South Carolina General Assembly
117th Session, 2007-2008

Download This Bill in Microsoft Word format

A235, R276, H4408

STATUS INFORMATION

General Bill
Sponsors: Reps. Skelton, Harrell, Walker and Bedingfield
Document Path: l:\council\bills\dt\27036bb08.doc

Introduced in the House on January 8, 2008
Introduced in the Senate on February 6, 2008
Passed by the General Assembly on May 8, 2008
Became law without Governor's signature, May 22, 2008

Summary: Palmetto Fellows Scholarship and LIFE Scholarship

HISTORY OF LEGISLATIVE ACTIONS

     Date      Body   Action Description with journal page number
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------
    1/8/2008  House   Introduced and read first time HJ-63
    1/8/2008  House   Referred to Committee on Education and Public Works HJ-63
   1/30/2008  House   Committee report: Favorable Education and Public Works 
                        HJ-3
   1/31/2008  House   Member(s) request name added as sponsor: Bedingfield
   1/31/2008          Scrivener's error corrected
    2/5/2008  House   Read second time HJ-33
    2/6/2008  House   Read third time and sent to Senate HJ-14
    2/6/2008  Senate  Introduced and read first time SJ-16
    2/6/2008  Senate  Referred to Committee on Education SJ-16
    5/1/2008  Senate  Committee report: Favorable Education SJ-22
    5/2/2008          Scrivener's error corrected
    5/6/2008  Senate  Read second time SJ-9
    5/8/2008  Senate  Read third time and enrolled SJ-11
   5/15/2008          Ratified R 276
   5/22/2008          Became law without Governor's signature
    6/2/2008          Copies available
    6/2/2008          Effective date 05/22/08
    6/4/2008          Act No. 235

View the latest legislative information at the LPITS web site

VERSIONS OF THIS BILL

1/8/2008
1/30/2008
1/31/2008
5/1/2008
5/2/2008


(Text matches printed bills. Document has been reformatted to meet World Wide Web specifications.)

(A235, R276, H4408)

AN ACT TO AMEND SECTIONS 59-104-25 AND 59-149-15, CODE OF LAWS OF SOUTH CAROLINA, 1976, RELATING TO THE PALMETTO FELLOWS SCHOLARSHIP STIPEND FOR STUDENTS MAJORING IN MATHEMATICS OR SCIENCES AND THE LIFE SCHOLARSHIP STIPEND FOR STUDENTS MAJORING IN MATHEMATICS OR SCIENCES, RESPECTIVELY, BOTH SO AS TO REVISE THE COURSE REQUIREMENTS NECESSARY TO RECEIVE THE STIPEND DURING A STUDENT'S FRESHMAN YEAR.

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

Palmetto Fellows Scholarship stipend course requirement revisions

SECTION    1.    Section 59-104-25 of the 1976 Code, as added by Act 115 of 2007, is amended to read:

"Section 59-104-25.    (A)    A resident student who is at least a sophomore attending a four-year public or private institution of higher learning in this State, who is majoring in science or mathematics as defined below, and who is receiving a Palmetto Fellows Scholarship for the current year, shall receive an additional Palmetto Fellows Scholarship stipend equal to the cost of attendance after applying all other scholarships or grants, not to exceed three thousand three hundred dollars each year for no more than three additional years of instruction, including his sophomore year, if the student enrolled in a four-year degree program, or for not more than four additional years of instruction, including his sophomore year, if enrolled in a five-year degree program or a 3 plus 2 program. A year is defined as thirty credit hours of instruction or its equivalent each year. To receive the additional Palmetto Fellows Scholarship stipend each year, the student must receive the underlying Palmetto Fellows Scholarship for that year and must be making acceptable progress each year toward receiving a degree in his science or mathematics major. In addition, during his freshman year, the student must have successfully completed a total of at least fourteen credit hours of instruction in mathematics courses, or life and physical science courses, or a combination of both. For purposes of meeting the required minimum level of instruction in mathematics and life and physical science courses during a student's freshman year, advanced placement courses in mathematics and life and physical sciences taken in high school on which the student scored high enough on the advanced placement test to receive credit at his institution and for which he received credit, count toward the fulfillment of this minimum requirement.

(B)    The Commission on Higher Education by regulation shall define what constitutes a science or mathematics major but at a minimum shall include majors in science or mathematics disciplines, computer science or informational technology, engineering, science education, math education, and health care and related disciplines including medicine and dentistry; provided, that nothing herein prevents a student from changing majors within acceptable science or mathematics disciplines. Additionally, the Commission on Higher Education annually shall communicate with high school guidance counselors regarding the list of qualifying majors.

(C)    If the additional Palmetto Fellows Scholarship stipend is lost, it may be regained in the same manner the underlying Palmetto Fellows Scholarship is regained if lost.

(D)    In addition, the amount of the Palmetto Fellows Scholarship for a recipient who does not receive the enhanced stipend provided by this section, beginning with the 2007 academic year, shall be increased to an amount equal to that received by a LIFE Scholarship recipient also receiving the enhanced stipend provided by Section 59-149-15."

LIFE Scholarship stipend course requirement revisions

SECTION    2.    Section 59-149-15 of the 1976 Code, as added by Act 115 of 2007, is amended to read:

"Section 59-149-15.    (A)    A resident student who is at least a sophomore attending a four-year public or private institution of higher learning in this State, who is majoring in science or mathematics as defined below, and who is receiving a LIFE Scholarship for the current year, shall receive an additional LIFE Scholarship stipend equal to the cost of attendance after applying all other scholarships or grants, not to exceed two thousand five hundred dollars each year for no more than three additional years of instruction, including his sophomore year, if enrolled in a four-year degree program, or for not more than four additional years of instruction, including his sophomore year, if enrolled in a five-year degree program or a 3 plus 2 program. In addition, during his freshman year, the student must have successfully completed a total of at least fourteen credit hours of instruction in mathematics courses, or life and physical science courses, or a combination of both. A year is defined as thirty credit hours of instruction or its equivalent each year. To receive the additional LIFE Scholarship stipend each year, the student must receive the underlying LIFE Scholarship for that year and must be making acceptable progress each year toward receiving a degree in his science or mathematics major. For purposes of meeting the required minimum level of instruction in mathematics and life and physical science courses during a student's freshman year, advanced placement courses in mathematics and life and physical sciences taken in high school on which the student scored high enough on the advanced placement test to receive credit at his institution and for which he received credit, count toward the fulfillment of this minimum requirement.

(B)    The Commission on Higher Education by regulation shall define what constitutes a science or mathematics major but at a minimum shall include majors in science or mathematics disciplines, computer science or informational technology, engineering, science education, math education, and health care and related disciplines including medicine and dentistry; provided, that nothing herein prevents a student from changing majors within acceptable science or mathematics disciplines. Additionally, the Commission on Higher Education annually shall communicate with high school guidance counselors regarding the list of qualifying majors.

(C)    If the additional LIFE Scholarship stipend is lost, it may be regained in the same manner the underlying LIFE Scholarship is regained if lost."

Time effective

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

Ratified the 15th day of May, 2008.

Became law without the signature of the Governor -- 5/22/08.

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This web page was last updated on Monday, October 10, 2011 at 1:38 P.M.