17:3803

Title 17. Education

Chapter 35. Louisiana Constitutional Education Funds

Part I. Louisiana Education Quality Trust Fund, Hereinafter Also Known as the “Kevin P. Reilly, SR. Louisiana Education Quality Trust Fund”

17:3803 Investment authority; treasurer

A. Findings and determinations. The state of Louisiana is entitled to receive certain revenues, hereinafter referred to as the “offshore revenues”, from the federal government pursuant to 43 U.S.C. 1337(g) which offshore revenues are attributable to mineral production activity or leasing activity on the Outer Continental Shelf, and said offshore revenues will be deposited into certain dedicated funds established pursuant to the constitution and laws of the state. It is found and determined that existing laws of the state governing the investment of public funds do not provide sufficient flexibility to the state or the opportunity to maximize its return on investment of the offshore revenues to be received from the federal government. It is the desire of the legislature to grant additional authority to the state treasurer with respect to the investment of offshore revenues so as to permit the investment of such moneys in certificates of deposit and certain obligations of the United States government and its agencies as will generate a favorable return to the state and will allow moneys to be available for use at the time needed.

B. Grant of authority. (1) The state treasurer is hereby authorized and directed to invest offshore revenues which are deposited into any fund created pursuant to the constitution or statutes of the state which are determined by the state treasurer to be available for investment in the following permitted investments:

(a) Time certificates of deposit of state banks organized under the laws of Louisiana, national banks having their principal offices in the state of Louisiana, savings accounts or shares of savings and loan associations and savings banks, as defined by R.S. 6:703, or share accounts and share certificate accounts of federally or state-chartered credit unions. The funds so invested shall not exceed at any time the amount insured by the Federal Savings and Loan Insurance Corporation in any one savings and loan association and shall not exceed at any time the amount insured by the National Credit Union Administration, or other deposit insurance corporation, in any one credit union, unless the uninsured portion is collateralized by the pledge of securities in the manner provided by R.S. 49:321.

(b) Direct obligations of the United States government, a United States government agency, a United States government instrumentality, or a United States government-sponsored enterprise, the timely payment of the principal and interest of which is fully and explicitly guaranteed by the full faith and credit of the government of the United States of America, and contained in a list promulgated by the state treasurer.

(c) Direct obligations of a United States government agency, United States government instrumentality, or United States government-sponsored enterprise, the timely payment of principal and interest of which is fully guaranteed by the issuing entity, but are not explicitly guaranteed by the full faith and credit of the government of the United States, and contained in a list promulgated by the state treasurer.

(d) Stocks of any corporation listed on the New York Stock Exchange, the American Stock Exchange, the National Association of Securities Dealers Automated Quotations System, or other such stock exchange domiciled in the United States and registered with the United States Securities and Exchange Commission, provided that the total investment in such stocks at any one time shall not exceed thirty-five percent of the market value of all funds held by the treasurer in the Kevin P. Reilly, Sr. Louisiana Education Quality Trust Fund.

(d) Stocks of any corporation listed on the New York Stock Exchange, the American Stock Exchange, the National Association of Securities Dealers Automated Quotations System, or other such stock exchange domiciled in the United States and registered with the United States Securities and Exchange Commission, provided that the total investment in such stocks at any one time shall not exceed sixty-five percent of the market value of all funds held by the treasurer in the Kevin P. Reilly, Sr. Louisiana Education Quality Trust Fund.

(e)(i) Investment grade commercial paper issued in the United States, traded in the United States markets, denominated in United States dollars, with a short-term rating of at least A-1 by Standard & Poor’s Financial Services LLC or P-1 by Moody’s Investor Service, Inc. or the equivalent rating by a nationally recognized statistical rating organization.

(ii) Investment grade corporate notes and bonds issued in the United States, traded in United States markets, denominated in United States dollars, rated Baa or better by Moody’s Investor Service, Inc. or BBB or better by Standard & Poor’s Financial Services LLC, and the trades of which are settled through The Depository Trust & Clearing Corporation, a national clearinghouse in the United States for the settlement of securities trades.

(f) Money market funds consisting solely of securities otherwise eligible for investment by the treasurer pursuant to this Section.

(g) Open end mutual funds, closed end mutual funds, and unit investment trusts consisting solely of securities otherwise eligible for investment by the state treasurer.

(h) Tax exempt bonds and other taxable governmental bonds. In addition to all other investment authority related to the Kevin P. Reilly, Sr. Louisiana Education Quality Trust Fund, the state treasurer may invest in tax exempt bonds as defined in R.S. 49:342(C), and in taxable bonds issued by any state or a political subdivision or public corporation of any state, provided that such taxable bonds are rated at the time the investment is made by a nationally recognized rating agency in one of the three highest rating categories of that rating agency.

(i) Bonds, debentures, notes, or other similar obligations issued in the United States market, denominated in United States dollars and are the direct legal obligations of a foreign nation which the International Monetary Fund lists as an industrial country, for which investments in and/or business transactions with are not prohibited or restricted by any law, regulation, or rule of the United States or the state of Louisiana, and for which the full faith and credit of such nation has been pledged for the payment of principal and interest; provided that any such security shall be rated at least A- or better by Standard & Poor’s Corporation or A3 or better by Moody’s, Inc., or an equivalent investment grade by a securities ratings organization accepted by the National Association of Insurance Commissioners; and, provided further that the total investment in such foreign securities at any one time shall not exceed five percent of the market value of all investments held by the treasurer in the Kevin P. Reilly, Sr. Louisiana Education Quality Trust Fund, or any other fund or investment of funds subject to this investment authority.

(j) Any investment managers hired on a contract basis to advise the treasurer regarding such investments shall be selected by the treasurer, subject to the approval of the State Bond Commission, in accordance with a request for proposal process using strict selection criteria based on sound industry principles. The contract, as approved by the State Bond Commission, shall be on a fee, together with minimum exchange fee, basis or on a commission basis only. The state treasurer shall adopt and promulgate rules and regulations for such investments and for the selection of outside investment managers.

(k) Open-end mutual funds, closed-end mutual funds, exchange traded funds, and unit investment trusts consisting solely of international securities constructed to match or track the components of a market index provided by globally recognized index providers, including but not limited to MSCI, FTSE, Dow Jones, Standard & Poor’s, Barclays, Citigroup, or any of their affiliates or successors and assigns; however, the total investment in any and all such index funds at any one time shall not exceed ten percent of the market value of all funds held by the treasurer in the Louisiana Education Quality Trust Fund. Nothing in this Subparagraph shall be construed to allow the state treasurer to invest directly in the common stock of foreign companies known to do business with nations that support terrorism.

(2) Investments made under authority of this Section shall mature on such date or dates determined by the state treasurer in the exercise of prudent judgment as will generate a favorable return to the state and will allow the monies to be available for use at the time needed. The state treasurer shall prepare and submit for approval a plan for such investments to the Board of Regents and the State Board of Elementary and Secondary Education and the State Bond Commission. The state treasurer shall report annually to the Joint Legislative Committee on the Budget, the House Committee on Education, and the Senate Committee on Education on the activity of such investments.

(3) Banks issuing time certificates of deposit under authority of this Section shall pay interest at a rate not less than the rate determined by the United States Treasury to have been the average interest rate plus one percent per annum on the last previous sale of treasury bills with the same length of maturity; provided that if at any time the interest rate so determined is in excess of the maximum rate banks are permitted to pay on time certificates of deposit for the same period of time by regulations of the Federal Reserve System or the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation, the interest rate shall be the maximum established by those regulations.

C. Annual report. On or before November first of each year, the state treasurer shall prepare and submit to the Board of Regents and the Board of Elementary and Secondary Education for their review a report on the performance of the fund. The state treasurer shall also submit a copy of the report to the Joint Legislative Committee on the Budget, the House Committee on Education, and the Senate Committee on Education.

D. Powers. Nothing contained in this Section is or shall be construed as a restriction or a limitation upon any other powers had and possessed by the state and this Section is cumulative and in addition to any such powers.

E. Repurchase agreements.

(1) In addition to all other investment authority related to the Kevin P. Reilly, Sr. Louisiana Education Quality Trust Fund, the state treasurer may enter into direct security repurchase agreements, reverse security repurchase agreements, and securities lending contracts in order to generate passive income.

(2) For the purposes of this Subsection:

(a) “Direct security repurchase agreement” means an agreement and transaction in which:

(i) Securities are purchased by the state from a registered securities broker or dealer for a rate and a guarantee to buy them back from the state.

(ii) The state holds the securities for a specified time.

(iii) The state sells those securities back to the broker or dealer at an agreed upon price.

(b) “Reverse security repurchase agreements” means an agreement and transaction in which securities are sold by the state to a registered securities broker or dealer for a rate and a guarantee to sell them back to the state, the broker or dealer holds the securities for a specified time, and then the state buys back the securities from the broker or dealer at an agreed upon price.

(c) “Securities lending contracts” means an agreement and transaction in which securities are supplied to a registered securities broker or dealer for a rate and secured by a pledge of collateral with a value equal to or greater than the securities supplied.

Added by Acts 1986, No. 67, §§ 1, 2, eff. June 13, 1986. Amended by Acts 1989, No. 675, § 1, eff. July 1, 1989; Acts 1993, No. 701, § 1, eff. June 21, 1993; Acts 1994, 3rd Ex.Sess., No. 136, §§ 1, 2, eff. January 1, 1995; Acts 2001, No. 698, § 1; Acts 2004, No. 654, § 1, eff. July 1, 2004; Acts 2006, No. 289, § 1; Acts 2013, No. 56, § 1, eff. May 29, 2013; Acts 2014, No. 92, § 1; Acts 2015, No. 463, § 1; Acts 2017, No. 97, § 1; Acts 2021, No. 170, § 1.