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TO AMEND THE CODE OF LAWS OF SOUTH CAROLINA, 1976, BY ADDING SECTION 59-150-365 SO AS TO ESTABLISH THE SOUTH CAROLINA WORKFORCE INDUSTRY NEEDS SCHOLARSHIP (SC WINS), TO PROVIDE THAT CERTAIN STUDENTS ATTENDING A TWO-YEAR TECHNICAL COLLEGE ARE ELIGIBLE FOR THE SCHOLARSHIP, AND TO PROVIDE ELIGIBILITY REQUIREMENTS.
Be it enacted by the General Assembly of the State of South Carolina:
SECTION 1. Chapter 150, Title 59 of the 1976 Code is amended by adding:
"Section 59-150-365. (A)(1) A student who is attending a two-year public technical college, who is majoring in a critical workforce area program, as defined and recommended by the State Board for Technical and Comprehensive Education (SBTCE) and ratified by the South Carolina Coordinating Council for Workforce Development, and who is receiving a Lottery Tuition Assistance Program Scholarship (LTAP) for the current school year, shall receive an additional South Carolina Workforce Industry Needs Scholarship (SC WINS). The SC WINS scholarship is equal to the cost of attendance after applying all other scholarships or grants, not to exceed two thousand five hundred dollars each school year for no more than three school years of instruction, including the student's freshman year. If the student is enrolled in an associate degree program, the stipend is allowed for no more than two school years of instruction, including the student's freshman year if enrolled in a diploma or certificate program.
(2) During the student's freshman year, the student must be enrolled in at least six credit hours of instruction each semester, including at least three credit hours of instruction in one of the critical workforce areas defined by the SBTCE. To receive the additional SC WINS scholarship each school year, the student must receive the underlying LTAP scholarship for that school year and must be making acceptable progress each school year towards receiving a degree in one of the majors pursuant to this section. For purposes of meeting this required minimum level of instruction in the student's major courses during a student's freshman year, dual enrollment courses taken in high school in these critical workforce area programs count toward the fulfillment of the minimum requirement.
(B) The SBTCE shall promulgate regulations to define what constitutes a critical workforce program area. Nothing herein prevents a student from changing majors within the acceptable disciplines. Additionally, the SBTCE annually shall communicate with high school guidance counselors regarding the list of qualifying majors. The critical workforce program list must be reviewed at least every five years and adjusted based on workforce trends and industry needs. Critical workforce program additions or deletions must be ratified by the South Carolina Coordinating Council for Workforce Development.
(C) If the additional SC WINS scholarship is lost, it may be regained in the same manner the underlying LTAP scholarship is regained.
(D) In order for a student to be eligible after attempting twenty-four academic credit hours, the student must have earned a grade point average of 2.0 or better on a 4.0 grading scale.
(E) A student may not be eligible to receive the SC WINS scholarship for more than one certificate, diploma, or degree within any five-year period unless the additional certificate, diploma, or degree constitutes progress in the same field of study.
(F) A dual-enrollment student who is in his junior or senior year of high school, who is majoring in one of the critical workforce areas at a technical college qualifies for the SC WINS scholarship.
(G) Additionally, a three-hundred-dollar book allowance each school year is applied to a SC WINS recipient's account for expenses towards the cost of attendance including the cost of textbooks.
(H) If a critical workforce area program is placed on suspension during the SBTCE's annual program evaluation process, that program no longer qualifies for SC WINS funds at that specific college. Students must be advised on how to complete their program by transferring to another technical college or serving as a transient student at another technical college to complete specified courses."
SECTION 2. This act takes effect on July 1, 2019 and applies to the 2019-2020 school year.
This web page was last updated on January 15, 2019 at 2:57 PM