Senator HEMBREE proposed the following amendment (419R092.SP.GH):

Amend the bill, as and if amended, PART IV, Scholarships and Tuition Assistance, by adding an appropriately numbered new SECTION to read:

/SECTION __. A. Chapter 150, Title 59 of the 1976 Code is amended by adding:

"Section 59-150-365.(A)(1) A student who is attending a two-year public technical college, who is majoring in a critical workforce area program as defined and recommended by the State Board for Technical and Comprehensive Education (SBTCE) and ratified by the South Carolina Coordinating Council for Workforce Development, and who is receiving a Lottery Tuition Assistance Program Scholarship (LTAP) for the current school year shall receive an additional South Carolina Workforce Industry Needs Scholarship (SCWINS). A student who is attending a two-year public technical college, who meets the income eligibility guidelines for free and reduced-priced meals as established by the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA), and who is receiving an LTAP scholarship for the current year shall receive an SCWINS scholarship regardless of the student's major. Subject to the funds appropriated, the SCWINS scholarship is equal to the cost of tuition and mandatory fees after applying all other scholarships or grants, not to exceed two thousand five hundred dollars each year for no more than three years of instruction, including the student's freshman year, if the student is enrolled in an associate degree program, or no more than two years of instruction, including the student's freshman year, if enrolled in a diploma or certificate program.

(2) During a student's freshman year, the student must be enrolled in at least six credit hours of instruction each semester, including at least three credit hours of instruction in one of the critical workforce areas defined by the SBTCE. A student who meets the income guidelines for free and reduced-priced meals as established by the USDA must be enrolled in at least six credit hours of instruction each semester for the purpose of meeting the required minimum level of instruction in the student's major courses during the student's freshman year. To receive the additional SCWINS scholarship each school year, the student must receive the underlying LTAP scholarship for that school year and must be making acceptable progress each school year toward receiving a degree pursuant to this section. Dual enrollment courses taken in high school in these critical workforce area programs count toward the fulfillment of the minimum requirement.

(3)As a condition of participation in the scholarship program provided herein, a student must receive career counseling from the institution in which he will enroll , and that institution shall verify participation to the SBTCE prior to any award.

(B) The SBTCE shall promulgate regulations to define what constitutes a critical workforce program area. Nothing herein prevents a student from changing majors within the acceptable disciplines. Additionally, the SBTCE shall annually communicate with high school guidance counselors regarding the list of qualifying majors. The critical workforce program list must be reviewed at least every five years and adjusted based on workforce trends and industry needs. Critical workforce program additions or deletions must be ratified by the South Carolina Coordinating Council for Workforce Development.

(C) If the additional SCWINS scholarship is lost, then it may be regained in the same manner that the underlying LTAP scholarship is regained.

(D) In order for a student to be eligible after attempting twenty-four academic credit hours, the student must have earned a grade point average of 2.0 or better on a 4.0 grading scale.

(E) A student may not be eligible to receive the SCWINS scholarship for more than one certificate, diploma, or degree within any five-year period unless the additional certificate, diploma, or degree constitutes progress in the same field of study.

(F) A dual-enrollment student in high school who is majoring in one of the critical workforce areas and receives an LTAP scholarship at a technical college qualifies for the SCWINS scholarship. A dual enrollment student in high school who receives an LTAP scholarship at a technical college and qualifies for free and reduced-priced meals also qualifies for the SCWINS scholarship regardless of the student's major.

(G) Additionally, an up to three-hundred-dollar book allowance each school year is applied to the account of an SCWINS recipient who is majoring in one of the critical workforce areas, for expenses toward the cost of textbooks.

(H) If a critical workforce area program is placed on suspension during the SBTCE's annual program evaluation process, then that program no longer qualifies for SCWINS funds at that specific college. Students must be advised on how to complete their program by transferring to another technical college or serving as a transient student at another technical college to complete specified courses.

(I)The SBTCE shall develop career counseling standards to be implemented by all colleges in the SBTCE system."

B.This SECTION takes effect on July 1, 2020 and first applies to the 2020-2021 school year. /

Amend the bill further, as and if amended, PART IV, Scholarships and Tuition Assistance, SECTION 19.A., relating to Section 59-104-20, by striking Section 59-104-20(G)(1)(a)(ii) and inserting:

/ (b)(ii)a cumulative 3.5 3.49 or better grade point ratio on the Uniform Grading Scale at the end of the junior or senior year; and /

Amend the bill further, as and if amended, PART IV, Scholarships and Tuition Assistance, SECTION 19.A., relating to Section 59-104-20, by striking Section 59-104-20(G)(1)(b)(ii) and inserting:

/ (b)(ii)a cumulative 4.0 3.99 or better grade point ratio on the Uniform Grading Scale at the end of the junior or senior year. /

Amend the bill further, as and if amended, PART IV, Scholarships and Tuition Assistance, SECTION 19.A., relating to Section 59-104-20, by striking Section 59-104-20(F)(1)(a) and inserting:

/ (a) South Carolina public institution defined in Section 59-103-5, excluding a public two-year or technical institution, and an independent institution as defined in Section 59-113-50, excluding an eleemosynary junior or independent two-year institution any state-supported, post-secondary educational institution. 'Public or independent institution' does not include a two-year or technical institution or an eleemosynary junior or independent two-year institution; or /

Amend the bill further, as and if amended, PART IV, Scholarships and Tuition Assistance, SECTION 19.A., relating to Section 59-104-20, by striking Section 59-104-20(H) and inserting:

/ (H) Notwithstanding another provision of law, a student who met the initial eligibility requirements to receive a Palmetto Fellows Scholarship Award as a senior in high school and has met the continuing eligibility requirements shall receive the award. A student who received a Palmetto Fellows Scholarship Award as a senior in high school but declined the award or who accepted the LIFE Scholarship for attendance at a public two-year or technical institution is eligible to reapply for the annual scholarship, providing he meets all of the initial and continuing academic eligibility requirements of the Palmetto Fellows program, if he transfers to a qualifying South Carolina institution of higher learning. The number of semesters or academic years a student attended an out-of-state institution are to be deducted from the number of semesters or academic years a student is eligible for the scholarship. All funding provided for Palmetto Fellows Scholarships regardless of its source or allocation must be used to implement the provisions of this subsection. /

Amend the bill further, as and if amended, PART IV, Scholarships and Tuition Assistance, SECTION 20.A., relating to Section 59-149-50, by striking Section 59-149-50(A)(1) on page 39 at line 8 and inserting:

/ graduated from high school with a minimum of a 3.0 2.99 or better cumulative /

Amend the bill further, as and if amended, PART IV, Scholarships and Tuition Assistance, SECTION 20.B., relating to Section 59-150-370(C), by striking Section 59-150-370(C) and inserting:

/ " (C)A student is eligible to receive a SC HOPE Scholarship if he meets the criteria for receiving and maintaining the Legislative Incentives for Future Excellence (LIFE) Scholarship except that a must have graduated from high school with a minimum of a 3.0 cumulative grade point average to be eligible to receive an SC HOPE Scholarship. A minimum Scholastic Aptitude Test (SAT) or ACT score and requisite class rank are not required for eligibility for the SC HOPE Scholarship. These SC HOPE Scholarships must be granted and awarded as provided in this section." /