§ 33:363 — Village of Palmetto in St. Landry Parish; authority to provide academic

Louisiana § 33:363

• Jurisdiction: Louisiana
• Title 33: Municipalities and Parishes

Text

§363. Village of Palmetto in St. Landry Parish; authority to provide academic
scholarships
A. The legislature finds that it is important to utilize all available
opportunities to aid meritorious but needy students in their efforts to obtain a college
education. The legislature further finds that there exists a benefit to the state to
educate its citizens in Louisiana institutions of higher education and to encourage
such students to remain in Louisiana after completing their education. The
legislature further finds that, when possible, the funding of scholarships for such
students is a public purpose and, pursuant to Article VII, Section 14 of the
Constitution of Louisiana, the legislature intends to approve and encourage such
purpose.
B. The governing authority of the village of Palmetto may use any surplus
public funds unexpended in prior fiscal years, including accumulated interest paid
thereon, to fund academic scholarships for meritorious but needy students.
C. The governing authority of the village of Palmetto shall establish said
scholarships by appropriate ordinance or resolution, which establishment shall be
preceded by a public hearing, said hearing having been advertised in the official
journal of the village at least once and at least fifteen days before adoption of the
ordinance or resolution.
D. Such ordinance or resolution shall provide procedures and criteria for
application for and award of such scholarships. Each student to whom a scholarship
is awarded shall be a resident of the village of Palmetto in St. Landry Parish, shall be
accepted to attend or be enrolled as an undergraduate student in a Louisiana
institution of higher education, shall have a cumulative high school or college grade
point average of at least three points when calculated on a four-point basis, and shall
be adjudged needy by standards equivalent to or more stringent than those of
nationally recognized analyses such as those used by the College Scholarship Service
or the American College Testing Service. In the event that no student meets the
residency criterion, a scholarship may be awarded to a student whose parent or legal
guardian is a utility customer of the village in good standing. The village governing
authority may establish additional criteria and procedures as are necessary to
administer the scholarships. In the administration of the program, no student shall
be discriminated against on the basis of race, color, gender, disability, as defined in
R.S. 51:2232, national origin, or creed.

Legislative History

Acts 1988, No. 157, §1; Acts 1991, No. 181, §1, eff. July 2, 1991; Acts 1993, No. 820, §5.