85-2803.

Meadowlark Endowment Fund; established; investment; restrictions; State Treasurer; powers and duties.

(1) There is hereby established in the state treasury a trust fund to be known as the Meadowlark Endowment Fund. The fund shall be administered by the State Treasurer and shall consist of qualified private contributions and any amounts appropriated or transferred to the fund by the Legislature. No General Funds shall be transferred to the Meadowlark Endowment Fund. Any money in the fund available for investment shall be invested by the state investment officer pursuant to the Nebraska Capital Expansion Act and the Nebraska State Funds Investment Act. No portion of the principal of the fund shall be expended for any purpose except investment pursuant to this subsection.

(2) The State Treasurer may accept contributions and shall credit all such contributions received either to the Meadowlark Endowment Fund or to accounts opened under the Meadowlark Program, at the direction of the donor. Such contributions shall not be used to pay expenses associated with attending kindergarten through grade twelve.

(3) On or before April 1 of each year, the State Treasurer shall determine the total amount of contributions received under subsection (2) of this section in the previous calendar year and shall transfer an equal amount from the College Savings Plan Expense Fund or the Unclaimed Property Trust Fund, as determined by the State Treasurer, to the Meadowlark Endowment Fund or to accounts opened under the Meadowlark Program. For any amount transferred from the College Savings Plan Expense Fund or the Unclaimed Property Trust Fund that is not being transferred to the Meadowlark Endowment Fund, the State Treasurer shall evenly distribute such amount to the accounts opened under the Meadowlark Program in the previous calendar year.