NRS396.926. Creation of Program; Millennium Scholarship Trust Fund; deposit and investment of money in Fund; administration by Treasurer; use of money in Fund.

      1.  The Governor Guinn Millennium Scholarship Program is hereby created for the distribution of the Governor Guinn Millennium Scholarships in accordance with NRS 396.911 to 396.945, inclusive. The Millennium Scholarship Trust Fund is hereby created in the State Treasury. The State Treasurer may accept gifts, grants, bequests and donations for deposit in the Trust Fund.

      2.  The State Treasurer shall deposit in the Trust Fund:

      (a) Forty percent of all money received by the State of Nevada pursuant to any settlement entered into by the State of Nevada and a manufacturer of tobacco products;

      (b) Forty percent of all money recovered by the State of Nevada from a judgment in a civil action against a manufacturer of tobacco products; and

      (c) Any gifts, grants, bequests or donations specifically designated for the Trust Fund by the donor.

      3.  The State Treasurer shall administer the Trust Fund. As administrator of the Trust Fund, the State Treasurer, except as otherwise provided in this section:

      (a) Shall maintain the financial records of the Trust Fund;

      (b) Shall invest the money in the Trust Fund as the money in other state funds is invested;

      (c) Shall manage any account associated with the Trust Fund;

      (d) Shall maintain any instruments that evidence investments made with the money in the Trust Fund;

      (e) May contract with vendors for any good or service that is necessary to carry out the provisions of this section; and

      (f) May perform any other duties necessary to administer the Trust Fund.

      4.  In addition to the investments authorized pursuant to paragraph (b) of subsection 3, the State Treasurer may, except as otherwise provided in subsection 5, invest the money in the Trust Fund in:

      (a) Common or preferred stock of a corporation created by or existing under the laws of the United States or of a state, district or territory of the United States, if:

             (1) The stock of the corporation is:

                   (I) Listed on a national stock exchange; or

                   (II) Traded in the over-the-counter market, if the price quotations for the over-the-counter stock are quoted by the National Association of Securities Dealers Automated Quotations System (NASDAQ);

             (2) The outstanding shares of the corporation have a total market value of not less than $50,000,000;

             (3) The maximum investment in stock is not greater than 25 percent of the book value of the total investments of the Trust Fund;

             (4) Except for investments made pursuant to paragraph (c), the amount of an investment in a single corporation is not greater than 3 percent of the book value of the assets of the Trust Fund; and

             (5) Except for investments made pursuant to paragraph (c), the total amount of shares owned by the Trust Fund is not greater than 5 percent of the outstanding stock of a single corporation.

      (b) A pooled or commingled real estate fund or a real estate security that is managed by a corporate trustee or by an investment advisory firm that is registered with the Securities and Exchange Commission, either of which may be retained by the State Treasurer as an investment manager. The shares and the pooled or commingled fund must be held in trust. The total book value of an investment made under this paragraph must not at any time be greater than 5 percent of the total book value of all investments of the Trust Fund.

      (c) Mutual funds or common trust funds that consist of any combination of the investments authorized pursuant to paragraph (b) of subsection 3 and paragraphs (a) and (b) of this subsection.

      5.  The State Treasurer shall not invest any money in the Trust Fund pursuant to subsection 4 unless the State Treasurer obtains a judicial determination that the proposed investment or category of investments will not violate the provisions of Section 9 of Article 8 of the Constitution of the State of Nevada. The State Treasurer shall contract for the services of independent contractors to manage any investments of the State Treasurer made pursuant to subsection 4. The State Treasurer shall establish such criteria for the qualifications of such an independent contractor as are appropriate to ensure that each independent contractor has expertise in the management of such investments.

      6.  All interest and income earned on the money in the Trust Fund must, after deducting any applicable charges, be credited to the Trust Fund. All claims against the Trust Fund must be paid as other claims against the State are paid.

      7.  Not more than 3 percent of the anticipated annual revenue to the State of Nevada from the settlement agreements with and civil actions against manufacturers of tobacco products anticipated for deposit in the Trust Fund may be used to pay the costs of administering the Trust Fund.

      8.  The money in the Trust Fund remains in the Fund and does not revert to the State General Fund at the end of any fiscal year.

      9.  Money in the Trust Fund may be used for the purposes set forth in NRS 396.914 to 396.945, inclusive, or for any other purpose authorized by the Legislature.

      (Added to NRS by 1999, 2751; A 2001, 2299; 2005, 22nd Special Session, 147; 2010, 26th Special Session, 12)