The board shall:

Terms Used In Virginia Code 23.1-704

  • Acquittal:
    1. Judgement that a criminal defendant has not been proved guilty beyond a reasonable doubt.
    2. A verdict of "not guilty."
     
  • Assets: (1) The property comprising the estate of a deceased person, or (2) the property in a trust account.
  • Beneficiary: A person who is entitled to receive the benefits or proceeds of a will, trust, insurance policy, retirement plan, annuity, or other contract. Source: OCC
  • beneficiary: means (i) a resident of the Commonwealth, as determined by the board, who is the beneficiary of a prepaid tuition contract and who may apply advance tuition payments to tuition as set forth in this chapter; (ii) a beneficiary of a prepaid tuition contract purchased by a resident of the Commonwealth, as determined by the board, who may apply advance tuition payments to tuition as set forth in this chapter; or (iii) a beneficiary of a savings trust account established pursuant to this chapter. See Virginia Code 23.1-700
  • Board: means the governing board of the Plan. See Virginia Code 23.1-700
  • College savings trust account: means an account established pursuant to this chapter to assist individuals and families to enhance the accessibility and affordability of higher education, with such account used to apply distributions from the account toward qualified higher education expenses, as that term is defined in § 529 of the Internal Revenue Code of 1986, as amended, or other applicable federal law. See Virginia Code 23.1-700
  • Contract: A legal written agreement that becomes binding when signed.
  • Dismissal: The dropping of a case by the judge without further consideration or hearing. Source:
  • Grand jury: agreement providing that a lender will delay exercising its rights (in the case of a mortgage,
  • Plan: means the Virginia College Savings Plan. See Virginia Code 23.1-700
  • Prepaid tuition contract: means the contract or account entered into by the board and a purchaser pursuant to this chapter for the advance payment of tuition at a fixed, guaranteed level for a qualified beneficiary to attend any public institution of higher education to which the qualified beneficiary is admitted. See Virginia Code 23.1-700
  • Public institution of higher education: includes the System as a whole and each associate-degree-granting and baccalaureate public institution of higher education in the Commonwealth. See Virginia Code 23.1-100
  • Savings trust account: means an ABLE savings trust account or a college savings trust account. See Virginia Code 23.1-700
  • State: when applied to a part of the United States, includes any of the 50 states, the District of Columbia, the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico, Guam, the Northern Mariana Islands, and the United States Virgin Islands. See Virginia Code 1-245
  • Trust account: A general term that covers all types of accounts in a trust department, such as estates, guardianships, and agencies. Source: OCC
  • Tuition: means the quarter, semester, or term charges imposed for undergraduate tuition by any public institution of higher education and all mandatory fees required as a condition of enrollment of all students. See Virginia Code 23.1-700

1. Administer the Plan established by this chapter;

2. Develop and implement programs for (i) the prepayment of undergraduate tuition, as defined in § 23.1-700, at a fixed, guaranteed level for application at a public institution of higher education; (ii) contributions to college savings trust accounts established pursuant to this chapter on behalf of a qualified beneficiary in order to apply distributions from the account toward qualified higher education expenses, as that term is defined in § 529 of the Internal Revenue Code of 1986, as amended, or other applicable federal law; and (iii) contributions to ABLE savings trust accounts established pursuant to this chapter on behalf of a qualified beneficiary in order to apply distributions from the account toward qualified disability expenses for an eligible individual, as both such terms are defined in § 529A of the Internal Revenue Code of 1986, as amended, or other applicable federal law;

3. Invest moneys in the Plan in any instruments, obligations, securities, or property deemed appropriate by the board;

4. Develop requirements, procedures, and guidelines regarding prepaid tuition contracts and savings trust accounts, including residency and other eligibility requirements; the number of participants in the Plan; the termination, withdrawal, or transfer of payments under a prepaid tuition contract or savings trust account; time limitations for the use of tuition benefits or savings trust account distributions; and payment schedules;

5. Enter into contractual agreements, including contracts for legal, actuarial, financial, and consulting services and contracts with other states to provide savings trust accounts for residents of contracting states;

6. Procure insurance as determined appropriate by the board (i) against any loss in connection with the Plan’s property, assets, or activities and (ii) indemnifying board members from personal loss or accountability from liability arising from any action or inaction as a board member;

7. Make arrangements with public institutions of higher education to fulfill obligations under prepaid tuition contracts and apply college savings trust account distributions, including (i) payment from the Plan of the appropriate amount of tuition on behalf of a qualified beneficiary of a prepaid tuition contract to the institution to which the beneficiary is admitted and at which the beneficiary is enrolled and (ii) application of such benefits toward graduate-level tuition and toward qualified higher education expenses, as that term is defined in 26 U.S.C. § 529 or any other applicable section of the Internal Revenue Code of 1986, as amended, as determined by the board in its sole discretion;

8. Develop and implement scholarship or matching grant programs, or both, as the board may deem appropriate, to further its goal of making higher education more affordable and accessible to all citizens of the Commonwealth;

9. Apply for, accept, and expend gifts, grants, or donations from public or private sources to enable it to carry out its objectives;

10. Adopt regulations and procedures and perform any act or function consistent with the purposes of this chapter; and

11. Reimburse, at its option, all or part of the cost of employing legal counsel and such other costs as are demonstrated to have been reasonably necessary for the defense of any board member, officer, or employee of the Plan upon the acquittal, dismissal of charges, nolle prosequi, or any other final disposition concluding the innocence of such member, officer, or employee who is brought before any regulatory body, summoned before any grand jury, investigated by any law-enforcement agency, arrested, indicted, or otherwise prosecuted on any criminal charge arising out of any act committed in the discharge of his official duties that alleges a violation of state or federal securities laws. The board shall provide for the payment of such legal fees and expenses out of funds appropriated or otherwise available to the board.

1994, c. 661, § 23-38.77; 1997, cc. 785, 861; 1998, cc. 61, 85; 1999, cc. 485, 518; 2000, cc. 382, 400; 2009, cc. 827, 845; 2015, cc. 227, 311; 2016, c. 588; 2019, cc. 803, 804.