Senator Tedder proposes the following amendment (LC-62.WAB0005S):

Amend the bill, as and if amended, by adding appropriately numbered SECTIONS to read:

SECTION X. Section 59-149-10 of the S.C. Code is amended by adding:

 (F) (1) Beginning with school year 2025-2026, the annual amount of a LIFE Scholarship for eligible resident students attending a four-year public or independent institution as defined in this chapter is increased to the cost of tuition for thirty credit hours a year or its equivalent plus a six hundred dollar a year book allowance. Tuition for this purpose means the amount charged for registering for credit hours of instruction and shall not include other fees, charges, or costs of textbooks, except for the referenced six hundred dollar book allowance, and may not exceed six thousand dollars for each student for each year, plus the book allowance.
  (2) In addition, and notwithstanding the provisions of subsection (D) above, beginning with school year 2025-2026, eligible resident students attending two-year independent institutions may not receive an annual LIFE scholarship of more than the maximum cost of tuition at two-year regional public institutions for thirty credit hours a year or its equivalent. An eligible student attending a two-year public or independent institution or technical college shall receive the six hundred dollar book allowance in addition to his cost of tuition.

SECTION X. Section 59-150-370(A) of the S.C. Code is amended to read:

 (A) SC HOPE Scholarships are hereby established and are provided by the State. These scholarships are authorized in an amount of up to twothree thousand five hundred dollars, plus a threesix hundred dollar book allowance to cover the cost of attendance, as defined by the Commission on Higher Education by regulation, during the first year of attendance only, to an eligible student attending a four-year public or independent institution as defined in subsection (B) who does not also qualify for a LIFE Scholarship or a Palmetto Fellows Scholarship.

Renumber sections to conform.

Amend title to conform.