Notice 2010-17

Section 1521(a) of Title I of Division B of the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009, Pub. L. No. 111-5, 123 Stat. 115 (2009) (“Act”) added new § 54F to the Code, setting forth program provisions for QSCBs.

Section 54F(a) defines a “qualified school construction bond” to mean any bond issued as part of an issue if —

(1) 100 percent of the available project proceeds of such issue are to be used for the construction, rehabilitation, or repair of a public school facility or for the acquisition of land on which such a facility is to be constructed with part of the proceeds of such issue,

(2) the bond is issued by a State or local government within the jurisdiction of which such school is located, and

(3) the issuer designates such bond for purposes of this section.

Section 54F(c) provides a national bond limitation authorization for QSCBs of $11 billion for 2009 and $11 billion for 2010 (each, a “calendar year volume cap” and together “volume cap”). Section 54F(c)(3) provides that except for carryforwards provided for in § 54F(e), there is no calendar year volume cap for calendar years after 2010.

Section 54F(b) provides that the maximum aggregate face amount of bonds issued during any calendar year that may be designated under § 54F(a) by any issuer shall not exceed the portion of the calendar year volume cap allocated to such issuer for the calendar year under § 54F(d).

Section 54F(d)(1) provides that, except as provided in § 54F(d)(2)(C), the calendar year volume cap shall be allocated by the Treasury among the States in proportion to the respective amounts each State is eligible to receive under § 1124 of the Elementary and Secondary Education Act of 1965 (20 U.S.C. 6333) (the “Education Act”) for the most recent fiscal year ending before the calendar year. Section 54F(d)(1) further provides that the calendar year volume cap amount allocated to each State is to be further allocated by the State to issuers within the State.

Section 54F(d)(2)(A) provides that 40 percent of the calendar year volume cap for any calendar year is to be allocated under § 54F(d)(2)(B) by the Treasury among local educational agencies that are large local agencies for the calendar year. Section 54F(d)(2)(B) provides that 40 percent of the calendar year volume cap is to be allocated among large local educational agencies in proportion to the respective amounts each such agency received under § 1124 of the Education Act for the most recent fiscal year ending before the calendar year.

Section 54F(d)(2)(C) provides that the allocation of calendar year volume cap to any State under § 54F(d)(1) is reduced by the aggregate amount of allocations under § 54F(d)(2) to large local educational agencies within the State.

Section 54F(d)(2)(E) defines a large local educational agency as any local educational agency if such agency is: (1) among the one hundred local educational agencies with the largest number of children aged 5 through 17 from families living below the poverty level, as determined by the Treasury using the most recent data available from the Department of Commerce that are satisfactory to the Treasury; or (2) one of not more than twenty-five additional local educational agencies that the Secretary of Education determines (based on the most recent data available satisfactory to the Treasury) are in particular need of assistance, based on a low level of resources for school construction, a high level of enrollment growth, or such other factors as the Treasury deems appropriate.

Section 54F(d)(3) provides that the amount allocated under § 54F(d)(1) to any United States possession other than Puerto Rico is an amount that would have been allocated to such possession if all allocations under § 54F(d)(1) were made on the basis of respective populations of individuals below the poverty line (as defined by the Office of Management and Budget). Section 54F(d)(3) further provides that in making the other allocations, the amount to be allocated under § 54F(d)(1) to the States is reduced by the aggregate amount allocated under § 54F(d)(3) to the United States possessions.

Section 54F(d)(4) provides for additional calendar year volume cap amounts of $200 million for calendar year 2009 and $200 million for calendar year 2010 (each an “Indian tribal government calendar year volume cap” and together the “Indian tribal government volume cap”) to be allocated by the Secretary of Interior for purposes of the construction, rehabilitation, and repair of schools funded by the Bureau of Indian Affairs. This $200 million Indian tribal government calendar year volume cap allocated to the Indian tribal governments does not reduce the $11 billion calendar year volume cap allocated to the States and the large local educational agencies. Section 54F(d)(4) further provides that, for amounts of Indian tribal government volume cap allocated, Indian tribal governments (as defined in § 7701(a)(40)) are to be treated as qualified issuers.