§ 127A-195. Administration and funding.
§ 127A‑195. Administration and funding.
(a) The Secretary ofCrime Control and Public Safety is charged with the administration of thetuition assistance program under this Article. He may delegate administrativetasks to other persons within the Department of Crime Control and Public Safetyas he deems best for the orderly administration of this program.
(b) The Secretary shalldetermine the eligibility of applicants, select the benefit recipients,establish the effective date of the benefit, and may suspend or revoke thebenefit if he finds that the recipient does not maintain an adequate academicstatus, or if the recipient engages in riots, unlawful demonstrations, theseizure of educational buildings, or otherwise engages in disorderly conduct,breaches of the peace, or unlawful assemblies. The Secretary shall maintainsuch records and shall promulgate such rules and regulations as he deemsnecessary for the orderly administration of this program. The Secretary mayrequire of business or trade schools or State or private educationalinstitutions such reports and other information as he may need to carry out theprovisions of this Article and he shall disburse benefit payments forrecipients upon certification of enrollment by the enrolling institutions.
(c) All tuition benefitdisbursements shall be made to the business or trade school or State or privateeducational institution concerned, for credit to the tuition account of eachrecipient. Funds disbursed pursuant to subsection (g) of this section shall bemade to the student loan creditor concerned to be applied against theoutstanding student loans of each National Guard member beneficiary.
(d) The participationby any business or trade school or private educational institution in thisprogram shall be subject to the applicable provisions of this Article and toexamination by the State Auditor of the accounts of the benefit recipientsattending or having attended such private schools or institutions. TheSecretary may defer making an award or may suspend an award in any business ortrade school or private educational institution which does not comply with theprovisions of this Article relating to said institutions. The manner of paymentto any business or trade school or private educational institution shall be asprescribed by the Secretary.
(e) Irrespective ofother provisions of this Article, the Secretary may prescribe specialprocedures for adjusting the accounts of benefit recipients who, for reasons ofillness, physical inability to attend classes or for other valid reasonsatisfactory to the Secretary, may withdraw from any business or trade schoolor State or private educational institution prior to the completion of theterm, semester, quarter or other academic period being attended at the time ofwithdrawal.
(f) Any balance of themonetary educational assistance grant up to the maximum for the academic yearremaining after tuition is paid pursuant to subsection (c) of this section maybe disbursed to the recipient as reimbursement for required course books andmaterials. The manner of obtaining the reimbursement payment for these requiredbooks and materials shall be as prescribed by the Secretary.
(g) Any funds notneeded to accomplish the other purposes of this Article may be used to helpmembers of the North Carolina National Guard repay outstanding student loans inaccordance with rules to be adopted by the Secretary. These rules shall providethat the length of a member's deployment may be considered in determiningwhether or not, and in what amount, a member receives assistance pursuant tothis subsection. There shall be no reimbursement under this subsection forpayments already made on student loans, and funds shall not be provided underthis subsection for the purpose of paying student loans obtained for coursesfrom which the member withdrew or for which the member did not receive apassing grade. Payments for outstanding loans shall not exceed the maximumbenefit available under G.S. 127A‑193. (1975, c. 917, s. 7; 1977, c. 70, s. 2; 2005‑444,ss. 2, 3; 2008‑94, s. 1.)