H 3017 {Rat #49, Act #36 of 2021} General Bill, By Davis, Atkinson, B.Newton, Magnuson, 
Fry, Daning, Felder, May, Long, Pope, Forrest, Oremus, M.M.Smith, Yow, 
McGinnis, Govan, Brawley, Willis, Henderson-Myers, Jones and McDaniel
 AN ACT TO AMEND SECTION 59-104-20, CODE OF LAWS OF SOUTH CAROLINA, 1976,
 RELATING TO ELIGIBILITY FOR PALMETTO FELLOWS SCHOLARSHIPS, SO AS TO INCLUDE
 TWO-YEAR INSTITUTIONS OF HIGHER LEARNING AND TECHNICAL COLLEGES AMONG
 INSTITUTIONS OF HIGHER LEARNING WHOSE STUDENTS MAY BE ELIGIBLE FOR THE
 SCHOLARSHIPS; AND TO AMEND SECTION 59-149-60, RELATING TO THE DURATION OF LIFE
 SCHOLARSHIPS, SO AS TO PROVIDE STUDENTS MAY NOT RECEIVE LIFE SCHOLARSHIPS FOR
 MORE THAN SIX SEMESTERS FOR THREE-YEAR DEGREE PROGRAMS. - ratified title

   12/09/20  House  Prefiled
   12/09/20  House  Referred to Committee on Education and Public Works
   01/12/21  House  Introduced and read first time (House Journal-page 39)
   01/12/21  House  Referred to Committee on Education and Public
                     Works (House Journal-page 39)
   01/26/21  House  Member(s) request name added as sponsor: M.M.Smith
   01/27/21  House  Member(s) request name added as sponsor: Yow
   02/10/21  House  Member(s) request name added as sponsor: McGinnis
   02/11/21  House  Member(s) request name added as sponsor: Govan
   02/11/21  House  Committee report: Favorable Education and Public
                     Works (House Journal-page 16)
   02/16/21  House  Member(s) request name added as sponsor: Brawley,
                     Willis, Henderson-Myers
   02/17/21  House  Member(s) request name added as sponsor: Jones,
                     McDaniel
   02/17/21  House  Read second time (House Journal-page 19)
   02/17/21  House  Roll call Yeas-115  Nays-0 (House Journal-page 19)
   02/18/21  House  Read third time and sent to Senate
                     (House Journal-page 69)
   02/18/21  Senate Introduced and read first time (Senate Journal-page 5)
   02/18/21  Senate Referred to Committee on Education
                     (Senate Journal-page 5)
   04/14/21  Senate Committee report: Favorable Education
                     (Senate Journal-page 7)
   04/20/21  Senate Amended (Senate Journal-page 20)
   04/20/21  Senate Read second time (Senate Journal-page 20)
   04/20/21  Senate Roll call Ayes-44  Nays-0 (Senate Journal-page 20)
   04/21/21  Senate Read third time and returned to House with
                     amendments (Senate Journal-page 10)
   04/27/21  House  Concurred in Senate amendment and enrolled
                     (House Journal-page 118)
   04/27/21  House  Roll call Yeas-111  Nays-0 (House Journal-page 118)
   05/06/21         Signed By Governor
   05/04/21         Ratified R  49
   05/13/21         Effective date  05/06/21
   05/13/21         Act No.  36

(A36, R49, H3017)

AN ACT TO AMEND SECTION 59-104-20, CODE OF LAWS OF SOUTH CAROLINA, 1976, RELATING TO ELIGIBILITY FOR PALMETTO FELLOWS SCHOLARSHIPS, SO AS TO INCLUDE TWO-YEAR INSTITUTIONS OF HIGHER LEARNING AND TECHNICAL COLLEGES AMONG INSTITUTIONS OF HIGHER LEARNING WHOSE STUDENTS MAY BE ELIGIBLE FOR THE SCHOLARSHIPS; AND TO AMEND SECTION 59-149-60, RELATING TO THE DURATION OF LIFE SCHOLARSHIPS, SO AS TO PROVIDE STUDENTS MAY NOT RECEIVE LIFE SCHOLARSHIPS FOR MORE THAN SIX SEMESTERS FOR THREE-YEAR DEGREE PROGRAMS.

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

Palmetto Fellows Scholarships, eligibility expanded

SECTION    1.    Section 59-104-20(E), (F), and (H) of the 1976 Code is amended to read:

"(E)    A Palmetto Fellows Scholarship is available to an eligible resident student who attends or will attend an eligible public or independent institution.

(F)    For purposes of subsection (E):

(1)    'Public or independent institution' means a:

(a)    South Carolina public institution defined in Section 59-103-5, and an independent institution as defined in Section 59-113-50; or

(b)    public or independent bachelor's level institution chartered before 1962 whose major campus and headquarters are located within South Carolina.

(2)    'Resident student' means a:

(a)    student who is either a member of a class graduating from a high school located in this State, a home school student who has successfully completed a high school home school program in this State in the manner required by law, or a student graduating from a preparatory high school outside this State, while a dependent of a parent or guardian who is a legal resident of this State and has custody of the dependent; and

(b)    student classified as a resident of South Carolina for in-state tuition purposes under Chapter 112 of this title at the time of enrollment at the institution.

(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 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. A student who uses a Palmetto Fellows Scholarship to attend an eligible two-year institution shall receive a maximum of four continuous semesters, and may continue to use the scholarship to attend an eligible four-year institution, subject to maximum number of semesters for which the student may be eligible for the scholarship."

LIFE Scholarships, eligibility, duration

SECTION    2.    Section 59-149-60 of the 1976 Code is amended to read:

"Section 59-149-60.    The student may receive a LIFE Scholarship for not more than ten semesters for a five-year degree program, eight semesters for a four-year degree program, four semesters for a two-year degree program, or six semesters for a three-year degree program."

Time effective

SECTION    3.    This act takes effect upon approval by the Governor.

Ratified the 4th day of May, 2021.

Approved the 6th day of May, 2021.