State contributions: California Excellence Fund.

Existing law requires, whenever any person donates any money to the state, the Treasurer to receive it upon the receipt of a certificate from the Controller. Existing law requires, if the donor at the time of making the donation files with the Controller a written designation of the fund or appropriation the person desires to benefit thereby, that donation to be credited accordingly. Under existing law, if a designation is not made, the donation is required to be credited to the State School Fund. The California Constitution requires the calculation, as specified, of a minimum amount of state funding to be provided each fiscal year for allocation to school districts and community college districts. This bill would create the California Excellence Fund in the General Fund to accept monetary contributions to the State of California for exclusively public purposes. This bill would allow the donor to designate, when making the monetary contribution, which of several specified purposes for which the contribution could be used. This bill would require amounts in the California Excellence Fund to be first transferred to the General Fund and second, upon appropriation by the Legislature, for the purposes designated by donors, as provided. This bill would require that the funds transferred to the General Fund be considered for purposes of the calculation of a minimum amount of state funding to be provided each fiscal year for allocation to school districts and community college districts. This bill would require the Treasurer to establish a procedure for the public to make monetary contributions to the California Excellence Fund and to provide to the Department of Finance information about the aggregate amount of monetary contributions made to the fund and the aggregate amounts available for each purpose designated by donors, as specified. This bill would become operative only if SB 227 of the 2017–18 Regular Session is enacted and takes effect on or before January 1, 2019.