§34-8-28. Distribution of funds; annual report.

(a) An amount of one hundred dollars ($100) from the fees required for application and renewal for certification and registration of general contractors in Section 34-8-2, and an amount of fifty dollars ($50) from the fees required for application and renewal of the license of a subcontractor pursuant to Section 34-8-7, shall be distributed by the State Licensing Board for General Contractors to all accredited public institutions of higher education offering American Council for Construction Education accredited courses in building science, and to all accredited public institutions of higher education offering courses in building science which are in the candidate status of the American Council for Construction Education and to institutions of higher education offering courses leading to a bachelor of civil engineering degree which offers courses in highway engineering and construction at the undergraduate and graduate levels and whose civil engineering program is accredited by the Engineering Accreditation Commission of the Accreditation Board for Engineering and Technology (ABET). Funds identified by the general contractors and subcontractors for building science shall be distributed pro rata among institutions based upon the number of full-time equivalent students enrolled in the department of building science at the institution. Funds identified by the general contractors and subcontractors for civil engineering shall be distributed pro rata among institutions based upon the number of full-time equivalent civil and pre-civil engineering students enrolled at the institution. These funds shall be distributed 30 days after certifications of enrollment packages have been received from all eligible public institutions of higher education.

(b) Revenue derived from the additional fees for all licenses shall be distributed for (1) building science (general construction) purposes and (2) civil engineering (highway engineering or construction, or both) purposes. Contractors shall be given an opportunity to select which program they want to support.

(c) Revenues derived from the additional fees for all licenses that are not specifically designated by contractors for one of the purposes above, shall be distributed between the programs defined in subsection (a) in a pro rata manner based on the number of full-time equivalent students enrolled in each program at each institution.

(d) Each institution receiving funds pursuant to this article for building science purposes shall utilize the funds for research projects relating to the construction industry, for faculty development, for program enhancement, and for continuing education programs related to construction. The funds shall be administered by a committee appointed by the dean responsible for the building science program, and shall include the head of the department of building science, or comparable position, faculty representatives, and representatives of the building science industry advisory committee of the institution.

(e) Each institution receiving funds pursuant to this article for civil engineering purposes shall utilize the funds to enhance activities in the highway engineering or construction area, or both. This includes, but is not limited to, scholarships, fellowships, research, faculty development, and continuing education. Funds received pursuant to this article shall be administered by a committee appointed by the dean of engineering. The committee should undertake, as part of its mission, to work with the public and private sectors of the highway industry to encourage student participation in co-op and summer industry employment programs as well as to lead students toward career employment in the highway industry upon graduation.

(f) Each institution receiving funds pursuant to this article shall provide to the board an annual report on or before January 31 for the preceding fiscal year during which the institution received the funds. This report shall disclose the total amount of funds received by the institution pursuant to this article and shall provide an accurate accounting for the utilization of the funds. The report shall disclose sufficient detail to demonstrate compliance with the utilization specifications prescribed in subsections (d) and (e). Responsibility for the reports shall be retained by the administrative committees formed pursuant to subsections (d) and (e) and the dean appointing the committee.

(g) The board shall retain an amount of five percent of the amount to be distributed pursuant to subsection (a) as a fee for administrative expenses associated with the collection and distribution of the funds.

(h) The provisions of this amendatory section are remedial and curative and shall be retroactive to January 1, 1998.

(Acts 1991, No. 91-473, p. 857, §§1-4; Acts 1993, No. 93-614, p. 1006, §1(11); Acts 1996, No. 96-640, p. 1013, §1; Act 2003-142, p. 441, §3; Act 2011-165, p. 308, §3.)