The Committee on Education and Public Works proposes the following amendment (LC-3197.WAB0001H):

Amend the bill, as and if amended, SECTION 1, Section 59-1-485, by striking the undesignated paragraph before item (1) and inserting:

 Recognizing that a vibrant workforce is critical to sustaining and growing the economy of this State by servicing existing industry and attracting new industry, the State of South Carolina must endeavor to increase the number of South Carolinians who are ready and able to fill jobs demanded by a dynamic and evolving economy to promote a statewide culture of excellence in education. To achieve this purpose, the State of South Carolina establishes a minimum overall statewide workforce readiness goal of at least sixty percent of all working-aged South Carolinians having a high-quality postsecondary degree or recognized industry credentials before the year 2032 unless a higher goal is established in the comprehensive statewide education and workforce development plan. This goal is consistent with all students graduating and having the knowledge, skills, and characteristics contained in the Profile of the South Carolina Graduate. To further achieve this purpose, the State Board for Technical and Comprehensive Education, the Commission on Higher Education, the State Department of Education, and the Education Oversight Committee shall jointly develop a report regarding the process by which institutions of higher learning shall recognize and award credit to students who obtain a Tier Three credential while in high school. The General Assembly is encouraged to reexamine and revise this goal on an ongoing basis as needed. The Commission on Higher Education must establish strategic timelines and milestones in the Commission's Public Agenda to:

Amend the bill further, SECTION 2, by striking Section 59-29-245(A) and inserting:

 (A) The State Department of Education is directed to ensure that all public high schools, including charter high schools, provide academic remediation courses in high school literacy and mathematics for students in the senior year of high school who desire to pursue a postsecondary education but are not academically prepared for college-level course work. Student eligibility for enrollment in remedial courses should be prioritized on earning a final grade of "C" or lower in two or more prior high school credit courses in either English or mathematics. Credits earned in these remedial courses may be used only to satisfy high school diploma elective credit requirements. The State Board of Education shall promulgate regulations directing when the courses may be offered, certification requirements for teachers assigned to the course, and when they may be used to satisfy high school diploma elective credit requirements.

Amend the bill further, SECTION 3.A., by striking Section 59-39-105(A), (B), (C), (D), (E), and (F) and inserting:

 (A) In addition to completing the units or credits of instruction required for graduation, each high school senior shall complete and submit a free application for federal student aid ("FAFSA" or "application") before graduating from high school, except as provided in subsection (B)(C).
 (B) Students must be provided information regarding FASFA and the exemptions established in this section at their annual Individual Graduation Plan meeting beginning their freshman year of high school. 
 (B)(C) A student is exempt from the requirements of subsection (A) if:
  (1) the parent or legal guardian of the student signs and submits the form provided in subsection (C)(D) to authorize the student to decline to complete and submit the application;
  (2) the student signs and submits the form provided in subsection (C)(D) on his own behalf, if the student is at least eighteen years of age and declineshe to complete and submit the application; or
  (3) a school counselor signs and submits the form provided in subsection (C)(D) to authorize the student to decline to complete and submit the application for good cause, as determined by the school counselor. The school counselor is not required to state the basis for determining the existence of such good cause.; or
  (4) if a student, parent or guardian can demonstrate that information regarding the waivers contained in this section was not presented during at least one Individual Graduation Plan meeting; or
  (5) the federal government fails to publish the FASFA by January ffirst of the year of the student's anticipated graduation from high school.
 (C)(D) The State Board of Education shall develop and adopt a form for the purpose of declining to complete the application as described in subsection (B)(C).
 (D)(E) A school counselor who notifies a school district of a student's compliance or noncompliance with this section for purposes of determining whether the student meets high school graduation requirements only may indicate whether the student has complied with this section and may not indicate the manner of compliance.
 (E)(F) The State Board shall adopt rules as necessary to implement this section, including:
  (1) a timeline for the distribution to students of the application and the form adopted in subsections (B)(C) and (C)(D);
  (2) standards regarding the information that a school district or charter school must provide to students regarding:
   (a) instructions for filling out the application;
   (b) the options available to a student under subsection (B)(C) if the student wishes to decline to complete and submit the application; and
   (c) the method by which a student must provide a school district or open enrollment charter school with proof that the student has completed and submitted the application as required by this section;
  (3) a requirement that each school district report to the State Department of Education:
   (a) the number of students who completed and submitted the application pursuant to subsection (A); and
   (b) the number of students who received an exception pursuant to subsection (B)(C); and
  (4) means for ensuring compliance with federal law regarding confidentiality of student educational information, including the Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act of 1974 (FERPA), 20 U.S.C. Section 1232g, and any law of this State relating to the privacy of student information.
 (F)(G) The superintendent shall establish an advisory committee to assist the State Board in adopting rules under subsection (E)(F) to implement this section and to develop recommendations for that purpose. The advisory committee must be composed of:
  (1) school counselors;
  (2) school administrators; and
  (3) stakeholders to represent the needs of interested students.

Amend the bill further, SECTION 5, by striking Section 41-1-140 and inserting:

 Section 41-1-140. Beginning July 1, 2026, the Department of Employment and Workforce shall maintain and provide online access to information regarding the economic value of college majors. In addition to showing the economic value of each college major offered in this State, the department also shall compare bachelor's degree earned to job availability. The department shall also provide information on state financial resources for obtaining a bachelor's degree in various fields, including scholarships, grants, and loan programs. The information must be available at no cost to the public. The availability of the information must be communicated to the State Department of Education and each public school district in the State. The department may expand its report to include associate degrees, master's degrees, and doctoral degrees.

Renumber sections to conform.

Amend title to conform.