A bill

TO AMEND THE SOUTH CAROLINA CODE OF LAWS BY AMENDING SECTION 59-149-15, RELATING TO requirements for ADDITIONAL LIFE SCHOLARSHIP STIPENDs, AND section 59-104-25, RELATING TO requirements for ADDITIONAL PALMETTO FELLOWS SCHOLARSHIP STIPENDs, both so as to provide that certain coursework in economics and business statistics must count towards certain required freshman year coursework in mathematics and science, and to clarify these provisions apply beginning with  accounting majors who completed such coursework as freshman in the 2024-2025 SCHOOL YEAR.

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

SECTION 1.  Section 59-149-15(B) of the S.C. Code is amended to read:

    (B) The Commission on Higher Education by regulation shall define what constitutes a science or mathematics major, applicable beginning with the 2024-2025 School Year to persons who did not receive a LIFE Scholarship stipend before the 2024-2025 School Year. This definition of a science or mathematics major must include, at a minimum, majors in science or mathematics disciplines, computer science or informational technology, engineering, accounting, and health carehealthcare and related disciplines including medicine and dentistry; provided, that nothing herein prevents a student from changing majors within acceptable science or mathematics disciplines. For purposes of determining stipend eligibility of accounting majors, courses in microeconomics, macroeconomics, and business statistics completed by an accounting major in his freshman year must count towards the requirement in subsection (A) that the student shall complete at least fourteen-credit hours of instruction in mathematics and science courses during the student's freshman year, and these provisions apply beginning with students who took microeconomics, macroeconomics, and business statistics courses as freshman accounting majors during the 2024-2025 School Year so as to enable them to have to have those courses count toward the fourteen-hour coursework requirement in subsection (A) for purposes of attaining LIFE Scholarship stipend eligibility.

SECTION 2.  Section 59-104-25(B) of the S.C. Code is amended to read:

    (B) The Commission on Higher Education by regulation shall define what constitutes a science or mathematics major, applicable beginning with the 2024-2025 School Year to persons who did not receive a Palmetto Fellows Scholarship stipend before the 2024-2025 School Year. This definition of a science or mathematics major must include, at a minimum, majors in science or mathematics disciplines, computer science or informational technology, engineering, accounting, and health care healthcare and related disciplines including medicine and dentistry; provided, that nothing herein prevents a student from changing majors within acceptable science or mathematics disciplines. For purposes of determining stipend eligibility of accounting majors, courses in microeconomics, macroeconomics, and business statistics completed by an accounting major in his freshman year must count towards the requirement in subsection (A) that the student shall complete at least fourteen-credit hours of instruction in mathematics and science courses during the student's freshman year, and these provisions apply beginning with students who took microeconomics, macroeconomics, and business statistics courses as freshman accounting majors during the 2024-2025 School Year so as to enable them to have to have those courses count toward the fourteen-hour coursework requirement in subsection (A) for purposes of attaining Palmetto Fellows Scholarship stipend eligibility.

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

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