article: SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE. This Act may be cited as the ``Communities Committed to College Tax Credit Act of 2008''. SEC. 2. CREDIT FOR CONTRIBUTIONS TO A TRUST USED TO PROVIDE NEED-BASED COLLEGE SCHOLARSHIPS. (a) In General.--Subpart B of part IV of subchapter A of chapter 1 of the Internal Revenue Code of 1986 (relating to other credits) is amended by adding at the end the following new section: ``SEC. 30D. CONTRIBUTIONS TO TRUST USED TO PROVIDE NEED-BASED COLLEGE SCHOLARSHIPS. ``(a) Allowance of Credit.--In addition to any deduction allowable under this title, there shall be allowed as a credit against the tax imposed by this chapter for the taxable year an amount equal to 50 percent of designated qualified college scholarship funding contributions made by the taxpayer during the taxable year. ``(b) Designated Qualified College Scholarship Funding Contribution.--For purposes of this section-- ``(1) In general.--The term `designated qualified college scholarship funding contribution' means any charitable contribution (as defined in section 170(c))-- ``(A) which is paid in cash by the taxpayer to a qualified scholarship funding trust, and ``(B) which is designated by the trust for purposes of this section. ``(2) Qualified scholarship funding trust.--The term `qualified scholarship funding trust' means a trust-- ``(A) which is established and maintained in the United States by an organization-- ``(i) described in section 501(c)(3) and exempt from tax under section 501(a), and ``(ii) organized primarily for educational purposes, ``(B) which is part of a plan of one or more local education agencies (as defined in section 9101 of the Elementary and Secondary Education Act of 1965) of the State in which such trust is established and maintained to provide scholarships to children of such agencies, and ``(C) the written governing instrument of which-- ``(i) requires that the income of the trust be used exclusively to provide qualified scholarships (as defined in section 117(b)) to individuals who-- ``(I) are candidates for a degree at an institution of higher education (within the meaning given such term by section 101 of the Higher Education Act of 1965 (20 U.S.C. 1001)), and ``(II) have demonstrated financial need in accordance with section 471 of such Act (20 U.S.C. 1087kk), and ``(ii) requires that the assets of the trust not be distributed for any purpose. ``(c) Limitations.-- ``(1) In general.--There is a national qualified college scholarship funding contribution limitation of $1,000,000,000. ``(2) Allocation of limitation.-- ``(A) In general.--Such national limitation shall be allocated by the Secretary among the qualified scholarship funding trusts which have registered with the Secretary on or before the 180th day after the date of the enactment of this section. Each trust's share of such national limitation shall be the amount which bears the same ratio to such limitation as the number of school age children of such trust's sponsoring agencies bears to the aggregate number of school age children of the sponsoring agencies of all trusts which have so registered with the Secretary. ``(B) School age children of sponsoring agencies.-- For purposes of subparagraph (A), the number of school age children of a trust's sponsoring agencies is the number of children of the local education agencies referred to in subsection (b)(2)(B) who have attained age 5 but not age 18 for the most recent fiscal year ending before the date the allocations under this paragraph are made. ``(3) Designation subject to allocated limitation amount.-- The amount of contributions made to a qualified scholarship funding trust which may be designated by such trust for purposes of this section shall not exceed the limitation amount allocated to such trust under paragraph (2). ``(4) Maximum allocation per trust.--The maximum qualified college scholarship funding contribution limitation which may be allocated to each trust is $200,000,000. An amount which may not be allocated to a trust by reason of the preceding sentence shall be allocated as provided in paragraph (2) among registered qualified scholarship funding trusts whose allocated limitation (without regard to this sentence) does not exceed $200,000,000. ``(d) Application With Other Credits.--The credit allowed under subsection (a) for any taxable year shall not exceed the excess (if any) of-- ``(1) the regular tax liability (as defined in section 26(b)) reduced by the sum of the credits allowable under subpart A and sections 27, 30, 30B, and 30C, over ``(2) the tentative minimum tax for the taxable year. ``(e) Application of Section.--This section shall apply only to contributions made during the 3-year period beginning on the 180th day after the date of the enactment of this section.''. (b) Clerical Amendment.--The table of sections for subpart B of part IV of subchapter A of chapter 1 of such Code is amended by adding at the end the following new item: ``Sec. 30D. Contributions to trust used to provide need-based college scholarships.''. (c) Effective Date.--The amendments made by this section shall apply to contributions made on or after the 180th day after the date of the enactment of this Act in taxable years ending after such date.
summary: Communities Committed to College Tax Credit Act of 2008 - Amends the Internal Revenue Code to allow a tax credit for 50% of any contribution to a tax-exempt scholarship funding trust established to provide scholarships for individuals with demonstrated financial need to attend institutions of higher education.