S*0391(Rat #0023, Act #0011 of 2015)  General Bill, By Young, Massey, Turner, 
Thurmond, Johnson, McElveen, Shealy, Hembree, Cromer, Setzler, Alexander, Davis and 
Scott

Similar(H 3037)
 AN ACT TO AMEND SECTION 59-112-50, AS AMENDED, CODE OF LAWS OF SOUTH CAROLINA,
 1976, RELATING TO IN-STATE TUITION RATES FOR MILITARY PERSONNEL AND THEIR
 DEPENDENTS UNDER CERTAIN CONDITIONS, SO AS TO PROVIDE THAT ACTIVE DUTY
 MILITARY PERSONNEL MAY BE CHARGED LESS THAN THE UNDERGRADUATE TUITION RATE FOR
 SOUTH CAROLINA RESIDENTS FOR COURSES THAT ARE PRESENTED ON A DISTANCE BASIS,
 REGARDLESS OF RESIDENCY, AND TO PROVIDE FOR THE MANNER IN WHICH AND CONDITIONS
 UNDER WHICH CERTAIN VETERANS RECEIVING SPECIFIED FEDERAL EDUCATIONAL BENEFITS
 AND ENROLLED IN A STATE INSTITUTION AND PERSONS RELATED TO THE VETERAN
 RECEIVING SPECIFIED FEDERAL EDUCATIONAL BENEFITS AND ENROLLED IN A STATE
 INSTITUTION ARE ENTITLED TO RECEIVE IN-STATE TUITION RATES WITHOUT REGARD TO
 THE LENGTH OF TIME THE INDIVIDUAL HAS RESIDED IN THE STATE. - ratified title

   01/29/15  Senate Introduced and read first time (Senate Journal-page 3)
   01/29/15  Senate Referred to Committee on Education
                     (Senate Journal-page 3)
   03/12/15  Senate Committee report: Favorable with amendment
                     Education (Senate Journal-page 5)
   03/13/15         Scrivener's error corrected
   03/18/15  Senate Committee Amendment Adopted (Senate Journal-page 22)
   03/18/15  Senate Read second time (Senate Journal-page 22)
   03/18/15  Senate Roll call Ayes-44  Nays-0 (Senate Journal-page 22)
   03/19/15  Senate Read third time and sent to House
                     (Senate Journal-page 8)
   03/19/15         Scrivener's error corrected
   03/24/15  House  Introduced and read first time (House Journal-page 16)
   03/24/15  House  Referred to Committee on Education and Public
                     Works (House Journal-page 16)
   04/23/15  House  Committee report: Favorable Education and Public
                     Works (House Journal-page 10)
   04/28/15  House  Read second time (House Journal-page 100)
   04/28/15  House  Roll call Yeas-102  Nays-0 (House Journal-page 101)
   04/29/15  House  Read third time and enrolled (House Journal-page 31)
   04/29/15  House  Roll call Yeas-98  Nays-0 (House Journal-page 31)
   05/07/15         Ratified R 23
   05/07/15         Signed By Governor
   05/13/15         Effective date 07/01/15
   05/14/15         Act No. 11

(A11, R23, S391)

AN ACT TO AMEND SECTION 59-112-50, AS AMENDED, CODE OF LAWS OF SOUTH CAROLINA, 1976, RELATING TO IN-STATE TUITION RATES FOR MILITARY PERSONNEL AND THEIR DEPENDENTS UNDER CERTAIN CONDITIONS, SO AS TO PROVIDE THAT ACTIVE DUTY MILITARY PERSONNEL MAY BE CHARGED LESS THAN THE UNDERGRADUATE TUITION RATE FOR SOUTH CAROLINA RESIDENTS FOR COURSES THAT ARE PRESENTED ON A DISTANCE BASIS, REGARDLESS OF RESIDENCY, AND TO PROVIDE FOR THE MANNER IN WHICH AND CONDITIONS UNDER WHICH CERTAIN VETERANS RECEIVING SPECIFIED FEDERAL EDUCATIONAL BENEFITS AND ENROLLED IN A STATE INSTITUTION AND PERSONS RELATED TO THE VETERAN RECEIVING SPECIFIED FEDERAL EDUCATIONAL BENEFITS AND ENROLLED IN A STATE INSTITUTION ARE ENTITLED TO RECEIVE IN-STATE TUITION RATES WITHOUT REGARD TO THE LENGTH OF TIME THE INDIVIDUAL HAS RESIDED IN THE STATE.

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

Tuition rates for active duty personnel and for certain veterans and their relations

SECTION    1.    Section 59-112-50(B) of the 1976 Code, as last amended by Act 133 of 2012, is further amended to read:

"(B)(1)        Active duty military personnel may be charged less than the undergraduate tuition rate for South Carolina residents for courses that are presented on a distance basis, regardless of residency.

(2)    For purposes of this section, 'active duty military personnel' includes, but is not limited to, active duty guardsmen and active duty reservists.

(C)(1)    Notwithstanding any other provision of law, a covered individual enrolled in a public institution of higher education and receiving educational assistance under Chapter 30 and Chapter 33, Title 38 of the United States Code are entitled to pay in-state tuition and fees without regard to the length of time the covered individual has resided in this State.

(2)    For purposes of this subsection, a covered individual is defined as:

(a)    a veteran who served ninety days or longer on active duty in the Uniformed Service of the United States, their respective Reserve forces, and the National Guard and who enrolls within three years of discharge; or

(b)    a person who is entitled to and receiving assistance under Section 3311(b)(9) or 3319, Title 38 of the United States Code by virtue of the person's relationship to the veteran described in subitem (a).

(3)    A covered individual must live in this State while enrolled at the in-state institution.

(4)    At the conclusion of the applicable three year period in subsection (C)(2)(a), a covered individual shall remain eligible for in-state rates as long as he remains continuously enrolled in an in-state institution or transfers to another in-state institution during the term or semester, excluding summer terms, immediately following his enrollment at the previous in-state institution. In the event of a transfer, the in-state institution receiving the covered individual shall verify the covered individual's eligibility for in-state rates with the covered individual's prior in-state institution. It is the responsibility of the transferring covered individual to ensure all documents required to verify both the previous and present residency decisions are provided to the in-state institution."

Time effective

SECTION    2.    This act takes effect on July 1, 2015.

Ratified the 7th day of May, 2015.

Approved the 7th day of May, 2015.