Rep. MCCRAVY proposes the following amendment (LC-5057.SA0001H):

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

SECTION X. The General Assembly finds that:
  (1) The South Carolina Education Lottery is a primary source of funding for scholarships, including LIFE, HOPE, and Palmetto Fellows.
  (2) This act authorizes the use of lottery ticket vending machines to increase ticket sales and generate additional revenue for education.
  (3) Increasing lottery revenue alone may not fully address long-term funding needs for scholarships.
  (4) It is in the best interest of the State to expand and stabilize scholarship funding through additional revenue sources.
  (5) A coordinated public-private partnership can augment revenue generated by lottery modernization efforts and strengthen long-term sustainability.

SECTION X. Chapter 150, Title 59 of the S.C. Code is amended by adding:

 Section 59-150-425. (A) In order to supplement and enhance revenue generated through lottery operations, including lottery ticket vending machines, the commission shall establish a Workforce Scholarship Partnership Program.
 (B) The program shall:
  (1) accept private and corporate contributions into a scholarship trust fund;
  (2) award scholarships to South Carolina students pursuing high-demand workforce fields; and
  (3) operate in a manner that supplements and does not reduce existing scholarship programs funded by lottery proceeds.
 (C) The purpose of the program is to:
  (1) increase total scholarship funding available;
  (2) provide a diversified and stable revenue stream alongside increased lottery sales; and
  (3) support workforce development in critical sectors.
 (D)(1) The commission annually shall report:
   (a) revenue generated from lottery ticket vending machines and other modernization efforts;
   (b) total private contributions to the program; and
   (c) total scholarship funding from all sources.
  (2) To the extent that private contributions increase, the commission shall consider reducing reliance on lottery proceeds for scholarship funding in a corresponding amount, provided that total scholarship funding is not reduced.
  (3) It is the intent of the General Assembly to gradually reduce reliance on lottery proceeds over time by building sufficient alternative funding sources, while preserving scholarship benefits.
 (E)(1) The commission shall develop a plan to:
   (a) gradually reduce reliance on lottery proceeds for scholarship funding;
   (b) identify strategies to replace lottery-generated scholarship revenue through a public-private partnership model; and
   (c) ensure that any transition maintains or increases total scholarship funding.
  (2) The plan must include:
   (a) projected timelines for reducing reliance on lottery proceeds;
   (b) revenue projections for private contributions and alternative funding sources;
   (c) recommendations for legislative action necessary to implement a transition;
   (d) analysis of economic and fiscal impacts; and
   (e) safeguards to ensure no reduction in student scholarship benefits.
  (3) The commission shall submit a report on the plan to the Speaker of the House, the President of the Senate, and the Chairman of the House Ways and Means Committee no later than one year after the effective date of this act.
 (F) Nothing in this section may be construed to:
  (1) reduce LIFE, HOPE, or Palmetto Fellows scholarships;
  (2) divert existing lottery proceeds; or
  (3) reduce or divert funding currently allocated from lottery proceeds for education purposes, including scholarships or any other education-related programs authorized by law, unless such funding is replaced by an equal or greater amount from alternative sources.
 (G)(1) The program must be administered by the South Carolina Lottery Commission, which is renamed the South Carolina Education and Workforce Scholarship Commission.
  (2) The commission shall:
   (a) coordinate implementation of lottery modernization efforts, including vending machines;
   (b) administer the scholarship partnership program; and
   (c) report annually on revenue increases from vending machines, private contributions raised, and total scholarship funding impact.

SECTION X. Article 25, Chapter 6, Title 12 of the S.C. Code is amended by adding:

 Section 12-6-3830. (A) A taxpayer is allowed a credit equal to fifty percent of contributions made to the Workforce Scholarship Partnership Program established pursuant to Section 59-150-425.
 (B) The total amount of credits allowed annually may not exceed an amount equal to a percentage of the increase in net lottery proceeds attributable to modernization efforts, including vending machines, as determined by the South Carolina Education and Workforce Scholarship Commission.
 (C) The department may promulgate regulations necessary to carry out the provisions of this section.

Renumber sections to conform.

Amend title to conform.