SB 2003 Text

Senate Bill No. 2003
(By Senators Tomblin (Mr. President) and Hall,
By Request of the Executive)
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[Introduced July 17, 2010; referred to the Committee on Education.]
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A BILL to amend and reenact §12-1-12d of the Code of West Virginia, 1931, as amended, relating to investments by Marshall University and West Virginia University; and extending the sunset provision to allow the continued investment of funds in the nonprofit foundations of Marshall University and West Virginia University.

Be it enacted by the Legislature of West Virginia:
That §12-1-12d of the Code of West Virginia, 1931, as amended, be amended and reenacted to read as follows:
ARTICLE 1. STATE DEPOSITORIES.

§12-1-12d. Investments by Marshall University and West Virginia University.

(a) Notwithstanding any provision of this article to the contrary, the governing boards of Marshall University and West Virginia University each may invest certain funds with its respective nonprofit foundation that has been established to receive contributions exclusively for that university and which exists on the January 1, 2005. Any such investment is subject to the limitations of this section.
(b) A governing board, through its chief financial officer may enter into agreements, approved as to form by the State Treasurer, for the investment by its foundation of certain funds subject to their administration. Any interest or earnings on the moneys invested is retained by the investing university.
(c) Moneys of a university that may be invested with its foundation pursuant to this section are those subject to the administrative control of the university that are collected under an act of the Legislature for specific purposes and do not include any funds made available to the university from the state General Revenue Fund or the funds established in sections eighteen or eighteen-a, article twenty-two, chapter twenty-nine of this code. Moneys permitted to be invested under this section may be aggregated in an investment fund for investment purposes.
(d) Of the moneys authorized for investment by this section, Marshall University and West Virginia University each, respectively, may have invested with its foundation at any time not more than the greater of:
(1) $18 million for Marshall University and $25 million for West Virginia University; or
(2) Sixty-five percent of its unrestricted net assets as presented in the statement of net assets for the fiscal year end audited financial reports.
(e) Investments by foundations that are authorized under this section shall be made in accordance with and subject to the provisions of the Uniform Prudent Investor Act codified as article six-c, chapter forty-four of this code. As part of its fiduciary responsibilities, each governing board shall establish investment policies in accordance with the Uniform Prudent Investor Act for those moneys invested with its foundation. The governing board shall review, establish and modify, if necessary, the investment objectives as incorporated in its investment policies so as to provide for the financial security of the moneys invested with its foundation. The governing boards shall give consideration to the following:
(1) Preservation of capital;

(2) Diversification;

(3) Risk tolerance;

(4) Rate of return;

(5) Stability;

(6) Turnover;

(7) Liquidity; and

(8) Reasonable cost of fees.

(f) A governing board shall report annually by December 31 to the Governor and to the Joint Committee on Government and Finance on the performance of investments managed by its foundation pursuant to this section.
(g) The authority of a governing board to invest moneys with its foundation pursuant to this section expires on ~~the first day of July, two thousand ten~~ July 1, 2011.

NOTE: The purpose of this bill is to extend the sunset provision to allow the continued investment of funds in the nonprofit foundations of Marshall University and West Virginia University.

Strike-throughs indicate language that would be stricken from the present law, and underscoring indicates new language that would be added.

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