§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) For a student enrolled in Tulane University who is the recipient of both a Tulane Legislative Scholarship and an award pursuant to the provisions of this Chapter, the university shall apply the full amount of the Tulane Legislative Scholarship toward the student's financial obligations to the university before applying any award amounts provided pursuant to this Chapter.
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 fully fund all awards made to students qualifying under the provisions of this Chapter, the administering agency shall equitably reduce the amount of the program award for each qualifying student by an equal percentage on a pro rata basis, so that every student receives the award for which he qualifies and the total amount of all awards in any award year does not exceed the funds available to the agency for this purpose, either from legislative appropriation or other sources of funding. Such reduction shall also apply, in like manner, to any additional amount awarded to a student as provided in R.S. 17:5002(C).
(2) If a student's award amount is less than the tuition established for the public postsecondary institution in which he is enrolled, the institution may bill the student for the difference between the student's award amount and the tuition established for the institution, unless the institution grants a tuition waiver to the student.
(3) A student whose award is reduced pursuant to this Section shall not be required to accept payment of his award or to enroll or maintain continuous enrollment in an eligible college or university during the time period for which there is a funding shortfall and may defer acceptance of his award benefits. If a student opts to defer acceptance of his award payment pursuant to this Paragraph, all of the following shall apply:
(a) The student, upon enrollment or re-enrollment in an eligible college or university, shall be eligible to receive all applicable award benefits for any remaining semester or semesters, or the equivalent thereof, of his unused eligibility.
(b) The student shall meet all academic and other eligibility requirements provided by this Chapter and by rule of the administering agency, except as otherwise provided in this Subsection.
(c) The student shall exhaust all unused award eligibility within five years of the initial reduction of his award pursuant to this Section, provided that if the student requests and is granted an exception for cause to the requirement to enroll or to maintain continuous enrollment in an eligible college or university, the time period within which the student must exhaust his eligibility for his award shall be extended by the amount of time for which he was granted an exception.
Acts 2015, No. 227, §1; Acts 2016, No. 503, §1, eff. June 14, 2016; Acts 2017, No. 291, §1.
NOTE: See Acts 2016, No. 503, §2, that provides that the reduced award amounts do not apply to students receiving TOPS-Tech Early Start awards.