Bill Text: WV SB560 | 2013 | Regular Session | Introduced
Bill Title: Relating to WV Research Trust Fund
Spectrum: Moderate Partisan Bill (Democrat 8-1)
Status: (Introduced - Dead) 2013-03-18 - To Education [SB560 Detail]
Download: West_Virginia-2013-SB560-Introduced.html
Senate Bill No. 560
(By Senators Palumbo, McCabe, Wells, Walters, D. Hall, Unger, Beach, Williams and Stollings)
____________
[Introduced March 18, 2013; referred to the Committee on Education; and then to the Committee on Finance.]
____________
A BILL to amend and reenact §18B-18A-1, §18B-18A-2, §18B-18A-3, §18B-18A-9, §18B-18A-11 and §18B-18A-12 of the Code of West Virginia, 1931, as amended, all relating to the West Virginia Research Trust Fund; increasing the recipients of the fund to include all state land grant institutions of higher education; redistribution of moneys; deposit into fund from General Revenue Fund under certain conditions; deadline and consequences for failure to obtain matching funds and donations; legislative rulemaking; and reporting requirement.
Be it enacted by the Legislature of West Virginia:
That §18B-18A-1, §18B-18A-2, §18B-18A-3, §18B-18A-9, §18B-18A-11 and §18B-18A-12 of the Code of West Virginia, 1931, as amended, be amended and reenacted, all to read as follows:
ARTICLE 18A. DIRECTED RESEARCH ENDOWMENTS.
§18B-18A-1. Legislative findings; purpose; and intent.
(a) The Legislature finds that the continued expansion of the nation’s economy is dependent upon the ability of its institutions of higher education to increase the quality, quantity and productivity of its citizens who are engaged in scientific and technical fields of study. Failure of the United States to compete in these areas may lead to lower standards of living, dependence upon foreign intellectual capital and international insecurity. The economic future of West Virginia is equally dependent upon the ability of Marshall University and West Virginia University, the state’s two doctoral-granting, public research universities, its higher education institutions to promote, educate and train researchers and research support staff in these diverse fields of study.
The Legislature further finds that a recent emphasis on the creation of innovative curricula and the receipt of significant private donations by Marshall University and West Virginia University West Virginia’s higher education institutions has led to major expansions in certain areas of study, including energy, national security technology, environmental sciences, health and biomedical sciences, biometrics, biotechnology and nanotechnology. Despite these expansions, the additional investment of both private donations and state moneys is critical to recruiting world-class scientists, researchers, research staff, technicians and professional degree graduates, as well as providing funding for laboratories and scientific equipment.
(b) The purpose of the Legislature in enacting this article is to establish a state fund to be administered by the Higher Education Policy Commission to address the findings outlined in subsection (a) of this section. The fund will make public moneys available to the state’s two doctoral-granting public research universities and any state land grant higher education institution to match qualified private donations and qualified private donation pledges thereby creating an incentive for donors to support certain priority areas of study consistent with each participating institution's long-range strategic plan for research. Creation of this fund promotes strategic private donations targeted to specific areas of research and creates a sustainable source of funding for research initiatives that are critical to achieving long-term goals including, but not limited to, the following:
(1) Research-based economic development and economic diversification; and
(2) Increased potential for patenting, licensing and related technology transfer and commercialization of scientific and technological research in the state.
§18B-18A-2. Definitions.
(a) General -- For the purposes of this article, terms have the meaning ascribed to them in section two, article one of this chapter, unless the context in which the term is used clearly requires a different meaning or a specific definition is provided in this section.
(b) Definitions --
(1) “Directed research endowment” or “research endowment” means an account established at or administered by a participating institution or its affiliated research corporation or foundation in accordance with the provisions of section four of this article;
(2) “Directed research endowment plan” or “research plan” means the strategies and procedures formally approved and adopted by a governing board of a participating institution pursuant to section seven of this article outlining how a participating institution proposes to use directed research endowment proceeds to meet established goals and objectives;
(3) “Directed research endowment proceeds” or “endowment proceeds” means those investment earnings accruing to a participating institution's directed research endowment and available for expenditure by a participating institution or its affiliated research corporation in accordance with the provisions of section four of this article;
(4) “Trust fund” means the special account designated as the West Virginia Research Trust Fund established in section three of this article;
(5) "Participating institution” means Marshall University, or West Virginia University and any other state land grant higher education institution;
(6) “Qualified private donation” or “qualified donation” means any a private donation, gift or bequest to a directed research endowment that meets the criteria set forth in section five of this article;
(7) "Qualified private donation pledge" or “qualified pledge” means any a pledge, commitment or other agreement to give a private donation to a directed research endowment that is made pursuant to a written agreement between the donor and the institution or its affiliated research corporation or foundation and that meets the criteria set forth in section five of this article;
(8) “Foundation” means a corporation created, organized and located in West Virginia that meets the following conditions:
(A) Is organized and operated for educational purposes in support of one or more state institutions of higher education;
(B) Is designated by the board of Governors of one or more state institutions of higher education to receive charitable contributions for educational purposes on behalf of the institution or institutions;
(C) Does not have any part of its earnings inuring to the benefit of any a private shareholder or individual;
(D) Is not disqualified from tax exemption under 26 U.S.C. §501(c)(3) for any reason; and
(E) Does not participate or intervene in, on behalf of or in opposition to, any political campaigns for public office;
(9) “Research corporation” means an organization created pursuant to the provisions of article twelve of this chapter; and
(10) “State college” means the West Virginia School of Osteopathic Medicine, Bluefield State College, Concord University, Fairmont State University, Glenville State College, Shepherd University, West Liberty State College or West Virginia State University.
§18B-18A-3. West Virginia Research Trust Fund.
(a) There is created in the State Treasury a special fund to be known as the West Virginia Research Trust Fund which shall consist consists of any appropriations of moneys to the fund made by the Legislature, all earnings from investment of the fund and any unmatched portion of state moneys returned by a State Institution of Higher Education.
(b) Expenditures from the trust fund shall be made for the purposes set forth in this article and are not subject to separate appropriation by the Legislature. Any balance, including accrued investment earnings on any unmatched portion of state moneys returned by a state institution of higher education in the trust fund at the end of each fiscal year shall does not expire to the General Revenue Fund but shall remain remains in the trust fund and be expended as provided by this article.
(c) In accordance with the provisions of section eight of this article, the commission shall make available seventy sixty-five percent of moneys in this account to match qualified donations and qualified pledges to West Virginia University; and thirty twenty-five percent of the moneys to match qualified donations and qualified pledges to Marshall University; and ten percent of moneys in this account to match qualified donations and qualified pledges to any other state land grant higher education institution.
(d) Investment earnings accruing in the account may be expended by the commission to provide matching research funds to state colleges in accordance with the provisions of section ten of this article.
(e) The Legislature shall make available $25 million from the state’s General Revenue Fund to be deposited into the West Virginia Research Trust Fund. This additional $25 million is available only to Marshall University, West Virginia University and any state land grant higher education institution to the extent these universities raise the same amount in matching funds. The funds made available by this subsection are distributed as described in subsection (c) of this section.
§18B-18A-9. Reallocation of matching moneys.
(a) No later than seven two years from the effective date of this article, July 1, 2013, each participating institution shall have deposited into its research endowments an amount of qualified donations equal to or greater than the total amount of moneys allocated for distribution to the institution pursuant to the provisions of subsection (c), section three of this article.
(1) If one of the participating institutions fails to have deposited into its research endowments the requisite amount of qualified donations by the end of this seven two year period, then any portion of the moneys allocated to the institution that has not been distributed shall be reallocated for distribution to the other participating institution institutions pursuant to the terms of this article.
(2) To be eligible to receive a distribution of reallocated moneys pursuant to this subsection, the other participating institution institutions shall have qualified donations in excess of the amount required by subsection (a) of this section deposited into its research endowment(s) in an amount equal to or greater than the amount of reallocated moneys.
(3) If the other participating institution institutions does not have excess qualified donations on deposit, the reallocated moneys shall be made available for distribution by the commission to state colleges in accordance with the provisions of section ten of this article.
(b) If any a pledge previously used by a participating institution to obtain a distribution of matching moneys from the trust fund has not been paid in full within seven two years from the effective date of this article, July 1, 2013, then the institution shall return the unmatched portion of state moneys to the trust fund. These moneys shall be reallocated for distribution to the other participating institution institutions or to the state colleges pursuant to the terms of this section and section ten of this article as applicable.
(c) If both the participating institutions fail to have deposited into their respective research endowments the requisite amount of qualified donations within seven two years from the effective date of this article, July 1, 2013, then any moneys remaining in the trust fund that have not been distributed shall be made available for distribution by the commission to state colleges in accordance with the provisions of this article.
§18B-18A-11. Higher Education Policy Commission rule required; emergency rule authorized.
(a) By October 1, 2008, 2013, the commission shall propose a rule for legislative approval in accordance with the provisions of section six, article one of this chapter and article three-a, chapter twenty-nine-a of this code to implement the provisions and purposes of this article. The rule shall include the following:
(1) Documentation standards and review procedures to determine whether a donation or pledge meets the criteria of a qualified donation or qualified pledge when initially received or when the terms of a qualified donation or a qualified pledge are materially altered;
(2) Eligibility criteria in accordance with the provisions of section six of this article for the expenditure of endowment proceeds to pay the base salaries of personnel, to fund research fellowships and to purchase basic infrastructure;
(3) Procedures to ensure that endowment proceeds are expended in compliance with the provisions of this article;
(4) A requirement for each participating institution to report on the total amount of qualified donations received, the investment earnings realized and any anticipated expenditures of the research endowment proceeds in its annual operating budget; and
(5) Procedures for the competitive application and review of requests from state colleges and criteria for the eligible use of moneys distributed pursuant to section ten of this article.
(b) The Legislature finds that an emergency exists and, therefore, the commission shall file a rule to implement the provisions of this article as an emergency rule pursuant to the provisions of article three-a, chapter twenty-nine-a of this code. The rule is subject to the prior approval of the Legislative Oversight Commission on Education Accountability.
§18B-18A-12. Annual report.
By January 1, 2010,and annually thereafter, 2015, the commission shall submit a report to the Governor, the President of the Senate, the Speaker of the House of Delegates and the Legislative Oversight Commission on Education Accountability detailing implementation of the research endowments at each participating institution, the amount of qualified donations received by each participating institution in the preceding fiscal year, the amount of any distributions made from the trust fund and a description of the research and outcomes supported by those moneys.
NOTE: The purpose of this bill is to increase the recipients of the West Virginia Research Trust Fund to include all state land grant institutions of higher education, to redistribute funds, to deposit into the fund a sum certain from the General Revenue Fund under certain conditions, to establish a deadline and consequences for failure to obtain matching funds and donations, to authorize legislative rule making and to require a report from commission by January 1, 2015.
Strike-throughs indicate language that would be stricken from the present law and underscoring indicates new language that would be added.
