds to State Board of Education, Secs. 41-15A-2, 41-15A-6 am'd

Summary

HB83 updates the Penny Trust Fund to fund public health and school disease-prevention programs, expands the board, and clarifies how earnings and distributions work.

What This Bill Does

It authorizes annual transfers from the Penny Trust Fund to the Department of Public Health and to the State Board of Education based on applications from the State Health Officer and State Superintendent, respectively. It specifies how the funds are to be used and limits school-system funding to approved disease-prevention plans. It expands the board's membership and updates definitions and duties, including how earnings are calculated and managed.

Who It Affects

• Public school systems and students receive grant funding for disease-prevention programs through approved plans, with funds used only for those programs and not as replacement for existing funding.
• State agencies and officials (Department of Public Health, State Board of Education, Governor-appointed board members, Governor, State Health Officer, State Superintendent) administer, apply for, and oversee funding, investments, and annual reporting.

Key Provisions

• Proceeds dedicated for public health are transmitted annually to the Department of Public Health, for the Alabama Drug Assistance Program and similar programs, with 50% for reducing infant mortality/child health and 50% for indigent health care, upon application of the State Health Officer.
• Proceeds dedicated for the promotion of public health of children in public schools are disbursed only to school systems that apply for grants; funds are transmitted to the State Board of Education to implement approved grants upon certification, and then to the school systems for implementation of the approved plan; expenditures must be for disease prevention per the plan and not replace existing funds.
• Accumulated earnings may be appropriated in any fiscal year for all approved applications and proposals, as certified by the State Treasurer to the Director of Finance.
• Earnings are defined as 90% of the prior fiscal year's earnings.
• The Penny Trust Fund Board of Control is expanded to include a Governor-appointed member from a historically black college or university and a Governor-appointed member from a non-profit health-related agency; terms end with the appointing Governor's term.
• The board's duties include electing a chair and secretary, accepting and reviewing grant applications, awarding or declining grants for disease prevention, informing the State Superintendent of Education of grant recipients and amounts, reviewing proposals from the Department of Public Health and State Superintendent, developing an investment policy, and notifying annually the amounts eligible for payment.
• The act becomes effective October 1, 2014.

AI-generated summary using openai/gpt-5-nano on Feb 24, 2026. May contain errors — refer to the official bill text for accuracy.

Subjects

Education, State Board