Requirements for Student Scholarship Organizations

  1. Law
  2. Georgia Code
  3. Education
  4. Student Scholarship Organizations
  5. Requirements for Student Scholarship Organizations

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Each student scholarship organization:

  1. With respect to the first $1.5 million of its annual revenue received from donations for scholarships or tuition grants, must obligate at least 92 percent of such revenue for scholarships or tuition grants; with respect to its annual revenue received from donations for scholarships or tuition grants in excess of $1.5 million and up to and including $10 million, must obligate at least 94 percent of such revenue for scholarships and tuition grants; with respect to its annual revenue received from donations for scholarships or tuition grants in excess of $10 million and up to and including $20 million, must obligate at least 95 percent of such revenue for scholarships and tuition grants; and, with respect to its annual revenue received from donations for scholarships or tuition grants in excess of $20 million, must obligate at least 96 percent of such revenue for scholarships and tuition grants. On or before the end of the calendar year following the calendar year in which a student scholarship organization receives revenues from donations and obligates them for the awarding of scholarships or tuition grants, the student scholarship organization shall designate the obligated revenues for specific student recipients. Once the student scholarship organization designates obligated revenues for specific student recipients, in the case of multiyear scholarships or tuition grants, the student scholarship organization may distribute the entire obligated and designated revenues to a qualified school or program to be held in accordance with Department of Revenue rules for distribution to the specified recipients during the years in which the recipients are projected in writing by the private school to be enrolled at the qualified school or program. In making a multiyear distribution to a qualified school or program, the student scholarship organization shall require that if the designated student becomes ineligible or for any other reason the qualified school or program elects not to continue disbursement of the multiyear scholarship or tuition grant to the designated student for all the projected years, then the qualified school or program shall immediately return the remaining funds to the student scholarship organization. Once the student scholarship organization designates obligated revenues for specific student recipients, in the case of multiyear scholarships or tuition grants for which the student scholarship organization distributes the obligated and designated revenues to a qualified school or program annually rather than the entire amount, if the designated student becomes ineligible or for any other reason the student scholarship organization elects not to continue disbursement for all years, then the student scholarship organization shall designate any remaining previously obligated revenues for a new specific student recipient on or before the end of the following calendar year. The maximum scholarship amount given by the student scholarship organization in any given year shall not exceed the average state and local expenditures per student in fall enrollment in public elementary and secondary education for this state. The Department of Education shall determine and publish such amount annually, no later than January 1;

    (1.1) In awarding scholarships or tuition grants, shall consider financial needs of students based on all sources, including the federal adjusted gross income from the federal income tax return most recently filed by the parents or guardians of such students, as adjusted for family size. If the parents or guardians of a student have not filed a federal income tax return in either of the two calendar years immediately preceding the year of application, the student scholarship organization shall consider the financial need of the student based on proof of employment income of the parents or guardians from the 30 consecutive days closest to when the applicant submitted the scholarship application and on any other sources of income, including, but not limited to, unemployment benefits, social security benefits, and child support benefits;

  2. Must maintain separate accounts for scholarship funds and operating funds. Until obligated revenues are designated for specific student recipients, the student scholarship organization shall hold the obligated revenues in a bank or investment account owned by the student scholarship organization and over which it has complete control;
  3. Must have an independent board of directors with at least three members;
  4. May transfer funds to another student scholarship organization;
  5. Must conduct an audit of its accounts by an independent certified public accountant within 120 days after the completion of the student scholarship organization's fiscal year verifying that it has complied with all requirements of this Code section, including, but not limited to, financial requirements. Each student scholarship organization shall provide a copy of such audit to the Department of Revenue in accordance with Code Section 20-2A-3. Notwithstanding Code Sections 20-2A-7, 48-2-15, 48-7-60, and 48-7-61, if the copy of the audit submitted fails to verify that the student scholarship organization obligated its annual revenue received from donations for scholarships or tuition grants as required under paragraph (1) of this Code section; that obligated revenues were designated for specific student recipients within the time frame required by paragraph (1) of this Code section; and that all obligated and designated revenue distributed to a qualified school or program for the funding of multiyear scholarships or tuition grants complied with all applicable Department of Revenue rules, then the Department of Revenue shall post on its website the details of such failure to verify. Until any such noncompliant student scholarship organization submits an amended audit, which, to the satisfaction of the Department of Revenue, contains the verifications required under this Code section, the Department of Revenue shall not preapprove any contributions to the noncompliant student scholarship organization;

    (5.1) In addition to the audit required by paragraph (5) of this Code section, in 2023, the state auditor shall issue an economic analysis report on the performance of this tax credit to the chairpersons of the House Committee on Ways and Means and the Senate Finance Committee. An economic analysis shall include, but not be limited to, a good faith estimate, on both a direct and indirect basis, as to the:

    1. Net change in state revenue;
    2. Net change in state expenditures, which shall include, but not be limited to, costs of administering the tax credit;
    3. Net change in economic activity; and
    4. Net change in public benefit; and
  6. Must annually submit notice to the Department of Education in accordance with department guidelines of its participation as a student scholarship organization under this chapter.

(Code 1981, §20-2A-2, enacted by Ga. L. 2008, p. 1108, § 1/HB 1133; Ga. L. 2011, p. 529, § 1/HB 325; Ga. L. 2013, p. 1061, § 33B/HB 283; Ga. L. 2018, p. 644, § 2/HB 217.)

The 2018 amendment, effective May 7, 2018, in paragraph (1), in the first sentence, substituted "92 percent" for "90 percent", "94 percent" for "93 percent", "95 percent" for "94 percent", and "96 percent" for "95 percent"; in paragraph (5), revised punctuation in the first sentence and deleted "and" at the end; and added paragraph (5.1). See Editor's note for applicability.

Editor's notes.

- Ga. L. 2011, p. 529, § 3/HB 325, not codified by the General Assembly, provides that the 2011 amendment shall be applicable to all taxable years beginning on or after January 1, 2011.

Ga. L. 2013, p. 1061, § 33E/HB 283, not codified by the General Assembly, provides, in part, that this Code section shall apply to all taxable years beginning on or after January 1, 2013.

Ga. L. 2018, p. 644, § 6/HB 217, not codified by the General Assembly, provides that this Code section "shall be applicable to tax years beginning on or after January 1, 2019."

JUDICIAL DECISIONS

Rules for distribution.

- O.C.G.A. § 20-2A-2 sets forth the rules by which each student scholarship organization (SSO) is to distribute the donations received for scholarships or tuition grants. Generally speaking, the SSO is required to distribute the donated funds as scholarships or tuition grants for the benefit of students who meet certain eligibility requirements under paragraph (1) of § 20-2A-2, and the parent or guardian of each recipient must endorse the award to the accredited private school of the parents' choice for deposit into the school's account under O.C.G.A. § 20-2A-5. Gaddy v. Ga. Dep't of Revenue, 301 Ga. 552, 802 S.E.2d 225 (2017).


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