Section 2NNNNN. There shall be a Student Loan Assistance Trust Fund administered by the office of the attorney general.

Terms Used In Massachusetts General Laws ch. 29 sec. 2NNNNN

  • Appropriation: The provision of funds, through an annual appropriations act or a permanent law, for federal agencies to make payments out of the Treasury for specified purposes. The formal federal spending process consists of two sequential steps: authorization
  • Fiscal year: The fiscal year is the accounting period for the government. For the federal government, this begins on October 1 and ends on September 30. The fiscal year is designated by the calendar year in which it ends; for example, fiscal year 2006 begins on October 1, 2005 and ends on September 30, 2006.
  • Litigation: A case, controversy, or lawsuit. Participants (plaintiffs and defendants) in lawsuits are called litigants.
  • Settlement: Parties to a lawsuit resolve their difference without having a trial. Settlements often involve the payment of compensation by one party in satisfaction of the other party's claims.

Expenditures may be made from the fund to: (i) fund the work of the student loan ombudsman established under section 35 of chapter 12; (ii) provide direct counseling and assistance to student loan borrowers; (iii) receive, review and assist in the resolution of complaints from student loan borrowers; and (iv) pursue legal action on behalf of student loan borrowers including, but not limited to, the investigation of complaints, the costs of personnel and litigation, the engagement of experts and the enforcement of settlements.

Amounts credited to the fund shall not be subject to further appropriation and money remaining in the fund at the end of a fiscal year shall not revert to the General Fund. The fund shall retain all interest earned on sums deposited in the fund.

The fund may receive revenue from: (i) appropriations or other money authorized by the general court designated to the fund; and (ii) funds from public or private sources specifically designated for the purposes of this section, including, but not limited to, gifts, grants, donations, rebates and settlements received by the commonwealth.

The office of the attorney general shall provide an annual report to the house and senate committees on ways and means on the fund’s activity. The report shall include, but not be limited to: (i) the total amount of money in the fund, designated by source; (ii) the amount of money received by the fund, designated by source; (iii) if settlement funds were received, the percentage of the total settlement amount deposited into the fund; (iv) an accounting of all expenditures from the fund; (v) a description of the activities and staff supported by the fund; and (vi) revenue and expenditure projections for the current fiscal year and for the next fiscal year.

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