Louisiana Revised Statutes 17:3091 – Louisiana Student Tuition Assistance and Revenue Trust Program; creation; purpose; legislative intent
Terms Used In Louisiana Revised Statutes 17:3091
- Institution of postsecondary education: means a state college, university, or technical college or institute or an independent college or university located in this state that is approved by the United States Secretary of Education; a public or independent college or a university located outside this state that is approved by the United States Secretary of Education; a proprietary school licensed pursuant to Chapter 24-A of this Title; or a proprietary school located outside this state that is licensed by an out-of-state public postsecondary education board, accredited by a recognized national or regional accrediting body, and eligible to participate in a program under Title IV of the Higher Education Act of 1965, as amended. See Louisiana Revised Statutes 17:3092
- Tuition: means the mandatory educational charges imposed by an institution of postsecondary education and all fees required as a condition of enrollment, as delineated by the Louisiana Tuition Trust Authority. See Louisiana Revised Statutes 17:3092
A. In order to help make education affordable and accessible to all citizens of Louisiana, to assist in the maintenance of state institutions of postsecondary education by helping to provide a more stable financial base to these institutions, to provide the citizens of Louisiana with financing assistance for education at an institution of postsecondary education and protection against rising tuition costs, to encourage saving to enhance the ability of citizens to obtain access to institutions of postsecondary education, to encourage academic excellence, to promote a well-educated and financially secure population to the ultimate benefit of all citizens of the state, and to encourage a recognition that financing an education is an investment in the future, there is hereby created the Louisiana Student Tuition Assistance and Revenue Trust Program which may hereafter be referred to as the “START” Program. The program shall consist of the establishment of education savings accounts by individuals, groups, or organizations and provisions for the routine deposit of funds to cover the future educational costs of a designated beneficiary.
B. The legislature hereby finds that the Louisiana Student Tuition Assistance and Revenue Trust Program created by this Chapter is an official state function, offered through an agency of the state which receives state appropriations.
C.(1) It is the intention of the legislature that the START Program shall be a qualified tuition program as defined in Section 529 of the federal Internal Revenue Code, as amended. Any provision of this Chapter determined to be in conflict with any requirement of the code as applicable to a qualified tuition program shall be superseded by such code provision to the extent necessary to assure that the START Program continues to meet the code’s definition of a qualified tuition program.
(2) Any requirement of this Chapter determined to be more restrictive than the requirements of the federal Internal Revenue Code as applicable to a qualified tuition program may be modified to conform with code requirement by the Louisiana Tuition Trust Authority in accordance with the Administrative Procedure Act.
Acts 1995, No. 547, §1, eff. June 18, 1995; Acts 1997, No. 1416, §1, eff. July 15, 1997; Acts 2001, No. 332, §1, eff. June 6, 2001; Acts 2002, 1st Ex. Sess., No. 20, §1, eff. April 18, 2002.