An Act to provide free tuition and fees to visually impaired residents for courses not subsidized by the state general fund.

Be it enacted by the Legislature of the State of South Dakota:

Section 1. That § 13-55-11 be AMENDED.

13-55-11. Visually impaired residents--Tuition and fee exemption--Credit hours to which entitled--Qualifying degree of impairment.

Any visually impaired resident of this state with a visual impairment who possesses the entrance requirements for admission to any educational institution of the state under supervision of the State Board of Regents shall be permitted to enter and pursue any course or course of study offered by such institution, including distance education courses not subsidized by the state general fund, without payment of tuition, library fees, registration fees, or any other fees that other students are required to pay directly to such institution until he or she the resident with a visual impairment has received two hundred twenty‑five semester hours of credit or its equivalent. Any person shall be deemed to be visually impaired a person with a visual impairment within the meaning of this section who cannot, with use of correcting glasses, see sufficient to perform ordinary activities for which eyesight is essential.