(a) For purposes of this section, “marketing” means any activity attended and facilitated by an agent or employee of a credit card issuer when such activity is designed to offer a credit card to students enrolled at a public institution of higher education in this state, but does not include (1) activities that are open to the general public or accessible by populations that include the general public, such as advertisements in posters, newspapers, magazines, television, radio or Internet or other similar activities; or (2) activities or merchandising conducted within the physical boundaries of a financial services business located on or within a campus of a public institution of higher education.

(b) On or before January 1, 2010, the Board of Regents for Higher Education shall adopt policies regulating the marketing practices of credit card issuers on the campuses of public institutions of higher education. Such policies shall (1) require credit card issuers to register with the public institution of higher education before conducting any marketing activities on the campus of the institution; (2) require such registered issuers, at least once each year in which the issuers are engaged in marketing credit cards on the campus of the institution, to appear in person at a location that is open to all students of the institution for the purpose of providing educational information and answering questions, and require the institution to advertise such appearance; (3) prohibit credit card issuers from marketing to undergraduate students during the orientation and class registration periods; (4) require credit card issuers that engage in marketing practices at public institutions of higher education to distribute credit card management education materials along with any marketing materials; (5) prohibit public institutions of higher education from disclosing identifying information of undergraduate students at such institutions to credit card issuers unless such institutions have provided such students with notice of and the opportunity to opt out of such disclosure in accordance with the regulations adopted by the United States Department of Education pursuant to the Family Educational Records and Privacy Act, 20 USC 1232g, as amended from time to time; (6) prohibit employees of such public institutions of higher education from marketing credit cards to students; (7) restrict the time and place in which credit card marketing may occur; and (8) prohibit the use of gifts and incentives in such marketing at intercollegiate athletic events.

(P.A. 09-167, S. 1; P.A. 11-48, S. 285.)

History: P.A. 09-167 effective July 1, 2009; pursuant to P.A. 11-48, “Board of Governors of Higher Education” was changed editorially by the Revisors to “Board of Regents for Higher Education” in Subsec. (b), effective July 1, 2011.