§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.

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