H 4370 General Bill, By Boan, Allison, Bailey, Barfield, Barrett, Bauer, 
J.M. Baxley, Bowers, H. Brown, J. Brown, T. Brown, Cato, Chellis, Clyburn, 
Cotty, Delleney, J.G. Felder, Gamble, Harrell, Harrison, Harvin, Hawkins, 
Hinson, Kelley, M.H. Kinon, Kirsh, Knotts, Law, Maddox, Mason, J.G. McAbee, 
Meacham, Moody-Lawrence, Neilson, Riser, Rodgers, Sandifer, Simrill, R. Smith, 
Spearman, Stille, Stuart, Townsend, Walker, Wilder, Wilkins, Witherspoon, 
W.J. Young and Young-Brickell

Similar(H 4535)
 A BILL TO AMEND TITLE 59, CODE OF LAWS OF SOUTH CAROLINA, 1976, RELATING TO
 EDUCATION, BY ADDING CHAPTER 149 SO AS TO ESTABLISH LEGISLATIVE INCENTIVES FOR
 FUTURE EXCELLENCE (LIFE) SCHOLARSHIPS UNDER WHICH THE STATE OF SOUTH CAROLINA
 SHALL PROVIDE MERIT-BASED SCHOLARSHIPS TO COVER THE COST OF ATTENDANCE UP TO
 SPECIFIED LIMITS TO ELIGIBLE RESIDENT STUDENTS ATTENDING ACCREDITED PUBLIC OR
 INDEPENDENT TWO-YEAR AND FOUR-YEAR INSTITUTIONS OF HIGHER LEARNING IN THIS
 STATE AND TECHNICAL COLLEGES.

   12/17/97  House  Prefiled
   12/17/97  House  Referred to Committee on Ways and Means
   01/13/98  House  Introduced and read first time HJ-31
   01/13/98  House  Referred to Committee on Ways and Means HJ-32
   01/20/98  House  Member(s) added as co-sponsor(s): Rep(s) Bowers HJ-26

A BILL

TO AMEND TITLE 59, CODE OF LAWS OF SOUTH CAROLINA, 1976, RELATING TO EDUCATION, BY ADDING CHAPTER 149 SO AS TO ESTABLISH LEGISLATIVE INCENTIVES FOR FUTURE EXCELLENCE (LIFE) SCHOLARSHIPS UNDER WHICH THE STATE OF SOUTH CAROLINA SHALL PROVIDE MERIT-BASED SCHOLARSHIPS TO COVER THE COST OF ATTENDANCE UP TO SPECIFIED LIMITS TO ELIGIBLE RESIDENT STUDENTS ATTENDING ACCREDITED PUBLIC OR INDEPENDENT TWO-YEAR AND FOUR-YEAR INSTITUTIONS OF HIGHER LEARNING IN THIS STATE AND TECHNICAL COLLEGES.

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:

Section 59-149-10. Legislative Incentives for Future Excellence (LIFE) Scholarships are hereby established which shall be offered by the State. These scholarships shall be merit-based scholarships to cover the cost of attendance up to a maximum of two thousand dollars a year to eligible resident students attending Southern Association of Colleges and Schools (SACS) accredited public or independent four-year colleges and universities in this State, and to cover the cost of attendance up to a maximum of one thousand dollars a year to eligible resident students attending SACS accredited public or independent two-year colleges or universities in this State and technical colleges. Cost of attendance as used in this chapter means tuition, fees, room, board, and books. These LIFE scholarships must be granted and awarded as provided in this chapter.

Section 59-149-20. (A) To be eligible for a LIFE scholarship, a student must be considered a resident of this State as provided in this chapter.

(B) A student attending such a public or independent institution of this State and who is seeking a merit-based scholarship as a freshman meets the residency requirements of this chapter if he met the requirements to be classified as a resident of South Carolina for in-state tuition purposes under Chapter 112 of this title at the time of his high school graduation and at the time of enrollment at the institution.

Section 59-149-30. Full-time enrollment as defined in Title IV of the Federal Higher Education Act is a requirement for eligibility. The student must be admitted, enrolled, and classified as a degree-seeking undergraduate student.

Section 59-149-40. These merit-based scholarships in combination with all other grants and aid shall cover up to two thousand dollars or one thousand dollars as applicable of the cost of attendance at the particular institution.

Section 59-149-50. (A) To be eligible for a merit-based scholarship for the freshman year, a student must be a member of a class graduating from high school on or after May, 1997, which is located in this State or if not located in this State is sufficient to establish residency as required by this chapter. The student may also be a home school student who has successfully completed a high school home school program in the manner required by law on or after May, 1997. In addition, the student must have graduated from high school with a minimum of a 3.0 cumulative grade average on a 4.0 scale, and have scored 1000 or better on the Scholastic Aptitude Test (SAT) or have the equivalent ACT score beginning with school year 1998-99, 1050 beginning with school year 2000-2001, and 1100 beginning with school year 2002-2003; provided that if the student is to attend such a public or independent two-year college or university in this State, including a technical college, the SAT requirement does not apply. If a student chooses to attend such a four-year public or independent institution of this State and does not make the required SAT score, the student may earn a merit-based scholarship after his freshman year if he meets the grade point average and semester credit hour requirements of subsection (B).

(B) To be eligible for a merit-based scholarship after the student's freshman year, the student must have graduated from high school and meet the requirements of subsection (A) except for the SAT requirement. In addition, the student must earn a 3.0 cumulative grade point average on a 4.0 scale each year and earn at least thirty credit hours each year for the maximum of semesters permitted at that institution by Section 59-149-60.

(C) Students who were merit-scholarship recipients seeking a degree at such a public or independent institution of this State during their freshman year who failed to earn a cumulative 3.0 at the end of the term they attempted at least thirty hours may regain eligibility if their cumulative grade average is a 3.0 at the end of the term they have attempted at least sixty hours if they are a sophomore or ninety hours if they are a junior.

(D) By the year 2000, new recipients to be eligible for such merit-based scholarships must have passed all college board recommended courses in high school.

Section 59-149-60. The student may receive the merit-based scholarship for not more than ten semesters for a five-year degree program, eight semesters for a four-year degree program, or four semesters for a two-year degree program. In addition, students in order to be eligible for these scholarships must enroll in such an accredited institution within two years of graduating from high school.

Section 59-149-70. The student must not be in default on a Federal Title IV or State of South Carolina educational loan, nor owe a refund on a Federal Title IV or State of South Carolina student financial aid program. If the student has repaid the defaulted loan or refund in full, he is eligible to obtain a merit-based scholarship in the future.

Section 59-149-80. Students transferring from one eligible public or independent institution of this State to another are eligible for a merit-based scholarship, if they continue to meet all eligibility requirements.

Section 59-149-90. (A) Students must not have been convicted or pled guilty or nolo contendere to any felonies under the laws of this or any other state or under the laws of the United States.

(B) Regardless of the number of hours attempted, once the student has earned a bachelor's degree, he is ineligible for a merit-based scholarship to seek another degree.

(C) All students who earn a merit-based scholarship under this chapter or the Palmetto Fellows Scholarship shall be recognized at graduation from high school with a certificate issued by the Department of Education.

Section 59-149-100. Students enrolled in an eligible South Carolina institution qualify for a merit-based scholarship, even though they may not be physically present in South Carolina during all or part of the school term for which the merit-based scholarship applies. The student's institution must approve for credit a study-abroad or out-of-state program. Summer school may be substituted for one fall or spring semester in any year in a planned program of study.

Section 59-149-110. (A) Any credit hours attempted or earned before high school graduation, hours exempted by examination, or advanced placement credit hours do not count against the semester limits as provided in Section 59-149-60.

(B) A student who is required to participate in remedial course work and who is seeking a degree is eligible to receive a merit-based scholarship for such course work. The credit hours from these courses count towards the appropriate semester limits as provided in Section 59-149-60.

(C) No merit-based scholarship funds may be applied to the costs of continuing education courses.

Section 59-149-120. Any funds appropriated by the General Assembly to the Commission on Higher Education or any other agency, department, or institution to provide funding for these merit-based scholarships may be carried forward from fiscal year to fiscal year."

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