S 143 Session 110 (1993-1994)
S 0143 General Bill, By M.T. Rose and Wilson
Similar(H 3971)
A Bill to amend the Code of Laws of South Carolina, 1976, by adding Chapter
141 to Title 59 so as to enact the South Carolina Tuition Payment Plan.
01/12/93 Senate Introduced and read first time SJ-64
01/12/93 Senate Referred to Committee on Education SJ-64
A BILL
TO AMEND THE CODE OF LAWS OF SOUTH CAROLINA, 1976,
BY ADDING CHAPTER 141 TO TITLE 59 SO AS TO ENACT
THE SOUTH CAROLINA TUITION PAYMENT PLAN.
Be it enacted by the General Assembly of the State of South Carolina:
SECTION 1. Title 59 of the 1976 Code is amended by adding:
"CHAPTER 141
South Carolina Tuition Payment Plan
Section 59-141-10. (A) The State shall pay the tuition of a student
who enrolls as an undergraduate in a public institution of higher
learning who applies for his tuition to be paid and who meets the
following qualifications:
(1) has resided in South Carolina during the twenty-four months
preceding enrollment;
(2) has a parent or guardian who is domiciled in this State;
(3) has graduated from high school within the two years
preceding the application with a minimum cumulative grade point
average of 2.5 calculated on a 4.0 scale;
(4) has successfully completed seventeen and one-half units of
high school coursework (ninth grade or higher), which constitutes a
core curriculum and meets standards for admission to the desired
institution. The core curriculum is:
(a) English I, II, III, and IV (four units);
(b) Algebra I and II (two units);
(c) Geometry, Trigonometry, Calculus, or comparable
advanced Mathematics (one unit);
(d) Biology (one unit);
(e) Chemistry (one unit);
(f) Earth Science, Environmental Science, or Physics (one
unit);
(g) American History (one unit);
(h) World History, World Cultures, Western Civilization, or
World Geography (one unit);
(i) Civics and/or Economics (one unit);
(j) Fine Arts Survey (one unit, or alternate);
(k) Foreign Language (two units);
(l) Computer Science (one-half unit);
(m) Electives from the above (one unit).
(5) has a combined score on the Scholastic Aptitude Test of at
least eight hundred or a combined score on the American College Test
of at least eighteen;
(6) has no criminal record (including abuse of any controlled
substances); and
(7) is found to be in financial need as determined in this
chapter;
(B) In each year a public institution of higher learning may admit
a student who qualifies for payment of his tuition as provided in this
section if the student meets at least two of the requirements
enumerated in items (3) through (5) of subsection (A) of this section
and fails to meet eligibility for the third by an amount equal to ten
percent or less, but the total number of the students who do not meet
all of the eligibility requirements of items (3) through (5) of
subsection (A) of this section may not exceed ten percent of the total
number of students admitted the previous year who received tuition as
provided in this section.
(C) To maintain continued state payment of tuition once enrolled
a student shall:
(1) make steady academic progress toward a degree, earning not
less than the minimum number of hours of credit required for full-time
standing in each academic period;
(2) maintain full-time enrollment standing for not less than two
semesters or three quarters in any academic year;
(3) rank in the upper fifty percent of the total number of his
classmates in the public institution of higher learning; and
(4) have no criminal record.
Section 59-141-20. (A) The provisions of this chapter must be
administered by the Commission on Higher Education. The
commission shall promulgate regulations to implement this chapter.
(B) By regulation, the commission shall provide for:
(1) a mechanism for informing all students of the availability of
the assistance provided pursuant to this section early enough in their
schooling that a salutary motivational effect is possible; and
(2) application forms, financial audit procedures, eligibility, and
other program audit procedures, and other matters related to efficient
operation.
Section 59-141-30. An applicant is in financial need if:
(1) the family has one dependent child under the age of twenty-one and the four-year annual adjusted gross income of the family is
less than twenty thousand dollars;
(2) the family has two dependent children under the age of twenty-one and the four-year average annual adjusted gross income of the
family is less than twenty-five thousand dollars; or
(3) the family has three or more dependent children under the age
of twenty-one and the four-year average annual adjusted gross income
of the family is less than thirty thousand dollars.
The four-year average annual adjusted gross income of the family
must be verified by Internal Revenue Service returns.
Section 59-141-40. The General Assembly shall annually
appropriate to the commission funds sufficient to meet initial and
continuing tuition payments made pursuant to this chapter. The
payments must be made directly to the public institution upon the
receipt of written notice from the institution that the student is
enrolled. If funding is insufficient, tuition payments must be
proportionately reduced or eliminated as the commission considers
appropriate.
Section 59-141-50. The commission may seek, accept, and
expend funds from any source, including private contributions
available for this purpose, to implement this act.
Section 59-141-60. No student may receive a grant pursuant to
this chapter in an amount greater than the tuition charged by the
school. The student must apply for all federal grants before receiving
state funds and the amount of the state grant for tuition must be
reduced by scholarships for tuition paid to the student from public or
private sources."
SECTION 2. This act takes effect January 1, 1994, and applies
with respect to tuition due for the fall, 1994 semester or quarter.
-----XX----- |