A bill

 

TO AMEND THE SOUTH CAROLINA CODE OF LAWS BY ADDING SECTION 59-121-500 SO AS TO ESTABLISH THE PALMETTO LEGISLATIVE MILITARY APPOINTMENT AND DEFINE RELEVANT TERMS; BY ADDING SECTION 59-121-510 SO AS TO ESTABLISH THE PALM APPOINTMENT SCHOLARSHIP OFFERED BY THE SOUTH CAROLINA ARMY NATIONAL GUARD TO COVER ALL COSTS FOR AN APPOINTEE TO ATTEND THE CITADEL FOR A MAXIMUM OF FOUR YEARS, TO PROVIDE FORTY-SIX APPOINTMENT NOMINATIONS PER SCHOOL YEAR, AND TO ESTABLISH THAT INDIVIDUALS SELECTED FOR NOMINATION WILL BE SELECTED BY A MEMBER OF THEIR COUNTY LEGISLATIVE DELEGATION; BY ADDING SECTION 59-121-520 SO AS TO PROVIDE THE ELIGIBILITY REQUIREMENTS FOR THE APPOINTEMENT; BY ADDING SECTION 59-121-530 SO AS TO PROVIDE APPOINTMENT OBLIGATIONS FOR APPOINTEES; BY ADDING SECTION 59-121-540 SO AS TO PROVIDE PROCEDURES FOR NOMINATION OF INDIVIDUALS AND DETERMINATION OF EACH NOMINEE'S QUALIFICATION FOR MILITARY SERVICE; BY ADDING SECTION 59-121-550 SO AS TO PROVIDE PROCEDURES FOR APPOINTEES WHO FAIL TO FULFILL APPOINTMENT OBLIGATIONS AND THE REPAYMENT OF APPOINTMENT SCHOLARSHIPS; BY ADDING SECTION 59-121-560 SO AS TO APPROPRIATE FROM THE GENERAL FUND OF THE STATE WHATEVER AMOUNT IS NECESSARY TO PROVIDE TO ALL ELIGIBLE RECIPIENTS THE PALM APPOINTMENT SCHOLARSHIPS.

 

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

 

SECTION 1.  Chapter 121, Title 59 of the S.C. Code is amended by adding:

 

    Article 5

 

    Palmetto Legislative Military (PALM) Appointment

 

    Section 59-121-500.  (1) "Scholarship" means the funds provided to a recipient of the Palmetto Legislative Military Appointment by the South Carolina National Guard and monitored by The Citadel. The scholarship is conditioned upon the appointee's commitment in the South Carolina National Guard and compliance with the appointment obligations set forth in this article.

    (2) "Appointee" means a person appointed by his county legislative delegation to receive a Palmetto Legislative Military Appointment to attend The Citadel as a member of the Corps of Cadets and join the South Carolina Army or the Air National Guard pursuant to the provisions of this article.

    (3) "Committee" means a committee established by the South Carolina Military Department and the Office of the Adjutant General that coordinates with The Citadel to determine the actions necessary and the entities responsible for the administration of the Palmetto Legislative Military Appointment.

    (4) "GPA" means grade point average as calculated on high school or college transcript.

    (5) "ROTC" means the Reserve Officers' Training Commission.

    (6) "MOS" means a Military Occupational Specialty.

 

    Section 59-121-510.  (A) The Palmetto Legislative Military Appointment is established and a scholarship is offered by The South Carolina Army National Guard. The scholarship covers all costs for an appointee to attend The Citadel for a maximum of four years. The funds for the costs of attendance of the appointee shall be delivered directly to The Citadel at the beginning of each school year.

    (B) Beginning in 2024, the General Assembly will recommend forty-six appointment nominations per school year for a South Carolina resident to attend The Citadel as a member of the Corps of Cadets and join the South Carolina Army or Air National Guard.

    (C) Individuals selected for nomination will be selected by a member of their county legislative delegation.

    (D)(1) The General Assembly, through the county legislative delegations, may annually appoint one eligible student from each county in South Carolina for guaranteed enrollment in The Citadel.

       (2) The Citadel shall offer initial enrollment to the eligible students appointed pursuant to this article.

    (E) The scholarships must be granted and awarded as provided in this article.

    (F) The Citadel shall monitor the eligibility of each appointee and provide a compliance report to the committee at the conclusion of each semester that provides the eligibility status of each appointee.

 

    Section 59-121-520.  (A) A person is eligible for nomination and may be appointed by the General Assembly if the person meets the following requirements:

       (1) is a resident of the county from which he is nominated;

       (2) obtains a minimum cumulative high school or college GPA of 3.0 or higher; and

       (3) obtains one of the following minimum scores:

           (a) five hundred and eighty on the reading and writing portion and five hundred seventy on the math portion of the Scholastic Aptitude Test (SAT);

           (b) twenty-six on the American College Test (ACT); or

           (c) one hundred and ten on the general technical section of the Armed Services Vocational Aptitude Battery (ASVAB).

 

    Section 59-121-530.  (A) Each appointee is required to fulfil the following appointment obligations:

       (1) attend The Citadel as a member of the Corps of Cadets;

       (2) comply with the conditions for continued enrollment in The Citadel as a member of the Corps of Cadets;

       (3) comply with conditions set forth by the committee;

       (4) comply with the policies, regulations, and procedures of the Army or Air Force, National Guard Bureau, and South Carolina Military Department Policies;

       (5) maintain a minimum college GPA of 2.5 or higher; and

       (6) enlist and serve in the South Carolina National Guard.

    (B)(1) Appointees who pursue a commission as an army officer shall commit as a 09R and participate in four years of ROTC as a "non-scholarship" ROTC cadet within the United States Army Cadet Command; and

       (2) appointees who pursue an enlisted career shall enlist under an eight-year obligation into an MOS for which they meet the qualifications, subject to the need of the South Carolina National Guard and participate in the South Carolina Army National Guard simultaneous membership program as an officer trainee while enrolled in ROTC.

 

    Section 59-121-540.  (A) A county may nominate multiple individuals for consideration by the General Assembly for appointment; however, there may be no more than one appointee per county per school year, and transferring appointments between counties is prohibited.

    (B) The legislative delegation in each county shall nominate individuals for consideration for appointment.

    (C) Any county that nominates more than one individual must rank the nominees in order of preference for appointment.

    (D) Each county must send a list of potential nominees directly to the South Carolina Army National Guard Recruiting and Retention Battalion for a determination of each nominee's qualification for military service.

    (E) A nominee may be an individual currently enrolled in The Citadel if the nominee meets the requirements set forth in this article.

 

    Section 59-121-550.  (A) If an appointee fails to fulfill any appointment obligation during the duration of the PALM scholarship, then The Citadel must notify the South Carolina National Guard, the committee, and the appointee of the obligation the appointee failed to fulfill.

    (B) After notification of failure to fulfill an appointment obligation, The Citadel shall place the appointee on one semester of probation during which the appointee may attempt to comply with the appointment obligations.

    (C) If The Citadel and the committee find that the appointee is in compliance with the appointment obligation by the end of the probationary period, then the PALM scholarship may continue.

    (D) If The Citadel and the committee find that the appointee fails to comply with the appointment obligation by the end of the probationary period, then the PALM scholarship may be terminated, and the appointee must repay the scholarship provided pursuant to this article.

    (E) If an appointee's scholarship is terminated for failure to comply with appointment obligations, then the repayment of the scholarship shall not commence until the appointee is no longer enrolled in The Citadel or any other college, university, technical college, or graduate degree program.

 

    Section 59-121-560.  There is automatically appropriated from the general fund of the State whatever amount is necessary to provide to all eligible recipients the PALM scholarships authorized by this chapter.

 

SECTION 2.  The first scholarships shall be awarded for the school year beginning in August of 2024.

 

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

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