H*3087(Rat #0040, Act #0029 of 2013)  General Bill, By Merrill and Daning
 AN ACT TO AMEND SECTION 59-40-50, AS AMENDED, CODE OF LAWS OF SOUTH CAROLINA,
 1976, RELATING TO VARIOUS REQUIREMENTS, POWERS, AND DUTIES OF CHARTER SCHOOLS,
 SO AS TO PROVIDE A PUBLIC CHARTER SCHOOL SHALL ALLOW ENROLLMENT PREFERENCE TO
 RETURNING STUDENTS AND THAT THESE RETURNING STUDENTS MAY NOT ENTER A LOTTERY
 FOR CHARTER SCHOOL ENROLLMENT, AND TO PROVIDE THAT A CHARTER SCHOOL LOCATED ON
 A FEDERAL MILITARY INSTALLATION OR BASE WHERE THE APPROPRIATE AUTHORITIES HAVE
 MADE BUILDINGS, FACILITIES, AND GROUNDS ON THE INSTALLATION OR BASE AVAILABLE
 FOR USE BY THE CHARTER SCHOOL AS ITS PRINCIPAL LOCATION ALSO MAY GIVE
 ENROLLMENT PRIORITY TO OTHERWISE ELIGIBLE STUDENTS WHO ARE DEPENDENTS OF
 MILITARY PERSONNEL LIVING IN MILITARY HOUSING ON THE BASE OR INSTALLATION OR
 WHO ARE CURRENTLY STATIONED AT THE BASE OR INSTALLATION NOT TO EXCEED FIFTY
 PERCENT OF THE TOTAL ENROLLMENT OF THE CHARTER SCHOOL. - ratified title

   12/11/12  House  Prefiled
   12/11/12  House  Referred to Committee on Education and Public Works
   01/08/13  House  Introduced and read first time (House Journal-page 79)
   01/08/13  House  Referred to Committee on Education and Public
                     Works (House Journal-page 79)
   01/31/13  House  Committee report: Favorable with amendment
                     Education and Public Works (House Journal-page 5)
   02/06/13  House  Amended (House Journal-page 16)
   02/06/13  House  Read second time (House Journal-page 16)
   02/06/13  House  Roll call Yeas-95  Nays-0 (House Journal-page 18)
   02/07/13  House  Read third time and sent to Senate
                     (House Journal-page 27)
   02/07/13  House  Roll call Yeas-106  Nays-0 (House Journal-page 27)
   02/07/13  Senate Introduced and read first time (Senate Journal-page 3)
   02/07/13  Senate Referred to Committee on Education
   05/09/13  Senate Committee report: Favorable Education
                     (Senate Journal-page 4)
   05/14/13  Senate Read second time (Senate Journal-page 10)
   05/14/13  Senate Roll call Ayes-33  Nays-0 (Senate Journal-page 10)
   05/15/13  Senate Read third time and enrolled (Senate Journal-page 10)
   05/15/13         Ratified R 40
   05/21/13         Signed By Governor
   05/23/13         Effective date 05/21/13
   05/28/13         Act No. 29

H. 3087

(A29, R40, H3087)

AN ACT TO AMEND SECTION 59-40-50, AS AMENDED, CODE OF LAWS OF SOUTH CAROLINA, 1976, RELATING TO VARIOUS REQUIREMENTS, POWERS, AND DUTIES OF CHARTER SCHOOLS, SO AS TO PROVIDE A PUBLIC CHARTER SCHOOL SHALL ALLOW ENROLLMENT PREFERENCE TO RETURNING STUDENTS AND THAT THESE RETURNING STUDENTS MAY NOT ENTER A LOTTERY FOR CHARTER SCHOOL ENROLLMENT, AND TO PROVIDE THAT A CHARTER SCHOOL LOCATED ON A FEDERAL MILITARY INSTALLATION OR BASE WHERE THE APPROPRIATE AUTHORITIES HAVE MADE BUILDINGS, FACILITIES, AND GROUNDS ON THE INSTALLATION OR BASE AVAILABLE FOR USE BY THE CHARTER SCHOOL AS ITS PRINCIPAL LOCATION ALSO MAY GIVE ENROLLMENT PRIORITY TO OTHERWISE ELIGIBLE STUDENTS WHO ARE DEPENDENTS OF MILITARY PERSONNEL LIVING IN MILITARY HOUSING ON THE BASE OR INSTALLATION OR WHO ARE CURRENTLY STATIONED AT THE BASE OR INSTALLATION NOT TO EXCEED FIFTY PERCENT OF THE TOTAL ENROLLMENT OF THE CHARTER SCHOOL.

Be it enacted by the General Assembly of the State of South Carolina:

Charter school powers and duties

SECTION    1.    Section 59-40-50(B)(8) of the 1976 Code, as last amended by Act 164 of 2012, is further amended to read:

"(8)    not limit or deny admission or show preference in admission decisions to any individual or group of individuals, except in the case of an application to create a single gender charter school, in which case gender may be the only reason to show preference or deny admission to the school; a charter school may give enrollment priority to a sibling of a pupil currently enrolled and attending, or who, within the last six years, attended the school for at least one complete academic year. A public charter school shall give enrollment preference to students enrolled in the public charter school the previous school year. An enrollment preference for returning students excludes those students from entering into a lottery. A charter school also may give priority to children of a charter school employee and children of the charter committee, if priority enrollment for children of employees and of the charter committee does not constitute more than twenty percent of the enrollment of the charter school. In addition, a charter school located on a federal military installation or base where the appropriate authorities have made buildings, facilities, and grounds on the installation or base available for use by the charter school as its principal location also may give enrollment priority to otherwise eligible students who are dependents of military personnel living in military housing on the base or installation or who are currently stationed at the base or installation not to exceed fifty percent of the total enrollment of the charter school. This priority is in addition to the other priorities provided by this item, but no child may be counted more than once for purposes of determining the percentage makeup of each priority;"

Time effective

SECTION    2.    This act takes effect upon approval by the Governor.

Ratified the 15th day of May, 2013.

Approved the 21st day of May, 2013.