2015 Louisiana Laws
Revised Statutes
TITLE 17 - Education
RS 17:5065 - Funding

§5065. Funding

            A.(1) The legislature annually shall appropriate to the administering agency funds which, together with any other funds available, are sufficient to cover the costs required to be paid, both initial and continuing, for the coming academic year. All such payments shall be made by the administering agency directly to the institution to which such payment is due after notice to the institution that the state shall pay, on behalf of the qualifying student, the applicable amount stipulated in this Chapter and after notice from the institution that the student has actually enrolled.

            (2) Effective beginning with the 1999-2000 academic year and thereafter, no state payments made on behalf of any student receiving an award pursuant to the provisions of this Chapter shall be used by an institution of higher education to supplant the granting of free tuition for such student pursuant to a scholarship given in accordance with the provisions of Act No. 43 of the 1884 Regular Session of the Legislature, as amended.

            B. The administering agency may seek, accept, and expend funds from any source, including private business, industry, foundations, and other groups as well as any federal or other governmental funding available for this purpose.

            C. Implementation of the tuition payment program provided by this Chapter shall be subject to the appropriation of funds for this purpose.

            D.(1) In the event the legislature appropriates insufficient money to fund all awards made to students qualifying under the provisions of this Chapter, the number of students to whom awards shall be made shall be reduced as necessary pursuant to a procedure set out by rule adopted by the administering agency. The procedure shall provide for such reduction to be based on the scores on the ACT and then on the ability of each student's family to pay the student's tuition as evidenced by the expected family contribution determined by using the standardized federal methodology for establishing student financial need. The procedure shall provide that reductions of awards made necessary by insufficient appropriations shall first eliminate the cohort of students who score lowest on the ACT. The procedures shall provide that within that cohort of students, those whose families are most able to pay the student's tuition shall be eliminated first. After insufficient appropriations require the elimination of all students in such cohort, the procedures shall require repeating the process with those students in the next highest score cohort.

            (2) Among students denied their awards as provided in this Subsection, those students whose families have the least capacity to pay shall be the first to receive their awards if monies become available. Any student for whom the expected family contribution cannot be determined as provided for in Paragraph (1) of this Subsection shall be denied his award until the legislature appropriates sufficient monies to fund all awards made to students qualifying under the provisions of this Chapter.

            Acts 2015, No. 227, §1.