Download This Bill in Microsoft Word format
Indicates Matter Stricken
Indicates New Matter
S. 841
STATUS INFORMATION
General Bill
Sponsors: Senators McConnell, Moore, Martin, Drummond, Ritchie, Ford, Courson, Richardson, Malloy, Kuhn, Ryberg, Leatherman, Thomas, Rankin, Fair, Land, Giese, Gregory, Peeler, Setzler, J. Verne Smith, Alexander and Cromer
Document Path: l:\council\bills\dka\3680sd04.doc
Introduced in the Senate on January 15, 2004
Currently residing in the Senate Committee on Judiciary
Summary: Restructuring of state government, codification
HISTORY OF LEGISLATIVE ACTIONS
Date Body Action Description with journal page number
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------
1/15/2004 Senate Introduced and read first time SJ-8
1/15/2004 Senate Referred to Committee on Judiciary SJ-8
3/23/2004 Senate Committee report: Majority favorable with amend.,
minority unfavorable Judiciary SJ-14
5/18/2004 Senate Recommitted to Committee on Judiciary SJ-36
View the latest legislative information at the LPITS web site
VERSIONS OF THIS BILL
Indicates Matter Stricken
Indicates New Matter
COMMITTEE REPORT
March 23, 2004
S. 841
Introduced by Senators McConnell, Moore, Martin, Drummond, Ritchie, Ford, Courson, Richardson, Malloy, Kuhn, Ryberg, Leatherman, Thomas, Rankin, Fair, Land, Giese, Gregory, Peeler, Setzler, J. Verne Smith, Alexander and Cromer
S. Printed 3/23/04--S.
Read the first time January 15, 2004.
To whom was referred a Bill (S. 841) to amend Section 1-1-110, Code of Laws of South Carolina, 1976, relating to officers constituting the Executive Department, etc., respectfully
That they have duly and carefully considered the same and recommend that the same do pass with amendment:
Amend the bill, as and if amended, by striking all after the enacting words and inserting therein the following:
SECTION 1. Section 2-13-240(a) of the 1976 Code, as last amended by Act 419 of 1998, is further amended to read:
"(a) Sets of the Code of Laws of South Carolina, 1976, shall be distributed by the Legislative Council as follows:
(1) Governor, three;
(2) Lieutenant Governor, two;
(3) Secretary of State, three;
(4) Treasurer, one;
(5) Attorney General, fifty;
(6) Adjutant General, one;
(7) Comptroller General, two;
(8) Superintendent of Education, two;
(9) Commissioner of Agriculture, two;
(10) each member of the General Assembly, one;
(11) office of the Speaker of the House of Representatives, one;
(12) Clerk of the Senate, one;
(13) Clerk of the House of Representatives, one;
(14) each committee room of the General Assembly, one;
(15) each member of the Legislative Council, one;
(16) Code Commissioner, one;
(17) Legislative Council, ten;
(18) Supreme Court, fourteen;
(19) Court Administration Office, five;
(20) each circuit court judge, one;
(21) each circuit court solicitor, one;
(22) each family court judge, one;
(23) each county court judge, one;
(24) Administrative Law Judge Division, nine;
(25) College of Charleston, one;
(26) The Citadel, two;
(27) Clemson University, three;
(28) Francis Marion College, one;
(29) Lander College, one;
(30) Medical University of South Carolina, two;
(31) South Carolina State College, two;
(32) University of South Carolina, four;
(33) each regional campus of the University of South Carolina, one;
(34) University of South Carolina Law School, forty-six;
(35) Winthrop College, two;
(36) each technical college or center, one;
(37) each county governing body, one;
(38) each county clerk of court and register of deeds where such offices are separate, one;
(39) each county auditor, one;
(40) each county coroner, one;
(41) each county magistrate, one;
(42) each county master in equity, one;
(43) each county probate judge, one;
(44) each county public library, one;
(45) each county sheriff, one;
(46) each public defender, one;
(47) each county superintendent of education, one;
(48) each county treasurer, one;
(49) Library of Congress, three;
(50) United States Supreme Court, one;
(51) each member of Congress from South Carolina, one;
(52) each state library which furnishes this State a free set of its Code of Laws, one;
(53) Division of Aeronautics of the Department of Commerce Transportation, one;
(54) Department of Alcohol and other Drug Abuse Services, one RESERVED;
(55) Department of Archives and History, one;
(56) Board of Bank Control, one;
(57) Commissioner of Banking, one;
(58) Budget and Control Board:
(a) Auditor, six Executive Director, two;
(b) General Services Division, six Auditor, three;
(c) Personnel Division, one Statehouse, Legislative and Judicial Facilities Operations Division, two;
(d) Research and Statistical Services Division, one Budget and Analyses Division; one;
(e) Retirement System Division, one;
(f) Insurance and Grants Services Division, one;
(g) Procurement Services Division, one;
(h) Strategic Planning and Operations Division, one;
(i) Internal Audit and Performance Review Division, one;
(j) Office of State Chief Information Officer, one;
(59) Children's Bureau, one RESERVED;
(60) Department of Consumer Affairs, one;
(61) Department of Corrections, two;
(62) Criminal Justice Academy, one;
(63) Department of Commerce, five;
(64) Employment Security Commission, two;
(65) Ethics Commission, one;
(66) Forestry Commission, one;
(67) Department of Health and Environmental Control, five
(67A) Department of Health and Human Services:
(a) Division of Administration, one;
(b) Division of Behavioral Health Services, two;
(c) Division of Human Services, five;
(d) Division of Advocacy and Service Coordination, three;
(68) Department of Transportation, five;
(69) Department of Public Safety, five;
(70) Human Affairs Commission, one;
(71) Workers' Compensation Commission, seven;
(72) Department of Insurance, two;
(73) Department of Juvenile Justice and Aftercare, one;
(74) Department of Labor, Licensing and Regulation, two;
(75) South Carolina Law Enforcement Division, four;
(76) Legislative Audit Council, one;
(77) State Library, three;
(78) Department of Mental Health, three RESERVED;
(79) Department of Disabilities and Special Needs, five;
(80) Ports Authority, one;
(81) Department of Probation, Parole and Pardon, two;
(82) Public Service Commission, three;
(83) Department of Social Services, two RESERVED;
(84) Department of Revenue, six;
(85) Board for Technical and Comprehensive Education, one;
(86) Veterans' Affairs Division of the Governor's office, one;
(87) Vocational Rehabilitation, one;
(88) Department of Natural Resources, four;
(89) Department of Administration, five."
SECTION 1. Chapter 30, Title 1 of the 1976 Code, as last amended by Act 51 of 2003, is further amended to read:
"Section 1-30-10. (A) There are hereby created, within the executive branch of the state government, the following departments:
1. Department of Agriculture
2. Department of Alcohol and Other Drug Abuse Services
3. Department of Commerce
4. Department of Corrections
5. Department of Disabilities and Special Needs
6. Department of Education
7. Department of Health and Environmental Control
8. Department of Health and Human Services
9. Department of Insurance
10. Department of Juvenile Justice
11. Department of Labor, Licensing, and Regulation
12. Department of Mental Health
13. Department of Natural Resources
14. Department of Parks, Recreation and Tourism
15. Department of Probation, Parole, and Pardon Services
16. Department of Public Safety
17. Department of Revenue
18. Department of Social Services
19. Department of Transportation
a. Department of Administration
b. Department of Agriculture
c. Department of Commerce
d. Department of Corrections
e. Department of Disabilities and Special Needs
f. Department of Education
g. Department of Health and Environmental Control
h. Department of Health and Human Services
i. Department of Insurance
j. Department of Juvenile Justice
k. Department of Labor, Licensing and Regulation
l. Department of Motor Vehicles
m. Department of Natural Resources
n. Department of Parks, Recreation and Tourism
o. Department of Probation, Parole and Pardon Services
p. Department of Public Safety
q. Department of Revenue
r. Department of Transportation
(B)(1) The governing authority of each department shall be either:
(i) a director, and in the case of the Department of Commerce, the or a secretary, who must be appointed by the Governor with the advice and consent of the Senate, subject to removal from office by the Governor pursuant to provisions of Section 1-3-240(B); or,
(ii) a seven member board to be appointed and constituted in a manner provided for by law; or,
(iii) in the case of the Department of Agriculture and the Department of Education, the State Commissioner of Agriculture and the State Superintendent of Education, respectively, elected to office under the Constitution of this State.
(2) In making appointments to boards and an appointment for a governing authority of a department directors, race, gender, and other demographic factors should be considered to assure nondiscrimination, inclusion, and representation to the greatest extent possible of all segments of the population of this State; however, consideration of these factors in no way creates a cause of action or basis for an employee grievance for a person appointed or for a person who fails to be appointed. The Governor in making the appointments provided for by this section shall endeavor to appoint individuals who have demonstrated exemplary managerial skills in either the public or private sector.
(C)(1) Each department shall be organized into appropriate divisions subdivisions by the governing authority of the department through further consolidation or further subdivision. The power to organize and reorganize the department supersedes any provision of law to the contrary pertaining to individual divisions; provided, however, the into divisions lies with the General Assembly in furtherance of its mandate pursuant to Article XII of the South Carolina Constitution. The dissolution of any division must receive legislative approval by authorization included in the annual general appropriations act likewise be statutorily approved by the General Assembly.
Any other approval procedures for department reorganization in effect on the effective date of this act no longer apply.
(2) Notwithstanding the provisions of subsection (C)(1), the Department of Health and Human Services is organized pursuant to Section 1-30-50, Chapter 6, Title 44, and as otherwise provided by law.
(D) The governing authority of a department is vested with the duty of overseeing, managing, and controlling the operation, administration, and organization of the department. The governing authority has the power to create and appoint standing or ad hoc advisory committees in its discretion or at the direction of the Governor to assist the department in particular areas of public concern or professional expertise as is deemed appropriate. Such committees shall serve at the pleasure of the governing authority and committee members shall not receive salary or per diem, but shall be entitled to reimbursement for actual and necessary expenses incurred pursuant to the discharge of official duties not to exceed the per diem, mileage, and subsistence amounts allowed by law for members of boards, commissions, and committees.
(E) The governing authority of a department director may appoint deputy directors to head the divisions of their department, with each deputy director managing one or more of the divisions; in the case of the Department of Commerce, the Secretary of Commerce may appoint a departmental executive director and also may appoint directors to manage the various divisions of the Department of Commerce and in the case of the Department of Health and Human Services, the Secretary shall appoint undersecretaries to manage the divisions within the Department of Health and Human Services. In making appointments race, gender, and other demographic factors should be considered to assure nondiscrimination, inclusion, and representation to the greatest extent possible of all segments of the population of this State; however, consideration of these factors in making an appointment in no way creates a cause of action or basis for an employee grievance for a person appointed or for a person who fails to be appointed. Deputy directors serve at the will and pleasure of the department director. The deputy director of a division is vested with the duty of overseeing, managing, and controlling the operation and administration of the division under the direction and control of the department director and performing such other duties as delegated by the department director.
(F)(1) In the event a vacancy should occur occurs in the office of department director the department's governing authority at a time when the General Assembly is not in session, the Governor may temporarily fill the vacancy pursuant to Section 1-3-210.
(2) Notwithstanding the provisions of subitem (F)(1), as of July 1, 1993, for each department created pursuant to the provisions of this act which must be governed by a single director, an initial interim director shall serve as the governing authority, serving until January 31, 1994. During that period the following departments must be governed by the director or interim director of the following agencies as of June 30, 1993:
(i) Department of Corrections, created pursuant to Section 1-30-30, by the director of the former Department of Corrections;
(ii) Department of Juvenile Justice created pursuant to Section 1-30-60, by the interim director of the former Department of Youth Services;
(iii) Department of Probation, Parole, and Pardon Services created pursuant to Section 1-30-85 by the director of the former Department of Probation, Pardon and Parole;
(iv) Department of Social Services created pursuant to Section 1-30-100, by the director of the former Department of Social Services;
(v) Department of Parks, Recreation and Tourism created pursuant to Section 1-30-80, by the director of the former Department of Parks, Recreation and Tourism;
(vi) Department of Commerce created pursuant to Section 1-30-25, by the Executive Director of the former State Development Board;
(vii) Department of Alcohol and Other Drug Abuse Services created pursuant to Section 1-30-20, by the director of the former South Carolina Commission on Alcohol and Drug Abuse.
(3) As of December 1, 1993, the Governor must submit to the Senate the names of appointees to the permanent department directorships for those departments created on July 1, 1993 and February 1, 1994. If no person has been appointed and qualified for a directorship as of February 1, 1994, the Governor may appoint an interim director to serve pursuant to the provisions of (F)(1).
(4) Notwithstanding provisions of (2) and (3) to the contrary, the initial interim director of the Department of Public Safety shall be appointed by the Budget and Control Board. The initial interim director may be appointed as the permanent director of the department by the Governor.
(G)(1) Department and agency governing authorities must, no later than the first day of the 1994 2005 legislative session and every twelve months thereafter for the following three years, submit to the Governor and General Assembly reports giving detailed and comprehensive recommendations for the purposes of merging or eliminating duplicative or unnecessary divisions, programs, or personnel within each department to provide a more efficient administration of government services. If an agency or department has no recommendations for restructuring of divisions, programs, or personnel, its report must contain a statement to that effect. Upon their receipt by the President of the Senate and the Speaker of the House, these reports must be referred as information to the standing committees of the respective bodies most jurisdictionally related in subject matter to each agency. Alternatively, the House and Senate may provide by rule for the referral of these reports. Thereafter, The Governor shall must periodically consult with the governing authorities of the various departments and upon such consultation, the Governor shall must submit a report of any restructuring recommendations to the General Assembly for its review and consideration.
(2) The Governor shall report to the General Assembly no later than the second Tuesday in January of 1994, his recommendation for restructuring the following offices and divisions presently under his direct supervision, and as to how each might be restructured within other appropriate departments or divisions amended by this act:
(i) Office of Executive Policy and Programs;
(ii) Office of Energy Programs;
(iii) Office of Personnel and Program Services;
(iv) Office of Research;
(v) Division of Health;
(vi) Division of Economic Opportunity;
(vii) Division of Economic of Development;
(viii) Division of Ombudsman and Citizens' Services;
(ix) Division of Education;
(x) Division of Natural Resources;
(xi) Division of Human Services.
Department and agency governing authorities must, no later than the first day of the 2005 legislative session, and every three years thereafter, submit to the Governor and the General Assembly a three-year plan that provides initiatives and/or planned actions that implement cost savings and increased efficiencies of services and responsibilities within the projected three-year period.
(H) Department governing authorities must submit to the General Assembly by the first day of the 1994 legislative session and every five years thereafter a mission statement that must be approved by the General Assembly by Joint Resolution. Reserved
Section 1-30-15. Effective on July 1, 1993, the following agencies, boards, and commissions, including all of the allied, advisory, affiliated, or related entities as well as the employees, funds, property and all contractual rights and obligations associated with any such agency, except for those subdivisions specifically included under another department, are hereby transferred to and incorporated in and shall be administered as part of the Department of Agriculture:
Department of Agriculture, formerly provided for at Section 46-39-10, et seq.
Section 1-30-20. (A) Effective on July 1, 1993, the following agencies, boards, and commissions, including all of the allied, advisory, affiliated, or related entities as well as the employees, funds, property and all contractual rights and obligations associated with any such agency, except for those subdivisions specifically included under another department, are hereby transferred to and incorporated in and shall be administered as part of the Department of Alcohol and Other Drug Abuse Services:
(A)(1) South Carolina Commission on Alcohol and Drug Abuse, formerly provided for at Section 44-49-10, et seq.;
(B)(2) Drug-free Schools and Communities Program in the Governor's Office, provided for under grant programs.
(B) Effective on July 1, 2004, the Department of Alcohol and Other Drug Abuse Services, as contained in subsection (A), including all allied, advisory, affiliated, or related entities as well as the employees, funds, property and all contractual rights and obligations associated with the department and these entities, except for those subdivisions specifically included or transferred to another department or division, is transferred to the Department of Health and Human Services, Division of Behavioral Health Services, Bureau of Alcohol and Other Drug Abuse Services, and all powers, duties, obligations, and responsibilities of the Department of Alcohol and Other Drug Abuse Services are devolved upon the Bureau of Alcohol and Other Drug Abuse Services.
Section 1-30-22. (A) Effective January 1, 2005, the following divisions, offices, programs, or components are transferred to and incorporated in the Department of Administration, which shall be a department of the executive branch of state government headed by a director appointed by the Governor as provided in Section 1-30-10(B)(1)(i):
(1) the Division of General Services of the Budget and Control Board;
(2) the Office of Energy in the Insurance and Grants Services Division of the Budget and Control Board;
(3) the Office of Administrative Services of the Office of the Governor.
(B) Effective January 1, 2005, the Office of State Inspector General in the Department of Administration is established in Chapter 8 of Title 1.
(C) Each transferred office must be maintained as a distinct component of the Department of Administration. Any funds appropriated to a distinct component of the department must not be transferred to another component. Any funds appropriated to the department, and not to a distinct component of the department, may be used at the discretion of the director.
(D) Where the provisions of this act transfer offices, or portions thereof, of the Budget and Control Board or the Office of the Governor to the Department of Administration, the employees, authorized appropriations, and assets and liabilities of the transferred offices are also transferred to and become part of the Department of Administration. All classified or unclassified personnel employed by these offices on the effective date of this section, either by contract or by employment at will, shall become employees of the Department of Administration, with the same compensation, classification, and grade level, as applicable. The Executive Director of the Budget and Control Board and the Office of the Governor shall cause all necessary actions to be taken to accomplish this transfer.
(E) Regulations promulgated by these transferred offices as they formerly existed under the Budget and Control Board or Office of the Governor are continued and are considered to be promulgated by these offices under the newly created Department of Administration.
(F)(1) As used in this subsection:
(a) 'immediate family' means a person who is:
(i) a spouse;
(ii) a child residing in the same household; or
(iii) claimed as a dependent for income tax purposes
(b) 'vendor' means a person or entity who provides or proposes to provide goods or services in excess of an aggregate amount of four hundred thousand dollars to the department pursuant to a contract or contracts for one or more projects within a fiscal year, but does not include an employee of the division, a state agency, or an instrumentality of the State. The term includes a corporation whose shares are traded publicly and which is the parent company of the contracting party in a procurement contract.
(2) A vendor must not pay, give, or otherwise make available anything of value in violation of provisions of the South Carolina Ethics Reform Act. A person who violates the act is subject to the provisions of Sections 11-35-4220 and 11-35-4230.
(3) A vendor who has entered into the competitive solicitation process for a contract or contracts or who has been awarded a contract or contracts with the department shall not contribute to or make independent expenditures relative to the campaign of a candidate for the General Assembly or a statewide constitutional office, to a political party, as defined in Section 8-13-1300(26), or to a committee, as defined in Section 8-13-1300(6), during the competitive solicitation process or during the term of the contract or contracts.
(4) The prohibition in item (3) specifically applies to the officer or board member of a vendor, holders of an interest in a vendor of more than ten percent, and their immediate family members.
Section 1-30-25. (A) Effective on July 1, 1993, the following agencies, boards, and commissions, including all of the allied, advisory, affiliated, or related entities as well as the employees, funds, property, and all contractual rights and obligations associated with any such agency, except for those subdivisions specifically included under another department, are hereby transferred to and incorporated in and shall be administered as part of the Department of Commerce to be initially divided into divisions for Aeronautics, Advisory Coordinating Council for Economic Development, State Development, Public Railways, and Savannah Valley Development:
(A)(1) South Carolina Aeronautics Commission, formerly provided for at Section 55-5-10, et seq. Reserved;
(B)(2) Coordinating Council for Economic Development, formerly provided for at Section 41-45-30, et seq.;
(C)(3) Savannah Valley Authority, formerly provided for at Section 13-9-10, et seq.;
(D)(4) State Development Board, including the South Carolina Film Office, formerly provided for at Section 13-3-10, et seq., except that the department must make reasonable rules and promulgate reasonable regulations to ensure that funds made available to film projects through its Film Office are budgeted and spent so as to further the following objectives:
(1)(a) stimulation of economic activity to develop the potentialities of the State;
(2)(b) conservation, restoration, and development of the natural and physical, the human and social, and the economic and productive resources of the State;
(3)(c) promotion of a system of transportation for the State, through development and expansion of the highway, railroad, port, waterway, and airport systems;
(4)(d) promotion and correlation of state and local activity in planning public works projects;
(5)(e) promotion of public interest in the development of the State through cooperation with public agencies, private, enterprises, and charitable and social institutions;
(6)(f) encouragement of industrial development, private business, commercial enterprise, agricultural production, transportation, and the utilization and investment of capital within the State;
(7)(g) assistance in the development of existing state and interstate trade, commerce, and markets for South Carolina goods and in the removal of barriers to the industrial, commercial, and agricultural development of the State;
(8)(h) assistance in ensuring stability in employment, increasing the opportunities for employment of the citizens of the State, devising ways and means to raise the living standards of the people of the State; and
(9)(i) enhancement of the general welfare of the people;
(E)(5) South Carolina Public Railways Commission, formerly provided for at Section 58-19-10, et seq.
Section 1-30-30. Effective on July 1, 1993, the following agencies, boards, and commissions, including all of the allied, advisory, affiliated, or related entities as well as the employees, funds, property and all contractual rights and obligations associated with any such agency, except for those subdivisions specifically included under another department, are hereby transferred to and incorporated in and shall be administered as part of the Department of Corrections:
Department of Corrections, formerly provided for at Section 24-1-10, et seq.
Section 1-30-35. Effective on July 1, 1993, the following agencies, boards, and commissions, including all of the allied, advisory, affiliated, or related entities as well as the employees, funds, property and all contractual rights and obligations associated with any such agency, except for those subdivisions specifically included under another department, are hereby transferred to and incorporated in and shall be administered as part of the Department of Disabilities and Special Needs to be initially divided into divisions for Mental Retardation, Head and Spinal Cord Injury, and Autism; provided, however, that the board of the former Department of Mental Retardation as constituted on June 30, 1993, and thereafter, under the provisions of Section 44-19-10, et seq., shall be the governing authority for the department.
(A)(1) Department of Mental Health Autism programs, formerly provided for at Section 44-9-10, et seq.;
(B)(2) Head and Spinal Cord Injury Information System, formerly provided for at Section 44-38-10, et seq.;
(C)(3) Department of Mental Retardation, formerly provided for at Section 44-19-10, et seq.
Section 1-30-40. (A) Effective on July 1, 1993, the following agencies, boards, and commissions, including all of the allied, advisory, affiliated, or related entities as well as the employees, funds, property and all contractual rights and obligations associated with any such agency, except for those subdivisions specifically included under another department, are hereby transferred to and incorporated in and shall be administered as part of the Department of Education:
State Department of Education, provided for at Section 59-5-10, et seq.
(B) Effective on July 1, 2004, First Steps to School Readiness, as provided for in Section 59-152-10 et. seq., including all allied, advisory, affiliated, or related entities as well as the employees, funds, property, and all contractual rights and obligations associated with this entity, except for those subdivisions specifically included or transferred to another department or division, are transferred to the Department of Education, Bureau of First Steps to School Readiness, and all powers, duties, obligations, and responsibilities of this entity are devolved upon the Department of Education, Bureau of First Steps School Readiness.
(C) Regulations promulgated by these transferred offices as they formerly existed are continued and are considered to be promulgated by these offices under the newly created Department of Education.
Section 1-30-45. Effective on July 1, 1994, the following agencies, boards, and commissions, including all of the allied, advisory, affiliated, or related entities as well as the employees, funds, property and all contractual rights and obligations associated with any such agency, except for those subdivisions specifically included under another department, are hereby transferred to and incorporated in and shall be administered as part of the Department of Health and Environmental Control and to include a coastal division:
(A)(1) Department of Health and Environmental Control, formerly provided for at Section 44-1-10, et seq.;
(B)(2) South Carolina Coastal Council, formerly provided for at Section 48-39-10, et seq.;
(C)(3) State Land Resources Conservation Commission regulatory division, formerly provided for at Section 48-9-10, et seq.;
(D)(4) Water Resources Commission regulatory division, formerly provided for at Section 49-3-10, et seq.
Section 1-30-50. (A) Effective on July 1, 1995, the following agencies, boards, and commissions, including all of the allied, advisory, affiliated, or related entities as well as the employees, funds, property and all contractual rights and obligations associated with any such agency, except for those subdivisions specifically included under another department, are hereby transferred to and incorporated in and shall be administered as part of the Department of Health and Human Services:
Department of Health and Human Services Finance Commission, formerly provided for at Section 44-6-10, et seq.
(B) Effective on July 1, 2004, the following agencies, boards, and commissions, including all allied, advisory, affiliated, or related entities as well as the employees, funds, property and all contractual rights and obligations associated with these agencies, boards, commissions, and these entities, except for those subdivisions specifically included or transferred to another department, are transferred to the Department of Health and Human Services, and all powers, duties, obligations, and responsibilities of these agencies, boards, and commissions are devolved upon the Department of Health and Human Services:
(1) Department of Health and Human Services, as constituted in subsection (A);
(2) Department of Alcohol and Other Drug Abuse Services, as formerly constituted in Section 1-30-20(A);
(3) Department of Mental Health, as formerly constituted in Section 1-30-70(A);
(4) Department of Social Services, as formerly constituted in Section 1-30-100(A);
(5) State Aging Network, as may be provided for in law or otherwise;
(6) Division of Aging, as formerly constituted in Section 1-30-110(A);
(7) Division for the Review of Foster Care of Children, as formerly constituted in Section 1-30-110(A);
(8) Reserved;
(9) Continuum of Care of Emotionally Disturbed Children, as formerly constituted in Section 1-30-110(A);
(10) Children's Case Resolution System, as formerly provided for in Section 20-7-5230 et seq.;
(11) Long Term Care Ombudsman Program, as formerly provided for in Section 48-38-10 et seq.
(C) Each transferred office must be maintained as a distinct component of the Department of Health and Human Services. Any funds appropriated to a distinct component of the department must not be transferred to another component. Any funds appropriated to the department, and not to a distinct component of the department, may be used at the discretion of the director.
(D) Where the provisions of this act transfer offices, or portions thereof, to the new Department of Health and Human Services, the employees, authorized appropriations, and assets and liabilities of the transferred offices are also transferred to and become part of the Department of Health and Human Services. All classified or unclassified personnel employed by these offices on the effective date of this section, either by contract or by employment at will, shall become employees of the Department of Health and Human Services, with the same compensation, classification, and grade level, as applicable.
(E) Regulations promulgated by these transferred offices as they formerly existed are continued and are considered to be promulgated by these offices under the newly created Department of Health and Human Services.
Section 1-30-55. Effective on July 1, 1995, the following agencies, boards, and commissions, including all of the allied, advisory, affiliated, or related entities as well as the employees, funds, property and all contractual rights and obligations associated with any such agency, except for those subdivisions specifically included under another department, are hereby transferred to and incorporated in and shall be administered as part of the Department of Insurance:
Department of Insurance, formerly provided for at Section 38-3-10, et seq.
Section 1-30-60. Effective on July 1, 1993, the following agencies, boards, and commissions, including all of the allied, advisory, affiliated, or related entities as well as the employees, funds, property and all contractual rights and obligations associated with any such agency, except for those subdivisions specifically included under another department, are hereby transferred to and incorporated in and shall be administered as part of the Department of Juvenile Justice:
Department of Youth Services, formerly provided for at Section 20-7-6805, et seq.
Section 1-30-65. Effective on February 1, 1994, the following agencies, boards, and commissions, including all of the allied, advisory, affiliated, or related entities as well as the employees, funds, property and all contractual rights and obligations associated with any such agency, except for those subdivisions specifically included under another department, are hereby transferred to and incorporated in and shall be administered as part of the Department of Labor, Licensing, and Regulation to be initially divided into divisions for Labor, State Fire Marshal, and Professional and Occupational Licensing:
(A) Fire Marshal Division of Budget & Control Board, formerly provided for at Section 23-9-10, et seq.;
(B) Department of Labor, formerly provided for at Title 12, Chapter 37; Title 46, Chapter 43; and Title 41, Chapters 1-25;
(C) Professional and Occupational Licensing Boards including:
Accountancy Board, formerly provided for at Section 40-1-10, et seq.;
Architectural Board of Examiners, formerly provided for at Section 40-3-10, et seq.;
Athletic Commission, formerly provided for at Section 52-7-10, et seq.;
Auctioneers Commission, formerly provided for at Section 40-6-10, et seq.;
Barber Examiners Board, formerly provided for at Section 40-7-10, et seq.;
Barrier Free Design Board, formerly provided for at Section 10-5-210, et seq.;
Building Code Council, formerly provided for at Section 6-9-60, et seq.;
Burglar Alarm Business, formerly provided for at Section 40-79-10, et seq.;
Chiropractic Examiners Board, formerly provided for at Section 40-9-10, et seq.;
Contractors Licensing Board, formerly provided for at Section 40-11-10, et seq.;
Cosmetology Board, formerly provided for at Section 40-13-10, et seq.;
Dentistry Board, formerly provided for at Section 40-15-10, et seq.;
Embalmers and Funeral Directors/Funeral Service Board, formerly provided for at Section 40-19-10, et seq.;
Engineers and Land Surveyors Board, formerly provided for at Section 40-21-10, et seq.;
Environmental Systems Operators Board, formerly provided for at Section 40-23-10, et seq.;
Fire Sprinkler Contractors Board, formerly provided for at Section 23-45-10, et seq.;
Foresters Registration Board, formerly provided for at Section 48-27-10, et seq.;
Geologists Registration Board, formerly provided for at Section 40-77-10, et seq.;
Harbor Pilots/Pilotage Commission, formerly provided for at Section 54-15-40, et seq.;
Liquefied Petroleum Gas Board, formerly provided for at Section 39-43-20, et seq.;
Manufactured Housing Board, formerly provided for at Section 40-29-10, et seq.;
Modular Appeals Board, formerly provided for at Section 23-43-50, et seq.;
Nursing Board, formerly provided for at Section 40-33-10, et seq.;
Nursing Home Administrators Board, formerly provided for at Section 40-35-10, et seq.;
Occupational Therapy Board, formerly provided for at Section 40-36-10, et seq.;
Optometry Board, formerly provided for at Section 40-37-10, et seq.;
Opticianry Board, formerly provided for at Section 40-38-10, et seq.;
Pharmacy Board, formerly provided for at Section 40-43-10, et seq.;
Physical Therapy Examiners, formerly provided for at Section 40-45-10, et seq.;
Physicians, Surgeons and Osteopaths/Board of Medical Examiners, formerly provided for at Section 40-47-10, et seq.;
Podiatry Examiners, formerly provided for at Section 40-51-10, et seq.;
Professional Counselors, Marital and Family Therapists, formerly provided for at Section 40-75-10, et seq.;
Psychology Board of Examiners, formerly provided for at Section 40-55-20, et seq.;
Pyrotechnic Safety Board, formerly provided for at Section 40-56-10, et seq.;
Real Estate Commission regulating Real Estate Brokers, Counsellors Counselors, Salesmen, Auctioneers, and Property Managers, formerly provided for at Section 40-57-10 et seq., and Real Estate Appraisers Board, formerly provided for at Section 40-60-10 et seq.;
Residential Home Builders Board, formerly provided for at Section 40-59-10, et seq.;
Social Worker Board of Examiners, formerly provided for at Section 40-63-10, et seq.;
Speech/Language Pathology and Audiology Board of Examiners, formerly provided for at Section 40-67-10, et seq.;
Veterinary Medical Examiners, formerly provided for at Section 40-69-10, et seq.
Section 1-30-70. (A) Effective on July 1, 1993, the following agencies, boards, and commissions, including all of the allied, advisory, affiliated, or related entities as well as the employees, funds, property and all contractual rights and obligations associated with any such agency, except for those subdivisions specifically included under another department, are hereby transferred to and incorporated in and shall be administered as part of the Department of Mental Health to include a Children's Services Division and shall include:
Department of Mental Health, provided for at Section 44-9-10, et seq.
(B) Effective on July 1, 2004, the Department of Mental Health, as contained in subsection (A), including all allied, advisory, affiliated, or related entities as well as the employees, funds, property and all contractual rights and obligations associated with the department and these entities, except for those subdivisions specifically included or transferred to another department or division, is transferred to the Department of Health and Human Services, Division of Behavioral Health Services, Bureau of Mental Health and all powers, duties, obligations, and responsibilities of the Department of Mental Health are devolved upon the Department of Health and Human Services, Division of Behavioral Health Services, Bureau of Mental Health.
Section 1-30-75. Effective on July 1, 1994, the following agencies, boards, and commissions, including all of the allied, advisory, affiliated, or related entities as well as the employees, funds, property, and all contractual rights and obligations associated with the agency, except for those subdivisions specifically included under another department, are transferred to and incorporated in, and must be administered as part of the Department of Natural Resources. The department must be divided initially into divisions for Land Resources and Conservation Districts, Water Resources, Marine Resources, Wildlife and Freshwater Fisheries, and State Natural Resources Enforcement. The South Carolina Wildlife and Marine Resources Commission, as constituted on June 30, 1993, and after that time, under the provisions of Section 50-3-10 et seq. is the governing authority for the department:
(1) Geological Survey of the Research and Statistical Services Division of the Budget and Control Board, to include the State Geologist, formerly provided for at Section 1-11-10, et seq.;
(2) State Land Resources Conservation Commission, less the regulatory division, formerly provided for at Section 48-9-10, et seq.;
(3) South Carolina Migratory Waterfowl Commission, formerly provided for at Section 50-11-20, et seq.;
(4) Water Resources Commission, less the regulatory division, formerly provided for at Section 49-3-10, et seq.;
(5) South Carolina Wildlife and Marine Resources Commission, formerly provided for at Section 50-3-10, et seq.
Section 1-30-80. Effective on July 1, 1993, the following agencies, boards, and commissions, including all of the allied, advisory, affiliated, or related entities as well as the employees, funds, property, and all contractual rights and obligations associated with any such agency, except for those subdivisions specifically included under another department, are hereby transferred to and incorporated in and shall be administered as part of the Department of Parks, Recreation and Tourism to include a Parks, Recreation and Tourism Division and Film Division.
Department of Parks, Recreation and Tourism, formerly provided for at Sections 51-1-10, 51-3-10, 51-7-10, 51-9-10 and 51-11-10, et seq.
Section 1-30-85. Effective on July 1, 1993, the following agencies, boards, and commissions, including all of the allied, advisory, affiliated, or related entities as well as the employees, funds, property and all contractual rights and obligations associated with any such agency, except for those subdivisions specifically included under another department, are hereby transferred to and incorporated in and must be administered as part of the Department of Probation, Parole, and Pardon Services:
Department of Probation, Pardon, and Parole, formerly provided for at Section 24-21-10, et seq.
Section 1-30-90. The following agencies, boards, and commissions, including all of the allied, advisory, affiliated, or related entities, as well as the employees, funds, property and all contractual rights and obligations associated with any such agency, except for those subdivisions specifically included under another department, are hereby transferred to and incorporated in and shall be administered as part of the Department of Public Safety to be initially divided into divisions for Highway Patrol, State Police, and Training and Continuing Education.
(A) Law Enforcement Hall of Fame, formerly provided for in Section 23-25-10, et seq.;
(B) State Highway Patrol, formerly provided for in Section 23-5-10, et seq.;
(C) Public Service Commission Safety Enforcement, formerly provided in Section 58-3-310;
(D) Law Enforcement Training Council, formerly provided for in Section 23-23-30, et seq.;
(E) Public Safety Division, formerly of the Governor's Office.
Section 1-30-95. The following agencies, boards, and commissions, including all of the allied, advisory, affiliated, or related entities as well as the employees, funds, property and all contractual rights and obligations associated with any such agency, except for those subdivisions specifically included under another department, are hereby transferred to and incorporated in and shall be administered as part of the Department of Revenue to be initially divided into divisions for Alcohol Beverage Control and Tax; provided, however, that from July 1, 1993, until February 1, 1995, the governing authority of the department shall be the commissioners of the Tax Commission, as constituted June 30, 1993, and thereafter, pursuant to the provisions of Section 12-3-10, et seq.;
(A) Licensing Division of Alcoholic Beverage Control Commission, formerly provided for at Section 61-1-10, et seq.;
(B) Tax Commission, formerly provided for at Section 12-3-10, et seq.
Section 1-30-100. (A) Effective on July 1, 1993, the following agencies, boards, and commissions, including all of the allied, advisory, affiliated, or related entities as well as the employees, funds, property and all contractual rights and obligations associated with any such agency, except for those subdivisions specifically included under another department, are hereby transferred to and incorporated in and shall be administered as part of the Department of Social Services:
Department of Social Services, formerly provided for at Section 43-1-10, et seq.
(B) Effective on July 1, 2004, the Department of Social Services, as contained in subsection (A), including all allied, advisory, affiliated, or related entities as well as the employees, funds, property and all contractual rights and obligations associated with the department and these entities, except for those subdivisions specifically included or transferred to another department or division, is transferred to the Department of Health and Human Services, Division of Human Services, Bureau of Social Services, and all powers, duties, obligations, and responsibilities of the Department of Social Services are devolved upon the Department of Health and Human Services, Division of Human Services, Bureau of Social Services.
Section 1-30-105. (A) Effective on July 1, 1993, the following agencies, boards, and commissions, including all of the allied, advisory, affiliated, or related entities as well as the employees, funds, property and all contractual rights and obligations associated with any such agency, except for those subdivisions specifically included under another department, are hereby transferred to and incorporated in and shall be administered as part of the Department of Transportation to be initially divided into divisions for Mass Transit, Construction and Maintenance, Engineering and Planning, Finance and Administration; provided, however, that the State Highway Commission as constituted on June 30, 1993, under the provisions of Title 56, shall be the governing authority for the department until February 15, 1994, or as soon as its successors are elected or appointed and qualified, whichever is later:
Department of Highways and Public Transportation, except Motor Vehicle Division and State Highway Patrol, formerly provided for at Section 56-1-10, et seq.
(B) Effective on July 1, 2004, the following agencies, boards, and commissions, including all of the allied, advisory, affiliated, or related entities as well as the employees, funds, property, and all contractual rights and obligations associated with any of these agencies, except for those subdivisions specifically included under another department, are transferred to and incorporated in and must be administered as part of the Department of Transportation to be divided into divisions for Aeronautics, Mass Transit, Construction and Maintenance, Engineering and Planning, and Finance and Administration:
(1) Department of Highways and Public Transportation, except the Motor Vehicle Division and State Highway Patrol, formerly provided for at Section 56-1-10, et seq.;
(2) South Carolina Aeronautics Commission, formerly provided for at Section 55-5-10, et seq.
Section 1-30-110. (A) Effective July 1, 1993, the following agencies, boards, and commissions, including all of the allied, advisory, affiliated, or related entities as well as the employees, funds, property and all contractual rights and obligations associated with any such agency, except for those subdivisions specifically included under another department, are hereby transferred to and incorporated in and shall be administered as part of the office of the Governor:
(1) Continuum of Care for Emotionally Disturbed Children provided for at Section 20-7-5610, et seq.;
(2) Guardian Ad Litem Program, formerly provided for at Section 20-7-121, et seq.;
(3) State Office of Victim's Assistance, formerly provided for at Section 16-3-1110, et seq.;
(4) Department of Veterans Affairs, formerly provided for at Section 25-11-10, et seq.;
(5) Commission on Women, formerly provided for at Section 1-15-10, et seq.;
(6) Commission on Aging, formerly provided for at Section 43-21-10, et seq.;
(7) Foster Care Review Board, formerly provided for at Section 20-7-2376, et seq.;
(B) Effective July 1, 2004, the following agencies, boards, and commissions, including all of the allied, advisory, affiliated, or related entities as well as the employees, funds, property and all contractual rights and obligations associated with any such agency, except for those subdivisions specifically included or transferred to another department, are transferred to and incorporated in and shall be administered as part of the Office of the Governor:
(1) State Office of Victims' Assistance;
(2) Department of Veterans Affairs; and
(3) Commission on Women.
(C) Effective July 1, 2004, the following agencies, boards, and commissions, as contained in subsection (A), including all allied, advisory, affiliated, or related entities as well as the employees, funds, property and all contractual rights and obligations associated with these entities, except for those subdivisions specifically included or transferred to another department or division, are transferred to the Department of Health and Human Services, Division of Advocacy and Coordination of Client Services:
(1) Continuum of Care for Emotionally Disturbed Children; and
(2) Division for the Review of the Foster Care of Children.
(D) Effective July 1, 2004, the following agencies, boards, and commissions, as contained in subsection (A), including all allied, advisory, affiliated, or related entities as well as the employees, funds, property and all contractual rights and obligations associated with these entities, except for those subdivisions specifically included or transferred to another department or division, are transferred to the Department of Health and Human Services, Division of Human Services, Bureau of Senior and Adult Protection Services:
Commission on Aging, formerly provided for at Section 43-21-10, et seq.
(E) Effective July 1, 2004, the following agencies, boards, and commissions, as contained in subsection (A), including all allied, advisory, affiliated, or related entities as well as the employees, funds, property and all contractual rights and obligations associated with these entities, except for those subdivisions specifically included or transferred to another department or division, are transferred to the Attorney General's Office:
Guardian ad Litem Program.
Section 1-30-120. Effective July 1, 1993, the following agencies, boards, and commissions, including all of the allied, advisory, affiliated, or related entities as well as the employees, funds, property and all contractual rights and obligations associated with any such agency, except for those subdivisions specifically included under another department, are hereby transferred to and incorporated in and shall be administered as part of the State Law Enforcement Division:
(A) Alcoholic Beverage Control Commission enforcement division, formerly provided for at Section 61-1-60, et seq.;
(B) State Law Enforcement Division, formerly provided for at Section 23-3-10, et seq."
SECTION 1. Section 1-11-20 of the 1976 Code is amended to read:
"Section 1-11-20. (A) The functions of the State Budget and Board shall be are performed, exercised and discharged under the supervision and direction of the Board through three two management entities: (1) the office of Executive Director and (2) the State Auditor; and through eight divisions, the Finance Division (embracing the work of the State Auditor, the former State Budget Commission, the former State Finance Committee and the former Board of Claims for the State of South Carolina), the Purchasing and Property Division (embracing the work of the former Commissioners of the Sinking Fund, the former Board of Phosphate Commissioners, the State Electrician and Engineer, the former Commission on State House and State House Grounds, the central purchasing functions, the former Surplus Procurement Division of the State Research, Planning and Development Board and the Property Custodian) and the Division of Personnel Administration (embracing the work of the former retirement board known as the South Carolina Retirement System and the administration of all laws relating to personnel),: (1) the General Services Division, (2) the Budget and Analyses Division, (3) the Retirement Division, (4) the Insurance and Grants Services Division, (5) the Procurement Services Division, (6) the State Chief Information Officer Division, (7) the Strategic Planning and Operations Division, and (8) the Internal Audit and Performance Review Division. each Each division to consist consists of a director and such the necessary clerical, stenographic, and technical employees as may be necessary, to be employed by the respective directors with the approval of approved by the Board. The State Auditor shall be the director of the Finance Division, ex officio, and the directors of the other divisions shall must be employed by the State Budget and Control Board for such the time and compensation, not greater than the term and compensation for the State Auditor, as shall be fixed by the Board in its judgment.
(B) Notwithstanding subsection (A), as of January 1, 2005, the Division of General Services and the Office of Energy in the Insurance and Grants Services Division are transferred to, and incorporated into, the South Carolina Department of Administration.
(C) On and after January 1, 2005, and subject to the provisions of Section 1-11-22, the Budget and Control Board consists of:
(1) three management entities;
(a) the office of Executive Director;
(b) the State Auditor; and
(c) the Chief Information Officer;
(2) one organizational entity: the Coordinating Council for Cultural and Information Services; and
(3) seven divisions;
(a) Statehouse, Legislative, and Judicial Facilities Operations Division,
(b) the Budget and Analyses Division,
(c) the Retirement Division,
(d) the Insurance and Grants Services Division,
(e) the Procurement Services Division,
(f) the Strategic Planning and Operations Division, and
(g) the Internal Audit and Performance Review Division.
(D) The Cultural and Information Services organizational entity of the Budget and Control Board is established to coordinate the activities of the State Library, The State Museum, the Old Exchange Commission, the Department of Archives and History, the Educational Television Commission, the Arts Commission, and the Confederate Relic Room of the Budget and Control Board."
SECTION 2. Section 1-11-22 of the 1976 Code is amended to read:
"Section 1-11-22. (A) Notwithstanding any other provision of law, the Budget and Control Board may organize its staff as it deems considers most appropriate to carry out the various duties, responsibilities and authorities assigned to it and to its various divisions and management and organizational entities.
(B) To the extent that any statutory provision divides any responsibilities of any division, office, or program of the Budget and Control Board between the board and one or more state agencies, the transfer must not proceed until a realignment plan for the allocation of staff, assets, and resources is prepared and presented by the board's Executive Director, and approved by the board. Upon the board's approval, the office of the Executive Director must provide for the allocation as specified in the realignment plan as soon as practicable.
(C) Notwithstanding any other provision of law, wherever the Budget and Control Board maintains any responsibility related to a program administered by the Department of Administration, whether the responsibility be regulatory, oversight, approval, or other, the board is authorized to expend revenues generated by the programs to support the board's responsibilities related to the programs. The funds may be retained and expended in subsequent fiscal years."
SECTION 3. Chapter 11, Title 1 of the 1976 Code is amended by adding:
"Section 1-11-54. (A) As used in this section:
(1) 'administrative standard' means any requirement imposed by the Department of Administration that is binding upon another state agency;
(2) 'regulation' means any statement of general public applicability that implements or prescribes law or policy or practice requirements of the Department of Administration.
(B) Any administrative standard developed by the Department of Administration must be reviewed and approved by the Budget and Control Board prior to implementation.
(C) Any regulation promulgated by the Department of Administration must be reviewed by the General Assembly as provided in the Administrative Procedures Act, Chapter 23 of Title 1, prior to implementation."
SECTION 4. Sections 1-11-55, 1-11-56, 11-11-57, and 1-11-58, all as added by Act 153 of 1997, are amended to read:
"Section 1-11-55. (1) 'Governmental body' means a state government department, commission, council, board, bureau, committee, institution, college, university, technical school, legislative body, government corporation, or other establishment or official of the executive, judicial, or legislative branches branch of this State. Governmental body excludes the General Assembly, Legislative Council, the Office of Legislative Printing, Information and Technology Systems, the Judicial Department, and all local political subdivisions such as counties, municipalities, school districts, or public service or special purpose districts.
(2) The Budget and Control Board South Carolina Department of Administration, Division of General Services, is hereby designated as the single central broker for the leasing of real property for governmental bodies. No governmental body shall enter into any lease agreement or renew any existing lease except in accordance with the provisions of this section.
(3) When any governmental body needs to acquire real property for its operations or any part thereof and state-owned property is not available, it shall notify the Office Division of General Services of its requirement on rental request forms prepared by the office. Such forms shall indicate the amount and location of space desired, the purpose for which it shall be used, the proposed date of occupancy and such other information as General Services may require. Upon receipt of any such request, General Services shall conduct an investigation of available rental space which would adequately meet the governmental body's requirements, including specific locations which may be suggested and preferred by the governmental body concerned. When suitable space has been located which the governmental body and the office division agree meets necessary requirements and standards for state leasing as prescribed in procedures of the board department as provided for in subsection (5) of this section, General Services shall give its written approval to the governmental body to enter into a lease agreement. All proposed lease renewals shall be submitted to General Services by the time specified by General Services.
(4) The board department shall adopt procedures to be used for governmental bodies to apply for rental space, for acquiring leased space, and for leasing state-owned space to nonstate lessees. Before implementation, these procedures must be submitted to the Budget and Control Board for approval.
(5) Any participant in a property transaction proposed to be entered who maintains that a procedure provided for in this section has not been properly followed, may request review of the transaction by the Director director of the Office Division of General Services of the Department of Administration or his designee.
Section 1-11-56. The State Budget and Control Board Department of Administration, Division of General Services, in an effort to ensure that funds authorized and appropriated for rent are used in the most efficient manner, is directed to develop a program to manage the leasing of all public and private space of state agencies. The department must submit regulations for the implementation of this section to the General Assembly as provided in the Administrative Procedures Act, Chapter 23 of Title 1. The board department regulations, upon General Assembly approval, shall include procedures for:
(1) assessing and evaluating agency needs, including the authority to require agency justification for any request to lease public or private space;
(2) establishing standards for the quality and quantity of space to be leased by a requesting agency;
(3) devising and requiring the use of a standard lease form (approved by the Attorney General) with provisions which assert and protect the state's prerogatives including, but not limited to, a right of cancellation in the event of:
(a) a nonappropriation for the renting agency,
(b) a dissolution of the agency, and
(c) the availability of public space in substitution for private space being leased by the agency;
(4) rejecting an agency's request for additional space or space at a specific location, or both;
(5) directing agencies to be located in public space, when available, before private space can be leased;
(6) requiring the agency to submit a multi-year financial plan for review by the board's budget office Budget and Control Board's Office of State Budget with copies sent to Ways and Means Committee and Senate Finance Committee, before any new lease for space is entered into; and requiring prior review by the Joint Bond Review Committee and the requirement of Budget and Control Board approval before the adoption of any new lease that commits more than one million dollars in a five-year period; and
(7) requiring prior review by the Joint Bond Review Committee and the requirement of Budget and Control Board departmental approval before the adoption of any new lease that commits more than one million dollars in a five-year period.
Section 1-11-57. (1) All transactions involving the exchange of title to real property, made for or by any governmental bodies, excluding political subdivisions of the State, must be recommended by the Department of Administration and approved by and recorded with the State Budget and Control Board. Upon approval of an acquisition of title by any governmental body by the Budget and Control Board, there must be recorded simultaneously with the deed, a certificate of acceptance, which acknowledges the board's approval of the acquisition. The county recording authority cannot accept for recording any deed not accompanied by a certificate of acceptance. The board may exempt a governmental body from the provisions of this subsection.
(2) All state agencies, departments, and institutions authorized by law to accept gifts of tangible personal property shall have executed by its governing body an acknowledgment of acceptance prior to transfer of the tangible personal property to the agency, department, or institution.
Section 1-11-58. (1) Every state agency, as defined by Section 1-19-40, shall annually perform an inventory and prepare a report of all residential and surplus real property owned by it. The report shall be submitted to the State Budget and Control Board Department of Administration, Office Division of General Services, on or before June thirtieth and shall indicate current use, current value, and projected use of the property. Property not currently being utilized for necessary agency operations shall be made available for sale and funds received from the sale of the property shall revert to the general fund.
(2) The Office Division of General Services will shall review the annual reports addressing real property submitted to it and determine the real property which is surplus to the State. A central listing of such property will be maintained for reference in reviewing subsequent property acquisition needs of agencies.
(3) Upon receipt of a request by an agency to acquire additional property, the Office Division of General Services shall review the surplus property list to determine if the agency's needs can may be met from existing state-owned property. If such property is identified, the Office division of General Services shall act as broker in transferring the property to the requesting agency under terms and conditions that are mutually agreeable to the agencies involved.
(4) The Budget and Control Board department may authorize the Office Division of General Services to sell any unassigned surplus real property. The Office of General Services division shall have the discretion to determine the method of disposal to be used, which possible methods include: auction, sealed bids, listing the property with a private broker or any other method determined by the Office of General Services division to be commercially reasonable considering the type and location of property involved."
SECTION 5. Section 1-11-65 of the 1976 Code, as last amended by Act 26 of 1989, is further amended to read:
"Section 1-11-65. (A) All transactions involving real property, made for or by any governmental bodies, excluding political subdivisions of the State, must be recommended by the Department of Administration and approved by and recorded with the State Budget and Control Board. Upon approval of the transaction by the Budget and Control Board, there must be recorded simultaneously with the deed, a certificate of acceptance, which acknowledges the board's approval of the transaction. The county recording authority cannot accept for recording any deed not accompanied by a certificate of acceptance. The board may exempt a governmental body from the provisions of this subsection.
(B) All state agencies, departments, and institutions authorized by law to accept gifts of tangible personal property shall have executed by its governing body an acknowledgment of acceptance prior to transfer of the tangible personal property to the agency, department, or institution."
SECTION 6. Section 1-11-70 of the 1976 Code is amended to read:
"Section 1-11-70. All vacant lands and lands purchased by the former land commissioners of the State shall be are subject to the directions of the State Budget and Control Board Department of Administration."
SECTION 7. Sections 1-11-80, 1-11-90, 1-11-100, and 1-11-110 of the 1976 Code are amended to read:
"Section 1-11-80. The State Budget and Control Board, after consultation with the South Carolina Department of Administration, is authorized to grant easements and rights of way to any person for construction and maintenance of power lines, pipe lines, water and sewer lines and railroad facilities over, on or under such vacant lands or marshland as are owned by the State, upon payment of the reasonable value thereof.
Section 1-11-90. The State Budget and Control Board, after consultation with the South Carolina Department of Administration, may grant to agencies or political subdivisions of the State, without compensation, rights of way through and over such marshlands as are owned by the State for the construction and maintenance of roads, streets and highways or power or pipe lines, if, in the judgment of the Budget and Control Board, the interests of the State will not be adversely affected thereby.
Section 1-11-100. Deeds or other instruments conveying such rights of way or easements over such marshlands or vacant lands as are owned by the State shall be executed by the Governor in the name of the State, when recommended by the South Carolina Department of Administration and authorized by resolution of the Budget and Control Board, duly recorded in the minutes and records of such Board and when duly approved by the office of the Attorney General; deeds or other instruments conveying such easements over property in the name of or under the control of State agencies, institutions, commissions or other bodies shall be executed by the majority of the governing body thereof, shall name both the State of South Carolina and the institution, agency, commission or governing body as grantors, and shall show the written approval of the majority of the members of the State Budget and Control Board.
Section 1-11-110. (1) The State Budget and Control Board, after consultation with the South Carolina Department of Administration, is authorized to acquire real property, including any estate or interest therein, for, and in the name of, the State of South Carolina by gift, purchase, condemnation or otherwise.
(2) The State Budget and Control Board, after consultation with the South Carolina Department of Administration, shall make use of the provisions of the Eminent Domain Procedure Act (Chapter 2 of Title 28) if it is necessary to acquire real property by condemnation. The actions must be maintained by and in the name of the Board. The right of condemnation is limited to the right to acquire land necessary for the development of the capitol complex mall in the City of Columbia."
SECTION 8. Section 1-11-180 of the 1976 Code, as added by Act 145 of 1995, is amended to read:
"Section 1-11-180. (A) In addition to the powers granted the Budget and Control Board South Carolina Department of Administration under this chapter or any other provision of law, the board department may:
(1) survey, appraise, examine, and inspect the condition of state property to determine what is necessary to protect state property against fire or deterioration and to conserve the use of the property for state purposes;
(2) approve the destruction or disposal of state agency records;
(3) require submission and approval of plans and specifications for permanent improvements by a state department, agency, or institution before a contract is awarded for the permanent improvement;
(4) approve blanket bonds for a state department, agency, or institution including bonds for state officials or personnel. However, the form and execution of blanket bonds must be approved by the Attorney General;
(5)(3) contract to develop an energy utilization management system for state facilities under its control and to assist other agencies and departments in establishing similar programs. However, this does not authorize capital expenditures.
(B) The Budget and Control Board South Carolina Department of Administration may must promulgate regulations necessary to carry out this section."
SECTION 9. Chapter 11 of Title 1 of the 1976 Code is amended by adding:
"Section 1-11-185. (A) In addition to the powers granted the Budget and Control Board pursuant to this chapter or another provision of law, the board may require submission and approval of plans and specifications for permanent improvements by a state department, agency, or institution before a contract is awarded for the permanent improvement.
(B) The Budget and Control Board may promulgate regulations necessary to carry out its duties.
(C) The respective divisions of the Budget and Control Board are authorized to provide to and receive from other governmental entities, including other divisions and state and local agencies and departments, goods and services as will in its opinion promote efficient and economical operations. The divisions may charge and pay the entities for the goods and services, the revenue from which must be deposited in the state treasury in a special account and expended only for the costs of providing the goods and services, and those funds may be retained and expended for the same purposes."
SECTION 10. Section 1-11-220 of the 1976 Code is amended to read:
"Section 1-11-220. There is hereby established within the Budget and Control Board, the Division of Motor Vehicle Management headed by a Director, hereafter referred to as the "State Fleet Manager", appointed by and reporting directly to the Budget and Control Board, hereafter referred to as the Board. The Board South Carolina Department of Administration shall develop a comprehensive state Fleet Management Program. The program shall must address acquisition, assignment, identification, replacement, disposal, maintenance, and operation of motor vehicles.
The Budget and Control Board department shall, through their its policies and regulations, seek to achieve the following objectives:
(a) to achieve maximum cost-effectiveness management of state-owned motor vehicles in support of the established missions and objectives of the agencies, boards, and commissions.
(b) to eliminate unofficial and unauthorized use of state vehicles.
(c) to minimize individual assignment of state vehicles.
(d) to eliminate the reimbursable use of personal vehicles for accomplishment of official travel when this use is more costly than use of state vehicles.
(e) to acquire motor vehicles offering optimum energy efficiency for the tasks to be performed.
(f) to insure motor vehicles are operated in a safe manner in accordance with a statewide Fleet Safety Program."
SECTION 11. Section 1-11-225 of the 1976 Code is amended to read:
"Section 1-11-225. The Division of Operations South Carolina Department of Administration shall establish a cost allocation plan to recover the cost of operating the comprehensive statewide Fleet Management Program. The division shall collect, retain, and carry forward funds to ensure continuous administration of the program."
SECTION 12. Section 1-11-250 and 1-11-260, both as last amended by Act 311 of 2002; Section 1-11-270(A) and (B), as last amended by Act 145 of 1995; Sections 1-11-280 and 1-11-290; Section 1-11-300, as last amended by Act 419 of 1998; Section 1-11-310, as last amended by Act 459 of 1996; Section 1-11-320; Section 1-11-335, as added by Act 145 of 1995; and Section 1-11-340 are amended to read:
"Section 1-11-250. For purposes of Sections 1-11-220 to 1-11-330:
(a) 'State agency' means all officers, departments, boards, commissions, institutions, universities, colleges, and all persons and administrative units of state government that operate motor vehicles purchased, leased, or otherwise held with the use of state funds, pursuant to an appropriation, grant or encumbrance of state funds, or operated pursuant to authority granted by the State.
(b) 'Board' means State Budget and Control Board.
(c) 'Department' means the South Carolina Department of Administration.
Section 1-11-260. (A) The Fleet Manager department shall report annually to the Budget and Control Board board and the General Assembly concerning the performance of each state agency in achieving the objectives enumerated in Sections 1-11-220 through 1-11-330 and include in the report a summary of the division's department's efforts in aiding and assisting the various state agencies in developing and maintaining their management practices in accordance with the comprehensive statewide Motor Vehicle Management Program. This report also shall contain recommended changes in the law and regulations necessary to achieve these objectives.
(B) The board department, after consultation with state agency heads, shall promulgate and enforce state policies, procedures, and regulations to achieve the goals of Sections 1-11-220 through 1-11-330 and shall recommend administrative penalties to be used by the agencies for violation of prescribed procedures and regulations relating to the Fleet Management Program.
Section 1-11-270. (A) The board department shall establish criteria for individual assignment of motor vehicles based on the functional requirements of the job, which shall reduce the assignment to situations clearly beneficial to the State. Only the Governor, and statewide elected officials, and agency heads are provided a state-owned vehicle based on their position. Agency heads may be provided a state-owned vehicle if recommended by the department and approved by the Agency Heads Salary Commission.
(B) Law enforcement officers, as defined by the agency head, may be permanently assigned state-owned vehicles by their respective agency head. Agency heads may assign a state-owned vehicle to an employee when the vehicle carries or is equipped with special equipment needed to perform duties directly related to the employee's job, and the employee is either in an emergency response capacity after normal working hours or for logistical reasons it is determined to be in the agency's interest for the vehicle to remain with the employee. No other employee may be permanently assigned to a state-owned vehicle, unless the assignment is cost advantageous to the State under guidelines developed by the State Fleet Manager department. Statewide elected officials, law enforcement officers, and those employees who have been assigned vehicles because they are in an emergency response capacity after normal working hours are exempt from reimbursing the State for commuting miles. Other employees operating a permanently assigned vehicle must reimburse the State for commuting between home and work.
Section 1-11-280. The Board department shall develop a system of agency-managed and interagency motor pools which are, to the maximum extent possible, cost beneficial to the State. All motor pools shall operate according to regulations promulgated by the Budget and Control Board department. Vehicles shall be placed in motor pools rather than being individually assigned except as specifically authorized by the Board department in accordance with criteria established by the Board department. The motor pool operated by the Division of General Services shall be transferred to the Division of Motor Vehicle Management. Agencies utilizing motor pool vehicles shall utilize trip log forms approved by the Board for each trip, specifying beginning and ending mileage and the job function performed.
The provisions of this section shall do not apply to school buses and service vehicles.
Section 1-11-290. The Board department in consultation with the agencies operating maintenance facilities shall study the cost-effectiveness of such facilities versus commercial alternatives and shall develop a plan for maximally cost-effective vehicle maintenance. The Budget and Control Board department shall promulgate rules and regulations governing vehicle maintenance to effectuate the plan.
The State Vehicle Maintenance program shall include:
(a) central purchasing of supplies and parts;
(b) an effective inventory control system;
(c) a uniform work order and record-keeping system assigning actual maintenance cost to each vehicle; and
(d) preventive maintenance programs for all types of vehicles.
All motor fuels shall be purchased from state facilities except in cases where such purchase is impossible or not cost beneficial to the State.
All fuels, lubricants, parts and maintenance costs including those purchased from commercial vendors shall be charged to a state credit card bearing the license plate number of the vehicle serviced and the bill shall include the mileage on the odometer of the vehicle at the time of service.
Section 1-11-300. In accordance with criteria established by the board department, each agency shall develop and implement a uniform cost accounting and reporting system to ascertain the cost per mile of each motor vehicle used by the State under their control. Agencies presently operating under existing systems may continue to do so provided that board approval shall be required and that the existing systems shall be uniform with the criteria established by the board. All expenditures on a vehicle for gasoline and oil shall be purchased in one of the following ways:
(1) from state-owned facilities and paid for by the use of Universal State Credit Cards except where agencies purchase these products in bulk;
(2) from any fuel outlet where gasoline and oil are sold regardless of whether the outlet accepts a credit or charge card when the purchase is necessary or in the best interest of the State; and
(3) from a fuel outlet where gasoline and oil are sold when that outlet agrees to accept the Universal State Credit Card.
These provisions regarding purchase of gasoline and oil and usability of the state credit card also apply to alternative transportation fuels where available. The Budget and Control Board Division of Operations shall adjust the appropriation in Part IA, Section 63B, for "Operating Expenses--Lease Fleet" to reflect the dollar savings realized by these provisions and transfer such amount to other areas of the State Fleet Management Program. The Board department shall promulgate regulations regarding the purchase of motor vehicle equipment and supplies to ensure that agencies within a reasonable distance are not duplicating maintenance services or purchasing equipment that is not in the best interest of the State. The Board department shall develop a uniform method to be used by the agencies to determine the cost per mile for each vehicle operated by the State.
Section 1-11-310. (A) The State Budget and Control Board South Carolina Department of Administration shall purchase, acquire, transfer, replace, and dispose of all motor vehicles on the basis of maximum cost-effectiveness and lowest anticipated total life cycle costs.
(B) The standard state fleet sedan or station wagon must be no larger than a compact model and the special state fleet sedan or station wagon must be no larger than an intermediate model. The director of the Division of Motor Vehicle Management shall determine the types of vehicles which fit into these classes. Only these classes of sedans and station wagons may be purchased by the State for nonlaw enforcement use.
(C) The State shall purchase police sedans only for the use of law enforcement officers, as defined by the Internal Revenue Code. Purchase of a vehicle under this subsection must be concurred in by the director of the Division of Motor Vehicle Management Department of Administration and must be in accordance with regulations promulgated or procedures adopted under Sections 1-11-220 through 1-11-340 which must take into consideration the agency's mission, the intended use of the vehicle, and the officer's duties. Law enforcement agency vehicles used by employees whose job functions do not meet the Internal Revenue Service definition of 'Law Enforcement Officer' must be standard or special state fleet sedans.
(D)(C) All state motor vehicles must be titled to the State and must be received by and remain in the possession of the Division Section of Motor Vehicle Management pending sale or disposal of the vehicle.
(E)(D) Titles to school buses and service vehicles operated by the State Department of Education and vehicles operated by the South Carolina Department of Transportation must be retained by those agencies.
(F)(E) Exceptions to requirements in subsections subsection (B) and (C) must be approved by the director of the Division of Motor Vehicle Management department. Requirements in subsection (B) do not apply to the State Development Board.
(G)(F) Preference in purchasing state motor vehicles must be given to vehicles assembled in the United States with at least seventy-five percent domestic content as determined by the appropriate federal agency.
Section 1-11-320. The Board department shall ensure that all state-owned motor vehicles are identified as such through the use of permanent state-government state government license plates and either state or agency seal decals. No vehicles shall be exempt from the requirements for identification except those exempted by the Board department.
This section shall not apply to vehicles supplied to law enforcement officers when, in the opinion of the Board department after consulting with the Chief of the State Law Enforcement Division, those officers are actually involved in undercover law enforcement work to the extent that the actual investigation of criminal cases or the investigators' physical well-being would be jeopardized if they were identified. The Board department is authorized to exempt vehicles carrying human service agency clients in those instances in which the privacy of the client would clearly and necessarily be impaired.
Section 1-11-335. The respective divisions of the Budget and Control Board and the South Carolina Department of Administration are authorized to provide to and receive from other governmental entities, including other divisions and state and local agencies and departments, goods and services, as will in its opinion promote efficient and economical operations. The divisions may charge and pay the entities for the goods and services, the revenue from which shall be deposited in the state treasury in a special account and expended only for the costs of providing the goods and services, and such funds may be retained and expended for the same purposes.
Section 1-11-340. The Board department shall develop and implement a statewide Fleet Safety Program for operators of state-owned vehicles which shall serve to minimize the amount paid for rising insurance premiums and reduce the number of accidents involving state-owned vehicles. The Board department shall promulgate rules and regulations requiring the establishment of an accident review board by each agency and mandatory driver training in those instances where remedial training for employees would serve the best interest of the State."
SECTION 13. Section 1-11-710 of the 1976 Code is amended to read:
"Section 1-11-710. (A) The Subject to the approval of the State Budget and Control Board, the Department of Administration shall:
(1) make available to active and retired employees of this State and its public school districts and their eligible dependents group health, dental, life, accidental death and dismemberment, and disability insurance plans and benefits in an equitable manner and of maximum benefit to those covered within the available resources.
(2) approve by August fifteenth of each year a plan of benefits, eligibility, and employer, employee, retiree, and dependent contributions for the next calendar year. The board shall devise a plan for the method and schedule of payment for the employer and employee share of contributions. Provided that However, the Department of Administration, subject to the approval of the Budget and Control Board, by July 1 of the current fiscal year, shall develop and implement a plan increasing the employer contribution rates of the State Retirement System to a level adequate to cover the employer's share for the current fiscal year's cost of providing health and dental insurance to retired state and school district employees. The plan must include a method for the distribution of the funds appropriated as provided by law which are designated for retiree insurance and also must include a method for allocating to school districts, excluding EIA funding, sufficient general fund monies to offset the additional cost incurred by these entities in their federal and other fund activities as a result of this employer contribution charge.
The amounts appropriated in this section shall constitute the State's pro rata contributions to these programs except the State shall pay its pro rata share of health and dental insurance premiums for retired state and public school employees for the current fiscal year.
(3) adjust the plan, benefits, or contributions, at any time to insure ensure the fiscal stability of the system.
(4) set aside in separate continuing accounts in the State Treasury, appropriately identified, all funds, state-appropriated and other, received for actual health and dental insurance premiums due. Funds credited to these accounts may be used to pay the costs of administering the health and dental insurance programs and may shall not be used for purposes of other than providing insurance benefits for employees and retirees. A reserve equal to not less than an average of one and one-half months' claims must be maintained in the accounts and all funds in excess of the reserve must be used to reduce premium rates or improve or expand benefits as funding permits.
(B) The board Budget and Control Board may authorize the Insurance Reserve Fund Department of Administration to provide reinsurance, in an approved format with actuarially developed rates, for the operation of the group health insurance or cafeteria plan program, as authorized by Section 9-1-60, for active and retired employees of the State, and its public school districts and their eligible dependents. Premiums for reinsurance provided pursuant to this subsection must be paid out of state appropriated and other funds received for actual health insurance or cafeteria plan premiums due.
(C) Notwithstanding Sections 1-23-310 and 1-23-320 or any other provision of law, claims for benefits under any self-insured plan of insurance offered by the State to state and public school district employees and other eligible individuals must be resolved by procedures established by the board, which shall constitute the exclusive remedy for these claims, subject only to appellate judicial review consistent with the standards provided in Section 1-23-380."
SECTION 14. Chapter 11, Title 1 of the 1976 Code is amended by adding:
Section 1-11-1310. (A) Effective January 1, 2005, without affecting the agencies' existing governing bodies, there is created the Coordinating Council for Cultural and Information Services as an organizational entity in the Budget and Control Board. The membership of the coordinating council consists of the:
(1) Executive Director of the South Carolina Arts Commission;
(2) Director of the South Carolina Department of Archives and History;
(3) Director of the Confederate Relic Room and Museum;
(4) President of South Carolina Educational Television;
(5) Director of the South Carolina State Library;
(6) Director of the South Carolina State Museum; and
(7) Chairman of the Old Exchange Commission.
(B) The chairman of the coordinating council must be elected annually by majority vote of the members. A member is not eligible to serve as chairman until he has served in his agency position for more than one year. The chairmanship of the council must rotate among the members, and a member elected as chairman must not serve successive annual terms.
(C) Staffing for the coordinating council must be provided by the participating agencies.
Section 1-11-1320. (A) No later than February 1, 2005, the coordinating council must meet to organize.
(B) The coordinating council must meet at the call of the chair and at least quarterly, beginning in April of 2005, to discuss ways to enhance the growth and development of the cultural and information services in the State and develop a strategic plan for coordinating activities among the member agencies and consolidating certain services in an effort to avoid duplication and increase efficiency and effectiveness. Following each meeting, the chairman of the coordinating council must make a report to the Executive Director of the Budget and Control Board concerning the plans for coordinated and consolidated activities that the coordinating council is proposing and has implemented.
(C) The coordinating council may request assistance from the Executive Director and staff of the Budget and Control Board and other state cultural resources in order to achieve its objectives.
Section 1-11-1330. The coordinating council must make a consolidated report to the Budget and Control Board concerning plans for coordinating services among the agencies of the coordinating council and at such other times as the Board may require. A copy of any consolidated report must also be submitted to the Chairmen of the Senate Judiciary Committees and the House of Representatives Judiciary Committee.
Section 1-11-1340. (A) The coordinating council shall make recommendations to the General Assembly as to the policies and programs involved in the State's cultural and information services.
(B) This section does not limit an agency's direct access to the General Assembly, and each agency shall offer information as a separate and distinct entity as it relates to the budget process.
Section 1-11-1350. Neither the provisions of Sections 1-11-1310 through 1-11-1350 nor the coordinating council shall infringe upon nor diminish the duties and responsibilities of the governing bodies of the agencies involved."
SECTION 15. Section 2-47-30 of the 1976 Code is amended to read:
"Section 2-47-30. The committee is specifically charged with, but not limited to, the following responsibilities:
(1) To review, prior to approval by the Budget and Control Board, Budget and Analyses Division, the establishment of any permanent improvement project and the source of funds for any such project not previously authorized specifically by the General Assembly.
(2) To study the amount and nature of existing general obligation and institutional bond obligations and the capability of the State to fulfill such obligations based on current and projected revenues.
(3) To recommend priorities of future bond issuance based on the social and economic needs of the State.
(4) To recommend prudent limitations of bond obligations related to present and future revenue estimates.
(5) To consult with independent bond counsel and other nonlegislative authorities on such matters and with fiscal officials of other states to gain in-depth knowledge of capital management and assist in the formulation of short and long-term recommendations for the General Assembly.
(6) To carry out all of the above assigned responsibilities in consultation and cooperation with the executive branch of government and the Budget and Control Board.
(7) To report its findings and recommendations to the General Assembly annually or more frequently if deemed advisable by the committee."
SECTION 16. Section 2-47-56 of the 1976 Code is amended to read:
"Section 2-47-56. Each state agency and institution may accept gifts-in-kind for architectural and engineering services and construction of a value less than two hundred fifty thousand dollars with the approval of the Commission of Higher Education or its designated staff, the Director of the Division of General Services Budget and Control Board, Procurement Services Division, and the Joint Bond Review Committee or its designated staff. No other approvals or procedural requirements, including the provisions of Section 11-35-10, may be imposed on the acceptance of such gifts."
SECTION 17. Chapter 9, Title 3 of the 1976 Code is amended to read:
Section 3-9-10. (a) The Upon review and approval by the Budget and Control Board, the Division of General Services of the State Budget and Control Board South Carolina Department of Administration is authorized to:
(1) To acquire from the United States of America under and in conformance with the provisions of Section 203 (j) of the Federal Property and Administrative Services Act of 1949, as amended, hereafter referred to as the 'act,' such property, including equipment, materials, books, or other supplies under the control of any department or agency of the United States of America as may be usable and necessary for purposes of education, public health or civil defense, including research for any such purpose, and for such other purposes as may now or hereafter be authorized by Federal law;
(2) To warehouse such property; and
(3) To distribute such property within the State to tax-supported medical institutions, hospitals, clinics, health centers, school systems, schools, colleges and universities within the State, to other nonprofit medical institutions, hospitals, clinics, health centers, schools, colleges and universities which are exempt from taxation under Section 501 (c) (3) of the United States Internal Revenue Code of 1954, to civil defense organizations of the State, or political subdivisions and instrumentalities thereof, which are established pursuant to State law, and to such other types of institutions or activities as may now be or hereafter become eligible under Federal law to acquire such property.
(b) The Division of General Services of the Department of Administration is authorized to receive applications from eligible health and educational institutions for the acquisition of Federal surplus real property, investigate the applications, obtain expression of views respecting the applications from the appropriate health or educational authorities of the State, make recommendations regarding the need of such applicant for the property, the merits of its proposed program of utilization, the suitability of the property for the purposes, and otherwise assist in the processing of the applications for acquisition of real and related personal property of the United States under Section 203 (k) of the act.
(c) For the purpose of executing its authority under this chapter, the Division of General Services is authorized to adopt, amend or rescind rules and regulations and prescribe such requirements as may be deemed necessary; and take such other action as is deemed necessary and suitable, in the administration of this chapter, to assure maximum utilization by and benefit to health, educational and civil defense institutions and organizations within the State from property distributed under this chapter.
(d) The Budget and Control Board is authorized to appoint advisory boards or committees, and to employ such personnel and prescribe their duties as are deemed considered necessary and suitable for the administration of this chapter.
(e) The Director of the Division of General Services of the Department of Administration is authorized to make such certifications, take such action and enter into such contracts, agreements and undertakings for and in the name of the State (including cooperative agreements with any Federal agencies providing for utilization of property and facilities by and exchange between them of personnel and services without reimbursement), require such reports and make such investigations as may be required by law or regulation of the United States of America in connection with the receipt, warehousing and distribution of personal property received by him from the United States of America.
(f) The Division of General Services is authorized to act as clearinghouse of information for the public and private nonprofit institutions, organizations and agencies referred to in subparagraph (a) of this section and other institutions eligible to acquire federal surplus personal property, to locate both real and personal property available for acquisition from the United States of America, to ascertain the terms and conditions under which such property may be obtained, to receive requests from the above-mentioned institutions, organizations and agencies and to transmit to them all available information in reference to such property, and to aid and assist such institutions, organizations and agencies in every way possible in the consummation of acquisitions or transactions hereunder.
(g) The Division of General Services, in the administration of this chapter, shall cooperate to the fullest extent consistent with the provisions of the act, and with the departments or agencies of the United States of America, and shall file a State plan of operation, and operate in accordance therewith, and take such action as may be necessary to meet the minimum standards prescribed in accordance with the act, and make such reports in such form and containing such information as the United States of America or any of its departments or agencies may from time to time require, and it shall comply with the laws of the United States of America and the rules and regulations of any of the departments or agencies of the United States of America governing the allocation, transfer, use or accounting for, property donable or donated to the State.
Section 3-9-20. The Director of the Division of General Services may delegate such power and authority as he deems reasonable and proper for the effective administration of this chapter. The State Budget and Control Board South Carolina Department of Administration may require bond of any person in the employ of the Division of General Services receiving or distributing property from the United States under authority of this chapter.
Section 3-9-30. Any charges made or fees assessed by the Division of General Services for the acquisition, warehousing, distribution or transfer of any property of the United States of America for educational, public health or civil defense purposes, including research for any such purpose, or for any purpose which may now be or hereafter become eligible under the act, shall be limited to those reasonably related to the costs of care and handling in respect to its acquisition, receipt, warehousing, distribution or transfer.
Section 3-9-40. The provisions of this chapter shall not apply to the acquisition of property acquired by agencies of the State under the priorities established by Section 308 (b), Title 23, United States Code, Annotated."
SECTION 18. Section 10-1-30 of the 1976 Code is amended to read:
"Section 10-1-30. The Director of the Division of General Services of the State Budget and Control Board may authorize the use of the State House lobbies, the State House steps and grounds, and other public buildings and grounds in accordance with regulations promulgated by the board. The director shall obtain the approval of the Clerk of the Senate before authorizing any use of the Gressette Building and shall obtain the approval of the Clerk of the House of Representatives before authorizing any use of the Blatt Building. The regulations must contain provisions to insure ensure that the public health, safety, and welfare will be are protected in the use of the areas including reasonable time, place, and manner restrictions and application periods before use. If sufficient measures cannot be taken to protect the public health, safety, and welfare, the director shall deny the requested use. Other restrictions may be imposed on the use of the areas as are necessary for the conduct of business in those areas and the maintenance of the dignity, decorum, and aesthetics of the areas."
SECTION 19. Section 10-1-130 of the 1976 Code is amended to read:
"Section 10-1-130. The trustees or governing bodies of State institutions and agencies may grant easements and rights of way over any property under their control, upon the recommendation of the Department of Administration and the concurrence and acquiescence of the State Budget and Control Board, whenever it appears that such easements will not materially impair the utility of the property or damage it and, when a consideration is paid therefor, any such amounts shall be placed in the State Treasury to the credit of the institution or agency having control of the property involved."
SECTION 20. Sections 10-1-180 and 10-1-190 of the 1976 Code, both as added by Act 145 of 1995, are amended to read:
"Section 10-1-180. The expenditure of funds by any state agency, except the Department of Transportation for permanent improvements as defined in the state budget, is subject to the review and recommendation of the Department of Administration and approval and regulation of the State Budget and Control Board, Budget and Analyses Division. The board shall have authority to allot to specific projects from funds made available for such purposes, such amounts as are estimated to cover the respective costs of such projects, to declare the completion of any such projects, and to dispose, according to law, of any unexpended balances of allotments, or appropriations, or funds otherwise provided for such projects, upon the completion thereof. The approval of the Budget and Control Board is not required for minor construction projects, including renovations and alterations, where the cost does not exceed an amount determined by the Joint Bond Review Committee and the Budget and Control Board.
All construction, improvement, and renovation of state buildings shall comply with the applicable standards and specifications set forth in each of the following codes: The Standard Building Code, The Standard Existing Building Code, The Standard Gas Code, The Standard Mechanical Code, The Standard Plumbing Code and The Standard Fire Prevention Code, all as adopted by the Southern Building Code Congress International, Inc.; and the National Electrical Code NFPA 70, The National Electrical Safety Code-ANSI-C2, The National Fire Protection Association Standard-NFPA 59, all with the code editions, revision years, and deletions as specified in the Manual For Planning and Execution of State Permanent Improvements. The State Engineer shall determine the enforcement and interpretation of the aforementioned codes and referenced standards on state buildings. Any interested local officials shall coordinate their comments related to state buildings through the State Engineer and shall neither delay construction nor delay or deny water, sewer, power, other utilities, or firefighting services. Agencies may appeal to the Director of Office of General Services Budget and Control Board, Procurement Services Division, regarding the application of these codes to state buildings.
Section 10-1-190. As part of the approval process relating to trades of state property for nonstate property, the Budget and Control Board South Carolina Department of Administration is authorized to approve the application of any net proceeds resulting from such a transaction to the improvement of the property held by the board department, subject to the approval of the Budget and Control Board."
SECTION 21. Section 10-7-10 of the 1976 Code, as last amended by Act 181 of 1993, is further amended to read:
"Section 10-7-10. All insurance on public buildings and on the contents thereof of the State and of all institutions supported in whole or in part by the State shall be carried by the State Budget and Control Board, Insurance and Grants Services Division. Any building or buildings, and the contents thereof, owned by the Department of Transportation may be insured by the State Budget and Control Board, with the consent or approval of such board, or the Department of Transportation shall have the alternative of assuming its own risks."
SECTION 22. Section 10-11-50 of the 1976 Code, as last amended by Act 181 of 1993, is further amended to read:
"Section 10-11-50. (A) It shall be unlawful for anyone to park any vehicle on any of the property described in Section 10-11-40 and subsection (2) of Section 10-11-80 except in the spaces and manner now marked and designated or that may hereafter be marked and designated by the State Budget and Control Board South Carolina Department of Administration, in cooperation with the Department of Transportation, or to block or impede traffic through the alleys and driveways.
(B) The Department of Administration must ensure that parking spaces are available in the garage below the Capitol Complex, in proximity to the buildings utilized by the legislative, judicial, and executive branches, in the locations in use on the effective date of this section, and assigned as follows:
(1) two hundred thirty for the House of Representatives;
(2) two hundred and twelve for the Senate;
(3) twenty-nine for the Judicial Department; and
(4) fifty-seven for the Governor's Office."
SECTION 23. Section 10-11-90 of the 1976 Code is amended to read:
"Section 10-11-90. The watchmen and policemen employed by the Budget and Control Board for the protection of the property described in Sections 10-11-30 and 10-11-40 and subsection (2) of Section 10-11-80 are hereby vested with all of the powers, privileges and immunities of constables while on this area or in fresh pursuit of those violating the law in this area, provided that such watchmen and policemen take and file the oath required of peace officers, execute and file bond in the form required of State constables, in the amount of one thousand dollars, with the Budget and Control Board, and be duly commissioned by the Governor."
SECTION 24. Section 10-11-110 of the 1976 Code is amended to read:
"Section 10-11-110. In connection with traffic and parking violations only, the watchmen and policemen referred to in Section 10-11-90, State highway patrolmen and policemen of the city of Columbia shall have the right to issue and use parking tickets of the type used by the city of Columbia, with such changes as are necessitated hereby, to be prepared and furnished by the Budget and Control Board South Carolina Department of Administration, upon the issuance of which the procedures shall be followed as prevail in connection with the use of parking tickets by the city of Columbia. Nothing herein shall restrict the application and use of regular arrest warrants."
SECTION 25. Sections 11-9-610, 11-9-620, and 11-9-630 of the 1976 Code are amended to read:
"Section 11-9-610. The State Budget and Control Board South Carolina Department of Administration shall receive and manage the incomes and revenues set apart and applied to the Sinking Fund of the State. The department must report annually on the financial status of the Sinking Fund to the Budget and Control Board.
Section 11-9-620. All moneys arising from the redemption of lands, leases and sales of property or otherwise coming to the State Budget and Control Board South Carolina Department of Administration for the Sinking Fund, shall be paid into the State Treasury and shall be kept on a separate account by the Treasurer as a fund to be drawn upon the warrants of the Board department for the exclusive uses and purposes which have been or shall be declared in relation to the Sinking Fund.
Section 11-9-630. The Subject to the approval of the State Budget and Control Board, the South Carolina Department of Administration shall sell and convey, for and on behalf of the State, all such real property, assets and effects belonging to the State as are not in actual public use, such sales to be made from time to time in such manner and upon such terms as it may deem consider most advantageous to the State. This shall not be construed to authorize the sale by the Board of any property held in trust for a specific purpose by the State or the property of the State in the phosphate rocks or phosphatic deposits in the beds of the navigable streams and waters and marshes of the State."
SECTION 26. Sections 11-35-3810, 11-35-3820, 11-35-3830, and 11-35-3840, all as amended by Act 153 of 1997, are further amended to read:
"Section 11-35-3810. Subject to existing provisions of law, the board South Carolina Department of Administration shall promulgate regulations governing:
(1) the sale, lease, or disposal of surplus supplies by public auction, competitive sealed bidding, or other appropriate methods designated by such regulations; and
(2) the transfer of excess supplies between agencies and departments.
Section 11-35-3820. Except as provided in Section 11-35-1580 and Section 11-35-3830 and the regulations pursuant thereto, the sale of all state-owned supplies, property, or personal property not in actual public use shall be conducted and directed by the Office division of General Services. Such sales shall be held at such places and in such manner as in the judgment of the Office division shall be most advantageous to the State. Unless otherwise determined, sales shall be by either public auction or competitive sealed bid to the highest bidder. Each governmental body shall inventory and report to the Office of General Services division all surplus personal property not in actual public use held by that agency for sale. The Office of General Services division shall deposit the proceeds from such sales, less expense of the sales, in the state general fund or as otherwise directed by regulation. This policy and procedure shall apply to all governmental bodies unless exempt by law.
Section 11-35-3830 (1) Trade-in Value. Unless otherwise provided by law, governmental bodies may trade-in personal property, the trade-in value of which may be applied to the procurement or lease of like items. The trade-in trade in value of such personal property shall not exceed an amount as specified in regulations promulgated by the board Department of Administration.
(2) Approval of Trade-in Sales. When the trade-in value of personal property of a governmental body exceeds the specified amount, the board Department of Administration shall have the authority to determine whether:
(a) the subject personal property shall be traded in and the value applied to the purchase of new like items; or
(b) the property shall be classified as surplus and sold in accordance with the provisions of Section 11-35-3820. The board departmental determination shall be in writing and be subject to the provisions of this chapter.
(3) Record of Trade-in Sales. Governmental bodies shall submit quarterly to the materials management officer department a record listing all trade-in sales made under subsections (1) and (2) of this section.
Section 11-35-3840. The Office of General Services of the State Budget and Control Board, Procurement Services Division, may license for public sale publications and materials pertaining to training programs and information technology products which are developed during the normal course of the Office's division's activities. Such items shall be licensed at such reasonable costs as are established in accordance with the cost of the items. All proceeds from the sale of the publications and materials shall be placed in a revenue account and expended for the cost of providing such services."
SECTION 27. Section 11-35-4020 of the 1976 Code, as last amended by Act 153 of 1997, is further amended to read:
"Section 11-35-4020. Governmental bodies approved by the board South Carolina Department of Administration may sell any supplies owned by it after such supplies have become entirely unserviceable and can properly be classified as 'junk', in accordance with procedures established by the Office division of General Services. All sales of unserviceable supplies by the governmental body shall be made in public to the highest bidder, after advertising for fifteen days, and the funds from such sales shall be credited to the account of the governmental body owning and disposing of such unserviceable supplies."
SECTION 28. Section 44-53-530(a) and (b) is amended to read:
"(a) Forfeiture of property defined in Section 44-53-520 must be accomplished by petition of the Attorney General or his designee or the circuit solicitor or his designee to the court of common pleas for the jurisdiction where the items were seized. The petition must be submitted to the court within a reasonable time period following seizure and shall set forth the facts upon which the seizure was made. The petition shall describe the property and include the names of all owners of record and lienholders of record. The petition shall identify any other persons known to the petitioner to have interests in the property. Petitions for the forfeiture of conveyances shall also include: the make, model, and year of the conveyance, the person in whose name the conveyance is registered, and the person who holds the title to the conveyance. The petition shall set forth the type and quantity of the controlled substance involved. A copy of the petition must be sent to each law enforcement agency which has notified the petitioner of its involvement in effecting the seizure. Notice of hearing or rule to show cause must be directed to all persons with interests in the property listed in the petition, including law enforcement agencies which have notified the petitioner of their involvement in effecting the seizure. Owners of record and lienholders of record may be served by certified mail, to the last known address as appears in the records of the governmental agency which records the title or lien.
The judge shall determine whether the property is subject to forfeiture and order the forfeiture confirmed. If the judge finds a forfeiture, he shall then determine the lienholder's interest as provided in this article. The judge shall determine whether any property must be returned to a law enforcement agency pursuant to Section 44-53-582.
If there is a dispute as to the division allocation of the proceeds of forfeited property among participating law enforcement agencies, this issue must be determined by the judge. The proceeds from a sale of property, conveyances, and equipment must be disposed of pursuant to subsection (e) of this section.
All property, conveyances, and equipment which will not be reduced to proceeds may be transferred to the law enforcement agency or agencies or to the prosecution agency. Upon agreement of the law enforcement agency or agencies and the prosecution agency, conveyances and equipment may be transferred to any other appropriate agency. Property transferred must not be used to supplant operating funds within the current or future budgets. If the property seized and forfeited is an aircraft or watercraft and is transferred to a state law enforcement agency or other state agency pursuant to the provisions of this subsection, its use and retainage by that agency shall be at the discretion and approval of the Budget and Control Board South Carolina Department of Administration.
(b) If the property is seized by a state law enforcement agency and is not transferred by the court to the seizing agency, the judge shall order it transferred to the Division of General Services of the Department of Administration for sale. Proceeds may be used by the division for payment of all proper expenses of the proceedings for the forfeiture and sale of the property, including the expenses of seizure, maintenance, and custody, and other costs incurred by the implementation of this section. The net proceeds from any sale must be remitted to the State Treasurer as provided in subsection (g) of this section. The Division of General Services of the South Carolina Department of Administration may authorize payment of like expenses in cases where monies, negotiable instruments, or securities are seized and forfeited."
SECTION 29. Section 44-96-140 of the 1976 Code is amended to read:
"Section 44-96-140. (A) Not later than twelve months after the date on which the department submits the state solid waste management plan to the Governor and to the General Assembly, the General Assembly, the Governor's Office, the Judiciary, each state agency, and each state-supported institution of higher education shall:
(1) establish a source separation and recycling program in cooperation with the department and the Division of General Services of the State Budget and Control Board South Carolina Department of Administration for the collection of selected recyclable materials generated in state offices throughout the State including, but not limited to, high-grade office paper, corrugated paper, aluminum, glass, tires, composting materials, plastics, batteries, and used oil;
(2) provide procedures for collecting and storing recyclable materials, containers for storing materials, and contractual or other arrangements with collectors or buyers of the recyclable materials, or both;
(3) evaluate the amount of waste paper material recycled and make all necessary modifications to the recycling program to ensure that all waste paper materials are recycled to the maximum extent feasible; and
(4) establish and implement, in cooperation with the department and the Division of General Services of the Department of Administration, a solid waste reduction program for materials used in the course of agency operations. The program shall be designed and implemented to achieve the maximum feasible reduction of solid waste generated as a result of agency operations.
(B) Not later than September fifteen of each year, each state agency and each state-supported institution of higher learning shall submit to the department a report detailing its source separation and recycling program and a review of all goods and products purchased during the previous fiscal year by those agencies and institutions containing recycled materials using the content specifications established by the Office of Materials Management Division of General Services, Department of Administration.
(C) By November first of each year the department shall submit a report to the Governor and to the General Assembly reviewing all goods and products purchased by the State and determining what percentage of state purchases contain recycled materials using content specifications established by the Office of Materials Management, Division of General Services, Department of Administration. The report also must review existing procurement regulations for the purchase of products and materials and must identify any portions of such regulations that discriminate against products and materials with recycled content and products and materials which are recyclable.
(D) Not later than one year after this chapter is effective, the Division of General Services shall amend the procurement regulations to eliminate the portions of the regulations identified in its report as discriminating against products and materials with recycled content and products and materials which are recyclable.
(E) Not later than one year after the effective date of the amendments to the procurement regulations, the General Assembly, the Governor's Office, the Judiciary, all state agencies, all political subdivisions using state funds to procure items, and all persons contracting with such agency or political subdivision where such persons procure items with state funds shall procure products and materials with recycled content and products and materials which are recyclable where practicable, as determined by the Office of Materials Management, Division of General Services, Department of Administration. The list of recycled content specifications must be updated annually. It is the goal of the General Assembly for state and local governmental agencies to reflect a twenty-five percent goal in their procurement policies. The decision not to procure such items shall be based on a determination that such procurement items:
(1) are not available within a reasonable period of time;
(2) fail to meet the performance standards set forth in the applicable specifications; or
(3) are only available at a price that exceeds by more than seven and one- half percent the price of alternative items.
(F) Not later than six months after this chapter is effective, and annually thereafter, the Department of Transportation shall submit a report to the Governor and to the General Assembly on the use of:
(1) compost as a substitute for regular soil amendment products in all highway projects;
(2) solid waste including, but not limited to, ground rubber from tires and fly ash or mixtures of them from coal-fired electrical facilities in road surfacing of subbase materials;
(3) solid waste including, but not limited to, glass aggregate, plastic, and fly ash in asphalt or concrete; and
(4) recycled mixed-plastic materials for guardrail posts, right-of-way fence posts, and sign supports."
SECTION 30. Section 10-5-230 of the 1976 Code, as last amended by Act 303 of 2000, is further amended to read:
"Section 10-5-230. (A) There is created the South Carolina Board for Barrier-Free Design, composed of nine members, six to be appointed by the Governor for terms of four years and until their successors are appointed and qualify. No fewer than two appointed members of the board must have mobility impairments, one appointed member must be a building official, and one appointed member must be a licensed architect. Vacancies on the board must be filled in the same manner as the original appointment for the remainder of the unexpired term. In addition to the appointed members, the following three ex officio members shall serve on the board:
(1) the Director of the Department of Labor, Licensing and Regulation;
(2) the Director of the State Department of Vocational Rehabilitation; and
(3) the State Engineer employed by the Budget and Control Board South Carolina Department of Administration.
The ex officio members may appoint proxies for their respective offices.
(B) The ex officio members and their proxies have all the powers, privileges, and duties of the appointed members."
SECTION 31. Section 10-5-270(A)(1) of the 1976 Code, as last amended by Act 303 of 2000 is further amended to read:
"(1) for state owned or leased facilities, to the State Engineer, Office of General Services, State Budget and Control Board, Procurement Services Division;"
SECTION 32. Chapter 9 of Title 10 of the 1976 Code of laws is amended to read:
Section 10-9-10. The Public Service Authority may, through its board of directors, make and execute leases of gas, oil and other minerals and mineral rights, excluding phosphate and lime and phosphatic deposits, over and upon the lands and properties owned by said Authority; and the State Budget and Control Board South Carolina Department of Administration and the forfeited land commissions of the several counties of this State may, with the approval of the Attorney General, make and execute such leases over and upon the lands and waters of the State and of the several counties under the ownership, management, or control of such Board the department and commissions respectively.
Section 10-9-20. No such lease shall provide for a royalty of less than twelve and one-half per cent of production of oil and gas from the lease.
Section 10-9-30. Nothing contained in this article shall estop the State from enacting proper laws for the conservation of the oil, gas and other mineral resources of the State and all leases and contracts made under authority of this article shall be subject to such laws; provided, that the State Budget and Control Board South Carolina Department of Administration may negotiate for leases of oil, gas and other mineral rights upon all of the lands and waters of the State, including offshore marginal and submerged lands.
Section 10-9-35. In the event that the State of South Carolina is the recipient of revenues derived from offshore oil leases within the jurisdictional limits of the State such revenues shall be deposited with the State Treasurer in a special fund and shall be expended only by authorization of the General Assembly.
Funds so accumulated shall be expended only for the following purposes:
(1) to retire the bonded indebtedness incurred by South Carolina;
(2) for capital improvement expenditures.
Section 10-9-40. The authority conferred upon the Public Service Authority, the State Budget and Control Board South Carolina Department of Administration, and the forfeited land commissions by this article shall be cumulative and in addition to the rights and powers heretofore vested by law in such Authority, such State Budget and Control Board the South Carolina Department of Administration, and such commissions, respectively.
Section 10-9-110. The State Budget and Control Board South Carolina Department of Administration shall be charged with the exclusive control and protection of the rights and interest of the State in the phosphate rocks and phosphatic deposits in the navigable streams and in the marshes thereof.
Section 10-9-120. The Board department may inquire into and protect the interests of the State in and to any phosphatic deposits or mines, whether in the navigable waters of the State or in land marshes or other territory owned or claimed by other parties, and in the proceeds of any such mines and may take such action for, or in behalf of, the State in regard thereto as it may find necessary or deem proper.
Section 10-9-130. The Board department may issue to any person who applies for a lease or license granting a general right to dig, mine and remove phosphate rock and phosphatic deposits from all the navigable streams, waters and marshes belonging to the State and also from such of the creeks, not navigable, lying therein as may contain phosphate rock and deposits belonging to the State and not previously granted. Such leases or licenses may be for such terms as may be determined by the Board department. The annual report of the Board department to the General Assembly shall include a list of all effective leases and licenses. The Board department may make a firm contract for the royalty to be paid the State which shall not be increased during the life of the license. Provided, that prior to the grant or issuance of any lease or license, the Board department shall cause to be published a notice of such application in a newspaper having general circulation in the county once a week for three successive weeks prior to the grant or issuance. Provided, further However, the lessee or licensee may shall not take possession if there be is an adverse claim and the burden of proving ownership in the State shall be placed upon the lessee or licensee.
Section 10-9-140. In every case in which such application shall be made to the Board department for a license, the Board department may grant or refuse the license as it may deem best for the interest of the State and the proper management of the interests of the State in such deposits.
Section 10-9-150. As a condition precedent to the right to dig, mine and remove the rocks and deposits granted by any such license, each licensee shall enter into bond, with security, in the penal sum of five thousand dollars, conditioned for the making at the end of every month of true and faithful returns to the Comptroller General of the number of tons of phosphate rock and phosphatic deposits so dug or mined and the punctual payment to the State Treasurer of the royalty provided at the end of every quarter or three months. Such bond and sureties thereon shall be subject to the approval required by law for the bonds of State officers.
Section 10-9-160. Whenever the Board department shall have reason to doubt the solvency of any surety whose name appears upon any bond executed for the purpose of securing the payment of the phosphate royalty by any person digging, mining and removing phosphate rock or phosphatic deposits in any of the territory, the property of the State, under any grant or license, the Board department shall forthwith notify the person giving such bond and the sureties thereon and require that one or more sureties, as the case may be, shall be added to the bond, such surety or sureties to be approved by the Board department.
Section 10-9-170. The Board department, upon petition filed by any person who is surety on any such bond as aforesaid and who considers himself in danger of being injured by such suretyship, shall notify the person giving such bond to give a new bond with other sureties and upon failure of such person to do so within thirty days shall cause such person to suspend further operations until a new bond be given. But in In no case shall the sureties on the old bond be discharged from liability thereon until the new bond has been executed and approved, and such sureties shall not be discharged from any antecedent liability by reason of such suretyship.
Section 10-9-180. The Board department is hereby vested with full and complete power and control over all mining in the phosphate territory belonging to this State and over all persons digging or mining phosphate rock or phosphatic deposit in the navigable streams and waters or in the marshes thereof, with full power and authority, subject to the provisions of Sections 10-9-130 and 10-9-190 to fix, regulate, raise or reduce such royalty per ton as shall from time to time be paid to the State by such persons for all or any such phosphate rock dug, mined, removed and shipped or otherwise sent to the market therefrom. But six Six months' notice shall be given all persons at such time digging or mining phosphate rock in such navigable streams, waters or marshes before any increase shall be made in the rate of royalty theretofore existing.
Section 10-9-190. Each person to whom a license shall be issued must, at the end of every month, make to the Comptroller General a true and lawful return of the phosphate rock and phosphatic deposits he may have dug or mined during such month and shall punctually pay to the State Treasurer, at the end of every quarter or three months, a royalty of five cents per ton upon each and every ton of the crude rock (not of the rock after it has been steamed or dried), the first quarter to commence to run on the first day of January in each year.
Section 10-9-200. The State Budget and Control Board South Carolina Department of Administration shall, within twenty days after the grant of any license as aforesaid, notify the Comptroller General of the issuing of such license, with the name of the person to whom issued, the time of the license and the location for which it was issued.
Section 10-9-210. Every person who shall dig, mine or remove any phosphate rock or phosphatic deposit from the beds of the navigable streams, waters and marshes of the State without license therefor previously granted by the State to such person shall be liable to a penalty of ten dollars for each and every ton of phosphate rock or phosphatic deposits so dug, mined or removed, to be recovered by action at the suit of the State in any court of competent jurisdiction. One half of such penalty shall be for the use of the State and the other half for the use of the informer.
Section 10-9-220. It shall be unlawful for any person to purchase or receive any phosphate rock or phosphatic deposit dug, mined or removed from the navigable streams, waters or marshes of the State from any person not duly authorized by act of the General Assembly of this State or license of the Board department to dig, mine or remove such phosphate rock or phosphatic deposit.
Section 10-9-230. Any person violating Section 10-9-220 shall forfeit to the State the sum of ten dollars for each and every ton of phosphate rock or phosphatic deposit so purchased or received, to be recovered by action in any court of competent jurisdiction. One half of such forfeiture shall be for the use of the State and the other half for the use of the informer.
Section 10-9-240. Should any person whosoever interfere with, obstruct or molest or attempt to interfere with, obstruct or molest the Board department or anyone by it authorized or licensed hereunder in the peaceable possession and occupation for mining purposes of any of the marshes, navigable streams or waters of the State, then the Board department may, in the name and on behalf of the State, take such measures or proceedings as it may be advised are proper to enjoin and terminate any such molestation, interference or obstruction and place the State, through its agents, the Board department or any one under it authorized, in absolute and practical possession and occupation of such marshes, navigable streams or waters.
Section 10-9-250. Should any person attempt to mine or remove phosphate rock and phosphatic deposits from any of the marshes, navigable waters or streams, including the Coosaw River phosphate territory, by and with any boat, vessel, marine dredge or other appliances for such mining or removal, without the leave or license of the Board department thereto first had and obtained, all such boats, vessels, marine dredges and other appliances are hereby declared forfeited to and property of the State, and the Attorney General, for and in behalf of the State, shall institute proceedings in any court of competent jurisdiction for the claim and delivery thereof, in the ordinary form of action for claim and delivery, in which action the title of the State shall be established by the proof of the commission of any such act of forfeiture by the person owning them, or his agents, in possession of such boats, vessels, marine dredges or other appliances. In any such action the State shall not be called upon or required to give any bond or obligation such as is required by parties plaintiff in action for claim and delivery.
Section 10-9-260. Any person wilfully interfering with, molesting or obstructing or attempting to interfere with, molest or obstruct the State or the State Budget and Control Board South Carolina Department of Administration or anyone by it authorized or licensed in the peaceable possession and occupation of any of the marshes, navigable streams or waters of the State, including the Coosaw River phosphate territory, or who shall dig or mine or attempt to dig or mine any of the phosphate rock or phosphatic deposits of this State without a license so to do issued by the Board department shall be punished for each offense by a fine of not less than one hundred dollars nor more than five hundred dollars or imprisonment for not less than one nor more than twelve months, or both, at the discretion of the court.
Section 10-9-270. The Board department shall report annually to the General Assembly its actions and doings under this article during the year to the time of the meeting of the Assembly, with an itemized account of its expenses for the year incurred in connection with its duties and powers under this article.
Section 10-9-310. For purposes of this article geothermal resources mean the natural heat of the earth at temperatures greater than forty degrees Celsius and includes:
(1) The energy, including pressure, in whatever form present in, resulting from, created by, or that may be extracted from that natural heat.
(2) The material medium, including the brines, water, and steam naturally present, as well as any substance artificially introduced to serve as a heat transfer medium.
(3) All dissolved or entrained minerals and gases that may be obtained from the material medium but excluding hydrocarbon substances and helium.
Section 10-9-320. The State Budget and Control Board (board) South Carolina Department of Administration may lease development rights to geothermal resources underlying surface lands owned by the State. The board department must promulgate regulations regarding the method of lease acquisition, lease terms, and conditions due the State under lease operations. The South Carolina Department of Natural Resources is designated as the exclusive agent for the board in selecting lands to be leased, administering the competitive bidding for leases, administering the leases, receiving and compiling comments from other state agencies concerning the desirability of leasing the state lands proposed for leasing and such other activities that pertain to geothermal resource leases as may be included herein as responsibilities of the board department.
Section 10-9-330. Any lease of rights to drill for and use oil, natural gas, or minerals on public or private lands must not allow drilling for or use of geothermal energy by the lessee unless the instrument creating the lease specifically provides for such use."
SECTION 1. Section 48-52-410 of the 1976 Code, as added by Act 449 of 1992, is amended to read:
"Section 48-52-410. There is established the State Energy Office within the State Budget and Control Board South Carolina Department of Administration which shall serve as the principal energy planning entity for the State. Its primary purpose is to develop and implement a well-balanced energy strategy and to increase the efficiency of use of all energy sources throughout South Carolina through the implementation of the Plan for State Energy Policy. The State Energy Office must not function as a regulatory body."
SECTION 2. Section 48-52-620(D) of the 1976 Code, as added by Act 449 of 1992, is amended to read:
"(D) Each public school district and state agency shall submit to the State Energy Office and each state agency shall include in its annual annually report to the Budget and Control Board South Carolina Department of Administration:
(1) activities undertaken implementing its energy conservation plan; and
(2) progress made in achieving its energy conservation goals."
SECTION 3. Section 48-52-635 of the 1976 Code, as added by Act 145 of 1995, is amended to read:
"Section 48-52-635. Pursuant to Section 48-52-630, an agency's savings realized in the prior fiscal year from implementing an energy conservation measure, as compared to a baseline energy use as certified by the State Energy Office, may be retained and carried forward into the current fiscal year. This savings, as certified by the State Energy Office, must first be used for debt retirement of capital expenditures, if any, on the energy conservation measure, after which time savings may be used for agency operational purposes and where practical, reinvested into energy conservation areas. The agency must report all actual savings in the energy portion of its annual report to the State Budget and Control Board South Carolina Department of Administration."
SECTION 4. Section 48-52-680(C) of the 1976 Code, as added by Act 449 of 1992, is amended to read:
"(C) The State Energy Office shall provide the Office of Property Facilities Management of the Budget and Control Board South Carolina Department of Administration, Division of General Services, information to be used in evaluating energy costs for buildings or portions of buildings proposed to be leased by governmental bodies that are defined in and subject to the Consolidated Procurement Code. The information provided must be considered with the other criteria provided by law by a governmental body before entering into a real property lease."
SECTION 5. Section 48-46-30(4) and (5) of the 1976 Code, as added by Act 357 of 2000, are amended to read:
"(4) 'Board' means the South Carolina Budget and Control Board or its designated official.
(5) 'Decommissioning trust fund' means the trust fund established pursuant to a Trust Agreement dated March 4, 1981, among Chem-Nuclear Systems, Inc. (grantor), the South Carolina Budget and Control Board (beneficiary) or its successor, Department of Administration, and the South Carolina State Treasurer (trustee), whose purpose is to assure adequate funding for decommissioning of the disposal site, or any successor fund with a similar purpose.
(5) 'Department' means the South Carolina Department of Administration or its designee."
SECTION 6. Section 48-46-40 of the 1976 code, as added by Act 357 of 2000, is amended to read:
"Section 48-46-40. (A)(1) The board Upon the recommendation of the Department of Administration, the Budget and Control Board shall approve disposal rates for low-level radioactive waste disposed at any regional disposal facility located within the State. The approval of disposal rates pursuant to this chapter is neither a regulation nor the promulgation of a regulation as those terms are specially used in Title 1, Chapter 23.
(2) The board department shall adopt a maximum uniform rate schedule for regional generators containing disposal rates that include the administrative surcharges specified in Section 48-46-60(B) and surcharges for the extended custody and maintenance of the facility pursuant to Section 13-7-30(4) and that do not exceed the approximate disposal rates, excluding any access fees and including a specification of the methodology for calculating fees for large components, generally applicable to regional generators on September 7, 1999. Any disposal rates contained in a valid written agreement that were applicable to a regional generator on September 7, 1999, that differ from rates in the maximum uniform rate schedule will continue to be honored through the term of such agreement. The maximum uniform rate schedule approved under this section becomes effective immediately upon South Carolina' s membership in the Atlantic Compact. The maximum uniform rate schedule shall be the rate schedule applicable to regional waste whenever it is not superseded by an adjusted rate approved by the board department pursuant to paragraph (3) of this subsection or by special disposal rates approved pursuant to paragraphs (5) or (6)(e) of this subsection.
(3) The board department may at any time of its own initiative, at the request of a site operator, or at the request of the compact commission, adjust the disposal rate or the relative proportions of the individual components that constitute the overall rate schedule. Except as adjusted for inflation in subsection (4), rates adjusted in accordance with this section, that include the administrative surcharges specified in Section 48-46-60(B) and surcharges for the extended custody and maintenance of the facility pursuant to Section 13-7-30(4), may shall not exceed initial disposal rates set by the board department pursuant to subsection (2).
(4) In March of each year the board department shall adjust the rate schedule based on the most recent changes in the most nearly applicable Producer Price Index published by the Bureau of Labor Statistics as chosen by the board department or a successor index.
(5) In consultation with the site operator, the board department or its designee, on a case-by-case basis, may approve special disposal rates for regional waste that differ from the disposal rate schedule for regional generators set by the board department pursuant to subsections (2) and (3). Requests by the site operator for such approval shall be in writing to the board department In approving such special rates, the board department or its designee, shall consider available disposal capacity, demand for disposal capacity, the characteristics of the waste, the potential for generating revenue for the State, or other relevant factors; provided, however, that the board department shall not approve any special rate for an entity owned by or affiliated with the site operator. Special disposal rates approved by the board department under this subsection shall be in writing and shall be kept confidential as proprietary business information for one year from the date when the bid or the request for proposal containing the special rate is accepted by the regional generator; provided, however, that such special rates when accepted by a regional generator shall be disclosed to the compact commission and to all other regional generators, which shall, to the extent permitted by applicable law, keep them confidential as proprietary business information for one year from the date when the bid or request for proposal containing this special rate is accepted by the regional generator. Within one business day of a special disposal rate's acceptance, the site operator shall notify the board, the department, the compact commission, and the regional generators of each special rate that has been accepted by a regional generator, and the board department, the compact commission, and regional generators may communicate with each other about such special rates. If any special rate approved by the board department for a regional generator is lower than a disposal rate approved by the board department for regional generators pursuant to subsections (2) and (3) for waste that is generally similar in characteristics and volume, the disposal rate for all regional generators shall be revised to equal the special rate for the regional generator. Regional generators may enter into contracts for waste disposal at such special rates and on comparable terms for a period of not less than six months. An officer of the site operator shall certify in writing to the board department and the compact commission each month that no regional generator's disposal rate exceeds any other regional generator's special rate for waste that is generally similar in characteristics and volume, and such certification shall be subject to periodic audit by the board department and the compact commission.
(6)(a) To the extent authorized by the compact commission, the board Budget and Control Board, taking into account the recommendation of the Department of Administration and on behalf of the State of South Carolina, may enter into agreements with any person in the United States or its territories or any interstate compact, state, U.S. territory, or U.S. Department of Defense military installation abroad for the importation of waste into the region for purposes of disposal at a regional disposal facility within South Carolina. No waste from outside the Atlantic Compact region may be disposed at a regional disposal facility within South Carolina, except to the extent that the board department is authorized by the compact commission to enter into agreements for importation of waste.
The board department shall authorize the importation of nonregional waste into the region for purposes of disposal at the regional disposal facility in South Carolina so long as nonregional waste would not result in the facility accepting more than the following total volumes of all waste:
(i) 160,000 cubic feet in fiscal year 2001;
(ii) 80,000 cubic feet in fiscal year 2002;
(iii) 70,000 cubic feet in fiscal year 2003;
(iv) 60,000 cubic feet in fiscal year 2004;
(v) 50,000 cubic feet in fiscal year 2005;
(vi) 45,000 cubic feet in fiscal year 2006;
(vii) 40,000 cubic feet in fiscal year 2007;
(viii) 35,000 cubic feet in fiscal year 2008.
After fiscal year 2008, the board department shall not authorize the importation of nonregional waste for purposes of disposal.
(b) The board department may approve disposal rates applicable to nonregional generators. In approving disposal rates applicable to nonregional generators, the board department may consider available disposal capacity, demand for disposal capacity, the characteristics of the waste, the potential for generating revenue for the State, and other relevant factors.
(c) Absent action by the board department under subsection (b) above to establish disposal rates for nonregional generators, rates applicable to these generators must be equal to those contained in the maximum uniform rate schedule approved by the board department pursuant to paragraph (2) or (3) of this subsection for regional generators unless these rates are superseded by special disposal rates approved by the board department pursuant to paragraph (6)(e) of this subsection.
(d) Regional generators shall not pay disposal rates that are higher than disposal rates for nonregional generators in any fiscal quarter.
(e) In consultation with the site operator and upon the recommendation of the Department of Administration, the board Budget and Control Board or its designee, on a case-by-case basis, may approve special disposal rates for nonregional waste that differ from the disposal rate schedule for nonregional generators set by the board department. Requests by the site operator for such approval shall be in writing to the board department. In approving such special rates, the board department or its designee shall consider available disposal capacity, demand for disposal capacity, the characteristics of the waste, the potential for generating revenue for the State, and other relevant factors; provided, however, that the board department shall not approve any special rate for an entity owned by or affiliated with the site operator. Special disposal rates approved by the board department under this subsection shall be in writing and shall be kept confidential as proprietary business information for one year from the date when the bid or request for proposal containing the special rate is accepted by the nonregional generator; provided, however, that such special rates when accepted by a nonregional generator shall be disclosed to the compact commission and to all regional generators, which shall, to the extent permitted by applicable law, keep them confidential as proprietary business information for one year from the date when the bid or request for proposal containing the special rate is accepted by the nonregional generator. Within one business day of a special disposal rate's acceptance, the site operator shall notify the board department, the compact commission, and the regional generators in writing of each special rate that has been accepted by a nonregional generator, and the board department, the compact commission, and regional generators may communicate with each other about such special rates. If any special rate approved by the board department for a nonregional generator is lower than a disposal rate approved by the board department for regional generators for waste that is generally similar in characteristics and volume, the disposal rate for all regional generators shall be revised to equal the special rate for the nonregional generator. Regional generators may enter into contracts for waste disposal at such special rate and on comparable terms for a period of not less than six months. An officer of the site operator shall certify in writing to the board department and the compact commission each month that no regional generator disposal rate exceeds any nonregional generator's special rate for waste that is generally similar in characteristics and volume, and such certification shall be subject to periodic audit by the board department and the compact commission.
(B)(1) Effective upon the implementation of initial disposal rates by the board department under Section 48-46-40(A), the PSC is authorized and directed to identify allowable costs for operating a regional low-level radioactive waste disposal facility in South Carolina.
(2) In identifying the allowable costs for operating a regional disposal facility, the PSC shall:
(a) prescribe a system of accounts, using generally accepted accounting principles, for disposal site operators, using as a starting point the existing system used by site operators;
(b) obtain and audit the books and records of the site operators associated with disposal operations as determined applicable by the PSC;
(c) assess penalties against disposal site operators if the PSC determines that they have failed to comply with regulations pursuant to this section; and
(d) require periodic reports from site operators that provide information and data to the PSC and parties to these proceedings.
(3) Allowable costs include the costs of those activities necessary for:
(a) the receipt of waste;
(b) the construction of disposal trenches, vaults, and overpacks;
(c) construction and maintenance of necessary physical facilities;
(d) the purchase or amortization of necessary equipment;
(e) purchase of supplies that are consumed in support of waste disposal activities;
(f) accounting and billing for waste disposal;
(g) creating and maintaining records related to disposed waste;
(h) the administrative costs directly associated with disposal operations including, but not limited to, salaries, wages, and employee benefits;
(i) site surveillance and maintenance required by the State of South Carolina, other than site surveillance and maintenance costs covered by the balance of funds in the decommissioning trust fund or the extended care maintenance fund;
(j) compliance with the license, lease, and regulatory requirements of all jurisdictional agencies;
(k) administrative costs associated with collecting the surcharges provided for in subsections (B) and (C) of Section 48-46-60;
(l) taxes other than income taxes;
(m) licensing and permitting fees; and
(n) any other costs directly associated with disposal operations determined by the PSC to be allowable.
Allowable costs do not include the costs of activities associated with lobbying and public relations, clean-up and remediation activities caused by errors or accidents in violation of laws, regulations, or violations of the facility operating license or permits, activities of the site operator not directly in support of waste disposal, and other costs determined by the PSC to be unallowable.
(4) Within 90 days following the end of a fiscal year, a site operator may file an application with the PSC to adjust the level of an allowable cost under subsection (3), or to allow a cost not previously designated an allowable cost. The PSC shall process such application in accordance with its procedures. If such application is approved by the PSC, the PSC shall authorize the site operator to adjust allowable costs for the current fiscal year so as to compensate the site operator for revenues lost during the previous fiscal year.
(5) A private operator of a regional disposal facility in South Carolina is authorized to charge an operating margin of twenty-nine percent. The operating margin for a given period must be determined by multiplying twenty-nine percent by the total amount of allowable costs as determined in this subsection, excluding allowable costs for taxes and licensing and permitting fees paid to governmental entities.
(6) The site operator shall prepare and file with the PSC a Least Cost Operating Plan. The plan must be filed within forty-five days of enactment of this chapter and must be revised annually. The plan shall include information concerning anticipated operations over the next ten years and shall evaluate all options for future staffing and operation of the site to ensure least cost operation, including information related to the possible interim suspension of operations in accordance with subsection (B)(7).
(7)(a) If the board, upon the recommendation of the Department of Administration and upon the advice of the compact commission or the site operator, concludes based on information provided to the board department, that the volume of waste to be disposed during a forthcoming period of time does not appear sufficient to generate receipts that will be adequate to reimburse the site operator for its costs of operating the facility and its operating margin, then the board department shall direct the site operator to propose to the compact commission plans including, but not necessarily limited to, a proposal for discontinuing acceptance of waste until such time as there is sufficient waste to cover the site operator's operating costs and operating margin. Any proposal to suspend operations must detail plans of the site operator to minimize its costs during the suspension of operations. Any such proposal to suspend operations must be approved by the Department of Health and Environmental Control with respect to safety and environmental protection.
(b) Allowable costs applicable to any period of suspended operations must be approved by the PSC according to procedures similar to those provided herein for allowable operating costs. During any such suspension of operations, the site operator must be reimbursed by the board department from the extended care maintenance fund for its allowable costs and its operating margin. During the suspension funding to reimburse the board department, the PSC, and the State Treasurer under Section 48-46-60(B) and funding of the compact commission under Section 48-46-60(C) must also be allocated from the extended care maintenance fund as approved by the board department based on revised budgets submitted by the PSC, State Treasurer, and the compact commission.
(c) Notwithstanding any disbursements from the extended care maintenance fund in accordance with any provision of this act, the board department shall continue to ensure, in accordance with Section 13-7-30, that the fund remains adequate to defray the costs for future maintenance costs or custodial and maintenance obligations of the site and other obligations imposed on the fund by this chapter.
(d) The PSC may promulgate regulations and policies necessary to execute the provisions of this section.
(8) The PSC may use any standard, formula, method, or theory of valuation reasonably calculated to arrive at the objective of identifying allowable costs associated with waste disposal. The PSC may consider standards, precedents, findings, and decisions in other jurisdictions that regulate allowable costs for radioactive waste disposal.
(9) In all proceedings held pursuant to this section, the board department shall participate as a party representing the interests of the State of South Carolina, and the compact commission may participate as a party representing the interests of the compact states. The Consumer Advocate and the Attorney General of the State of South Carolina shall be parties to any such proceeding. Representatives from the Department of Health and Environmental Control shall participate in proceedings where necessary to determine or define the activities that a site operator must conduct in order to comply with the regulations and license conditions imposed by the department. Other parties may participate in the PSC's proceedings upon satisfaction of standing requirements and compliance with the PSC's procedures. Any site operator submitting records and information to the PSC may request that the PSC treat such records and information as confidential and not subject to disclosure in accordance with the PSC's procedures.
(10) In all respects in which the PSC has power and authority under this chapter, it shall conduct its proceedings under the South Carolina Administrative Procedures Act and the PSC's rules and regulations. The PSC is authorized to compel attendance and testimony of a site operator's directors, officers, agents, or employees.
(11) At any time the compact commission, the board department, or any generator subject to payment of rates set pursuant to this chapter may file a complaint against a site operator alleging that allowable costs identified pursuant to this chapter are not in conformity with the directives of this chapter or the directives of the PSC or that the site operator is otherwise not acting in conformity with the requirements of this chapter or directives of the PSC. Upon filing of the complaint, the PSC shall cause a copy of the complaint to be served upon the site operator. The complaining party has the burden of proving that allowable costs or the actions of the site operator do not conform. The hearing shall conform to the rules of practice and procedure of the PSC for other complaint cases.
(12) The PSC shall encourage alternate forms of dispute resolution including, but not limited to, mediation or arbitration to resolve disputes between a site operator and any other person regarding matters covered by this chapter.
(C) The operator of a regional disposal facility shall submit to the South Carolina Department of Revenue, the PSC, and the board department within thirty days following the end of each quarter a report detailing actual revenues received in the previous fiscal quarter and allowable costs incurred for operation of the disposal facility.
(D)(1) Within 30 days following the end of the fiscal year the operator of a regional disposal facility shall submit a payment made payable to the South Carolina Department of Revenue in an amount that is equal to the total revenues received for waste disposed in that fiscal year (with interest accrued on cash flows in accordance with instructions from the State Treasurer) minus allowable costs, operating margin, and any payments already made from such revenues pursuant to Section 48-46-60(B) and (C) for reimbursement of administrative costs to state agencies and the compact commission. The Department of Revenue shall deposit the payment with the State Treasurer.
(2) If in any fiscal year total revenues do not cover allowable costs plus the operating margin, the board department must reimburse the site operator its allowable costs and operating margin from the extended care maintenance fund within thirty days after the end of the fiscal year. The board department shall as soon as practicable authorize a surcharge on waste disposed in an amount that will fully compensate the fund for the reimbursement to the site operator. In the event that total revenues for a fiscal year do not cover allowable costs plus the operating margin, or quarterly reports submitted pursuant to subsection (C) indicate that such annual revenue may be insufficient, the board department shall consult with the compact commission and the site operator as early as practicable on whether the provisions of Section 48-46-40(B)(7) pertaining to suspension of operations during periods of insufficient revenues should be invoked.
(E) Revenues received pursuant to item (1) of subsection (D) must be allocated as follows:
(1) The South Carolina State Treasurer shall distribute the first two million dollars received for waste disposed during a fiscal year to the County Treasurer of Barnwell County for distribution to each of the parties to and beneficiaries of the order of the United States District Court in C.A. No. 1:90-2912-6 on the same schedule of allocation as is established within that order for the distribution of 'payments in lieu of taxes' paid by the United States Department of Energy.
(2) All revenues in excess of two million dollars received from waste disposed during the previous fiscal year must be deposited in a fund called the 'Nuclear Waste Disposal Receipts Distribution Fund'. Any South Carolina waste generator whose disposal fees contributed to the fund during the previous fiscal year may submit a request for a rebate of 33.33 percent of the funds paid by the generator during the previous fiscal year for disposal of waste at a regional disposal facility. These requests along with invoices or other supporting material must be submitted in writing to the State Treasurer within fifteen days of the end of the fiscal year. For this purpose disposal fees paid by the generator must exclude any fees paid pursuant to Section 48-46-60(C) for compact administration and fees paid pursuant to Section 48-46-60(B) for reimbursement of the PSC, the State Treasurer, and the board department for administrative expenses under this chapter. The Budget and Control Board shall transfer funds to the Department of Administration to underwrite necessary costs related to the implementation of this chapter. Upon validation of the request and supporting documentation by the State Treasurer, the State Treasurer shall issue a rebate of the applicable funds to qualified waste generators within sixty days of the receipt of the request. If funds in the Nuclear Waste Disposal Receipts Distribution Fund are insufficient to provide a rebate of 33.33 percent to each generator, then each generator's rebate must be reduced in proportion to the amount of funds in the account for the applicable fiscal year.
(3) All funds deposited in the Nuclear Waste Disposal Receipts Distribution Fund for waste disposed for each fiscal year, less the amount needed to provide generators rebates pursuant to item (2), shall be deposited by the State Treasurer in the 'Children's Education Endowment Fund'. Thirty percent of these monies must be allocated to Higher Education Scholarship Grants and used as provided in Section 59-143-30, and seventy percent of these monies must be allocated to Public School Facility Assistance and used as provided in Chapter 144 of Title 59.
(F) Effective beginning fiscal year 2001-2002, there is appropriated annually from the general fund of the State to the Higher Education Scholarship Grants share of the Children's Education Endowment whatever amount is necessary to credit to the Higher Education Scholarship Grants share an amount not less than the amount credited to that portion of the endowment in fiscal year 1999-2000. Revenues credited to the endowment pursuant to this subsection, for purposes of Section 59-143-10, are deemed to be received by the endowment pursuant to the former provisions of Section 48-48-140(C)."
SECTION 7. Section 48-46-50(A) of the 1976 Code, as added by Act 357 of 2000, is amended to read:
"(A) The Governor shall appoint two commissioners to the Atlantic Compact Commission and may appoint up to two alternate commissioners. These alternate commissioners may participate in meetings of the compact commission in lieu of and upon the request of a South Carolina commissioner. Technical representatives from the Department of Health and Environmental Control, the board Department of Administration, the PSC, and other state agencies may participate in relevant portions of meetings of the compact commission upon the request of a commissioner, alternate commissioner, or staff of the compact commission, or as called for in the compact commission bylaws."
SECTION 8. Section 48-46-60 of the 1976 Code, as added by Act 357 of 2000, is amended to read:
"Section 48-46-60. (A) The Governor and the board department are authorized to take such actions as are necessary to join the Atlantic Compact including, but not limited to, petitioning the Compact Commission for membership and participating in any and all rulemaking processes. South Carolina's membership in the Atlantic Compact pursuant to this chapter is effective July 1, 2000, if by that date the Governor certifies to the General Assembly that the Compact Commission has taken each of the actions specified below. If the Compact Commission by July 1, 2000, has not taken each of the actions specified below, then South Carolina's membership shall become effective as soon thereafter as the Governor certifies that the Atlantic Compact Commission has taken these actions:
(1) adopted a binding regulation or policy in accordance with Article VII(e) of the compact establishing conditions for admission of a party state that are consistent with this act and ordered that South Carolina be declared eligible to be a party state consistent with those conditions;
(2) adopted a binding regulation or policy in accordance with Article IV(i)(11) of the Atlantic Compact authorizing a host state to enter into agreements on behalf of the compact and consistent with criteria established by the compact commission and consistent with the provisions of Section 48-46-40(A)(6)(a) and Section 48-46-50(D) with any person for the importation of waste into the region for purposes of disposal, to the extent that these agreements do not preclude the disposal facility from accepting all regional waste that can reasonably be projected to require disposal at the regional disposal facility consistent with subitem (5)(b) of this section;
(3) adopted a binding regulation or policy in accordance with Article IV(i)(12) of the Atlantic Compact authorizing each regional generator, at the generator's discretion, to ship waste to disposal facilities located outside the Atlantic Compact region;
(4) authorized South Carolina to proceed with plans to establish disposal rates for low-level radioactive waste disposal in a manner consistent with the procedures described in this chapter;
(5) adopted a binding regulation, policy, or order officially designating South Carolina as a volunteer host state for the region's disposal facility, contingent upon South Carolina's membership in the compact, in accordance with Article V.b.1. of the Atlantic Compact, thereby authorizing the following compensation and incentives to South Carolina:
(a) agreement, as evidenced in a policy, regulation, or order that the compact commission will issue a payment of twelve million dollars to the State of South Carolina. Before issuing the twelve million-dollar payment, the compact commission will deduct and retain from this amount seventy thousand dollars, which will be credited as full payment of South Carolina's membership dues in the Atlantic Compact. The remainder of the twelve million-dollar payment must be credited to an account in the State Treasurer's office, separate and distinct from the fund, styled 'Barnwell Economic Development Fund'. This fund, and earnings on this fund which must be credited to the fund, may only be expended for purposes of economic development in the Barnwell County area including, but not limited to, projects of the Barnwell County Economic Development Corporation and projects of the Tri-County alliance which includes Barnwell, Bamberg, and Allendale Counties and projects in the Williston area of Aiken County. Economic development includes, but is not limited to, industrial recruitment, infrastructure construction, improvement, and expansion, and public facilities construction, improvement, and expansion. These funds must be spent according to guidelines established by the Barnwell County governing body and upon approval of the board department. Expenditures must be authorized by the Barnwell County governing body and with the approval of the board department. Upon approval of the Barnwell County governing body and the board department, the State Treasurer shall submit the approved funds to the Barnwell County Treasurer for disbursement pursuant to the authorization;
(b) adopted a binding regulation, policy, or order consistent with the regional management plan developed pursuant to Article V(a) of the Atlantic Compact, limiting Connecticut and New Jersey to the use of not more than 800,000 cubic feet of disposal capacity at the regional disposal facility located in Barnwell County, South Carolina, and also ensuring that up to 800,000 cubic feet of disposal capacity remains available for use by Connecticut and New Jersey unless this estimate of need is later revised downward by unanimous consent of the compact commission;
(c) agreement, as evidenced in a policy or regulation, that the compact commission headquarters and office will be relocated to South Carolina within six months of South Carolina's membership; and
(d) agreement, as evidenced in a policy or regulation, that the compact commission will, to the extent practicable, hold a majority of its meetings in the host state for the regional disposal facility.
(B) The board, the State Treasurer, and the PSC shall provide the required staff and may add additional permanent or temporary staff or contract for services, as well as provide for operating expenses, if necessary, to administer new responsibilities assigned under this chapter. In accordance with Article V.f.2. of the Atlantic Compact the compensation, costs, and expenses incurred incident to administering these responsibilities may be paid through a surcharge on waste disposed at regional disposal facilities within the State. To cover these costs the board shall impose a surcharge per unit of waste received at any regional disposal facility located within the State. A site operator shall collect and remit these fees to the board in accordance with the board's directions. All such surcharges shall be included within the disposal rates set by the board pursuant to Section 48-46-40.
(C) In accordance with Article V.f.3. of the Atlantic Compact, the compact commission shall advise the board department at least annually, but more frequently if the compact commission deems appropriate, of the compact commission's costs and expenses. To cover these costs the board department shall impose a surcharge per unit of waste received at any regional disposal facility located within the State as determined in Section 48-46-40. A site operator shall collect and remit these fees to the board department in accordance with the board department's directions, and the board department shall remit those fees to the compact commission."
SECTION 9. Section 48-46-90(A) of the 1976 Code, as added by Act 357 of 2000, is amended to read:
"(A) In accordance with Section 13-7-30, the board department, or its designee, is responsible for extended custody and maintenance of the Barnwell site following closure and license transfer from the facility operator. The Department of Health and Environmental Control is responsible for continued site monitoring."
SECTION 10. Section 13-7-10(10) of the 1976 Code, as added by Act 357 of 2000, is amended to read:
"(10) 'Decommissioning trust fund' means the trust fund established pursuant to a Trust Agreement dated March 4, 1981, among Chem-Nuclear Systems, Inc. (grantor), the South Carolina Budget and Control Board (beneficiary) or its successor, South Carolina Department of Administration, and the South Carolina State Treasurer (trustee), whose purpose is to assure adequate funding for decommissioning of the disposal site, or any successor fund with a similar purpose."
SECTION 11. Section 13-7-30 of the 1976 Code, as last amended by Act 357 of 200, is further amended to read:
"Section 13-7-30. For purposes of this article, the State Budget and Control Board South Carolina Department of Administration, hereinafter in this section referred to as the board department, is designated as the agency of the State which shall have the following powers and duties that are in accord with its already established responsibilities for custody of state properties, and for the management of all state sinking funds, insurance, and analogous fiscal matters that are relevant to state properties:
(1) expend state funds in order to acquire, develop, and operate land and facilities. This acquisition may be by lease, dedication, purchase, or other arrangements. However, the state's functions under the authority of this section are limited to the specific purposes of this article;
(2) lease, sublease, or sell real and personal properties to public or private bodies;
(3) assure the maintenance of insurance coverage by state licensees, lessees, or sublessees as will in the opinion of the board department protect the citizens of the State against nuclear incident that may occur on state-controlled atomic energy facilities;
(4) assume responsibility for extended custody and maintenance of radioactive materials held for custodial purposes at any publicly or privately operated facility located within the State, in the event the parties operating these facilities abandon their responsibility, or when the license for the facility is ultimately transferred to an agency of the State, and whenever the federal government or any agency of the federal government has not assumed the responsibility.
In order to finance such extended custody and maintenance as the board department may undertake, the board department may collect fees from private or public parties holding radioactive materials for custodial purposes. These fees must be sufficient in each individual case to defray the estimated cost of the board department's custodial management activities for that individual case. The fees collected for such custodial management activities shall also be sufficient to provide additional funds for the purchase of insurance which shall be purchased for the protection of the State and the general public for the period such radioactive material considering its isotope and curie content together with other factors may present a possible danger to the general public in the event of migration or dispersal of such radioactivity. All such fees, when received by the board department, must be transmitted to the State Treasurer. The Treasurer must place the money in a special account, in the nature of a revolving trust fund, which may be designated 'extended care maintenance fund', to be disbursed on authorization of the board department. Monies in the extended care maintenance funds must be invested by the board department in the manner as other state monies. However, any interest accruing as a result of investment must accrue to this extended care maintenance fund. Except as authorized in Section 48-46-40(B)(7)(b) and (D)(2), the extended care maintenance fund must be used exclusively for custodial, surveillance, and maintenance costs during the period of institutional control and during any post-closure and observation period specified by the Department of Health and Environmental Control, and for activities associated with closure of the site. Funds from the extended care maintenance fund shall not be used for site closure activities or for custodial, surveillance, and maintenance performed during the post-closure observation period until all funds in the decommissioning trust account are exhausted.
(5) Enter into an agreement with the federal government or any of its authorized agencies to assume extended maintenance of lands donated, leased, or purchased from the federal government or any of its authorized agencies and used for development of atomic energy resources or as custodial site for radioactive material."
SECTION 12. Section 13-7-830 of the 1976 Code, as last amended by Act 357 of 2000, is further amended to read:
"Section 13-7-830. The recommendations described in Section 13-7-620 shall be made available to the General Assembly, the Governor, and the Budget and Control Board South Carolina Department of Administration."
SECTION 1. Section 1-11-430 of the 1976 Code and Section 1-11-435 of the 1976 Code, as added by Act 339 of 2002, are amended to read:
"Section 1-11-430. In post-divestiture circumstances, the State, its boards, committees, commissions, councils, and agencies, and other entities excluding counties, municipalities, and special service and school districts must be treated as a single enterprise for purposes of securing and utilizing local and long distance telecommunications equipment and services.
The State Budget and Control Board South Carolina Department of Administration shall secure all telecommunications equipment and services for the state government enterprise under terms it considers suitable and coordinate the supply of the equipment and services for state government use. No entity of state government may enter into an agreement or renew an existing agreement for telecommunications services unless approved by the board department. These approvals must be reported annually to the Budget and Control Board.
Section 1-11-435. To protect the state's critical information technology infrastructure and associated data systems in the event of a major disaster, whether natural or otherwise, and to allow the services to the citizens of this State to continue in such an event, the Office of the State Chief Information Officer (CIO) of the South Carolina Budget and Control Board should develop a Critical Information Technology Infrastructure Protection Plan devising policies and procedures to provide for the confidentiality, integrity, and availability of, and to allow for alternative and immediate on-line access to, critical data and information systems including, but not limited to, health and human services, law enforcement, and related agency data necessary to provide critical information to citizens and ensure the protection of state employees as they carry out their disaster-related duties. All state agencies and political subdivisions of this State are directed to assist the Office of the State CIO in the collection of data required for this plan."
SECTION 2. Section 1-11-770 of the 1976 Code, as amended by Act 339 of 2002, is amended to read:
"Section 1-11-770. (A) Subject to appropriations, the General Assembly authorizes the state Budget and Control Board South Carolina Department of Administration to plan, develop, and implement a statewide South Carolina 211 Network, which must serve as the single point of coordination for information and referral for health and human services. The objectives for establishing the South Carolina 211 Network are to:
(1) provide comprehensive and cost-effective access to health and human services information;
(2) improve access to accurate information by simplifying and enhancing state and local health and human services information and referral systems and by fostering collaboration among information and referral systems;
(3) electronically connect local information and referral systems to each other, to service providers, and to consumers of information and referral services;
(4) establish and promote standards for data collection and for distributing information among state and local organizations;
(5) promote the use of a common dialing access code and the visibility and public awareness of the availability of information and referral services;
(6) provide a management and administrative structure to support the South Carolina 211 Network and establish technical assistance, training, and support programs for information and referral-service programs;
(7) test methods for integrating information and referral services with local and state health and human services programs and for consolidating and streamlining eligibility and case-management processes;
(8) provide access to standardized, comprehensive data to assist in identifying gaps and needs in health and human services programs; and
(9) provide a unified systems plan with a developed platform, taxonomy, and standards for data management and access.
(B) In order to participate in the South Carolina 211 Network, a 211 provider must be certified by the board department. The board department must develop criteria for certification and must adopt the criteria as regulations.
(1) If any provider of information and referral services or other entity leases a 211 number from a local exchange company and is not certified by the agency, the agency shall, after consultation with the local exchange company and the Public Service Commission, request that the Federal Communications Commission direct the local exchange company to revoke the use of the 211 number.
(2) The agency shall seek the assistance and guidance of the Public Service Commission and the Federal Communications Commission in resolving any disputes arising over jurisdiction related to 211 numbers."
SECTION 3. Section 11-35-1580 of the 1976 Code, as last amended by Act 153 of 1997, is further amended to read:
"Section 11-35-1580. (1) Information Technology Management Office. The Information Technology Management Office shall be responsible for:
(a) assessing the need for and use of information technology;
(b) administering all procurement and contracting activities undertaken for governmental bodies involving information technology in accordance with this chapter;
(c) providing for the disposal of all information technology property surplus to the needs of a using agency;
(d) evaluating the use and management of information technology;
(e) operating a comprehensive inventory and accounting reporting system for information technology;
(f) developing policies and standards for the management of information technology in state government;
(g) initiating a state plan for the management and use of information technology;
(h) providing management and technical assistance to state agencies in using information technology; and
(i) establishing a referral service for state agencies seeking technical assistance or information technology services.
(2) Exemptions from the Requirements of this Section. The office may establish by regulation categories of procurement for information technology which shall be exempted from the requirements of this section.
(3) Training and Certification. The office may establish a training and certification program in accordance with Section 11-35-1030.
(A) The Office of the State Chief Information Officer the Budget and Control Board is responsible for:
(1) assessing the need for and use of information technology;
(2) providing for the disposal of all information technology property surplus to the needs of a using agency;
(3) evaluating the use and management of information technology;
(4) operating a comprehensive inventory and accounting reporting system for information technology;
(5) developing policies and standards for the management of information technology in state government;
(6) initiating a state plan for the management and use of information technology;
(7) providing management and technical assistance to state agencies in using information technology; and
(8) establishing a referral service for state agencies seeking technical assistance or information technology services.
(B) The Budget and Control Board, Procurement Services Division is responsible for:
(1) administering all procurement and contracting activities undertaken for governmental bodies involving information technology in accordance with this chapter;
(2) establishing by regulation categories of procurement for information technology which shall be exempted from the requirements of this section; and
(3) establishing a training and certification program in accordance with Section 11-35-1030."
SECTION 4. Section 23-1-230(H) of the 1976 Code, as added by Act 339 of 2002, is amended to read:
"(H) The First Responders Advisory Committee shall receive clerical and related assistance from the staff of the South Carolina Law Enforcement Division, the Department of Public Safety, and the Office of Information Resources State Chief Information Officer."
SECTION 5. Section 23-47-30 of the 1976 Code, as added by Act 245 of 1991, is amended to read:
"Section 23-47-30. (A) A local government which seeks funding for a 911 system shall submit to the Division of Information Resource Management (DIRM), the Office of the State Chief Information Officer within the South Carolina Budget and Control Board a 911 system plan for review and approval. The plan shall conform to the planning guidelines set forth in this chapter, guidelines promulgated by DIRM, and meet the requirements of current tariffs applicable to the 911 system. The plan must include:
(1) the type of 911 system desired for the local government including the type of equipment to be used and the associated costs;
(2) the location of the PSAP and the county or municipality agency or organization responsible for operating the PSAP;
(3) a listing of those public safety agencies whose services will be available through the 911 system;
(4) the personnel determined necessary to operate and maintain the 911 system;
(5) educational efforts the local government will undertake to acquaint the general public with the availability and proper use of the 911 system.
(B) Those local governments which already have a 911 system are encouraged to conform to the standards set forth in this section."
SECTION 6. Section 23-47-50(E) of the 1976 Code, as last amended by Act 233 of 2000, is further amended to read:
"(E) The 'emergency telephone system' fund must be included in the annual audit of the local government in accordance with guidelines issued by the state auditor's office. A report of the audit must be forwarded to the state auditor within sixty days of its completion, and a copy sent to DIRM the Office of the State Chief Information Officer."
SECTION 7. Section 58-9-2540(B)(7) of the 1976 Code is amended to read:
"(7) one representative from the office of the Division Office of Information Resource Management the State Chief Information Officer, State Budget and Control Board; and"
SECTION 8. Section 59-150-60(A)(9) of the 1976 Code, as added by Act 59 of 2001, is amended to read:
"(9) acquire or lease real property and make improvements on it and acquire by lease or by purchase personal property including, but not limited to, computers; mechanical, electronic, and on-line equipment and terminals; and intangible property including, but not limited to, computer programs, systems, and software. To achieve cost savings and efficiency, the commission shall use the telecommunications network service of the Budget and Control Board's Office Division of the State Chief Information Resources Officer pursuant to Sections 1-11-430 and 11-35-1580 provided that the service is secure;"
SECTION 9. Section 59-150-390 of the 1976 Code, as added by Act 59 of 2001, is amended:
"Section 59-150-390. The State Department of Education, in consultation with the Budget and Control Board's Office Division of the State Chief Information Resources Officer, the State Library, and the Education Television Commission, shall administer primary and secondary technology funding provided for in Section 59-150-350. These funds are intended to provide technology connectivity, hardware, software, and training for the K-12 public schools throughout the State and, to the maximum extent possible, involve public-private sector collaborative efforts. Funds allocated to the local school districts for technology expenditures must be distributed based on the number of students eligible for the free and reduced lunch program in grades 1-3."
SECTION 10. Section 59-152-10 of the 1976 Code is amended to read:
"Section 59-152-10. There is established South Carolina Bureau of First Steps to School Readiness in the Department of Education a comprehensive, results-oriented initiative for improving early childhood development by providing, through county partnerships, public and private funds and support for high-quality early childhood development and education services for children by providing support for their families' efforts toward enabling their children to reach school ready to learn."
SECTION 1. The followings sections of the 1976 Code are repealed: 1-11-315, 48-52-435, 48-52-440, and 48-52-460.
SECTION 1. Chapter 3, Title 1 of the 1976 Code is amended by adding:
Section 1-3-300. It is the intent of the General Assembly to create an instrumentality that provides leadership and direction for the use of information technology within the executive branch of government in South Carolina. The General Assembly recognizes the critical role information technology plays in providing cost effective and efficient services to the citizens of this State. The General Assembly envisions an enterprise information system that provides an easily accessible, reliable, and accurate information infrastructure to enhance both the quality and delivery of services.
Section 1-3-305. There is created a management entity within the State Budget and Control Board, the Office of the State Chief Information Officer. The office is headed by the State Chief Information Officer who is appointed by the Governor with the advice and consent of the Senate. The State Chief Information Officer serves at the pleasure of the Budget and Control Board and may only be removed by majority vote of the members of the Budget and Control Board that includes a vote by the Governor to remove the State Chief Information Officer.
Section 1-3-310. The Office of the State Chief Information Officer may be organized in a manner the State Chief Information Officer considers most appropriate to carry out various duties, responsibilities, and authorities assigned to the office.
Section 1-3-315. As used in this article,
(1) 'Advisory Council' means the South Carolina Information Technology Advisory Council as established in this article.
(2) 'Board' means the State Budget and Control Board.
(3) 'Governmental body' means a state government department, commission, council, board, bureau, committee, institution, college, university, technical school, agency, government corporation, or other establishment or official of the executive branch. Governmental body does not mean the General Assembly, the State Senate, the State House of Representatives, or any committee or instrumentality of the General Assembly, the Senate, or House of Representatives; the Judicial Department; Legislative Council; the Office of Legislative Printing and Information Technology Services; the Department of Transportation; and all local political subdivisions such as counties, municipalities, school districts, or public service or special purpose districts.
(4) 'Immediate family' means a person who is:
(a) a spouse;
(b) a child residing in the same household; or
(c) claimed as a dependent for income tax purposes
(5) 'Information technology' means electronic data processing goods and services, telecommunications goods and services, information security goods and services, information management, microprocessors, software, information processing, office systems, any services related to these, and consulting or other services for design or redesign of information technology supporting business processes.
(6) 'Information technology vendor' means a person or entity who provides or proposes to provide information technology goods or services in excess of an aggregate amount of four hundred thousand dollars to the office pursuant to a procurement contract or contracts for one or more projects within a fiscal year, but does not include an employee of the office, a state agency, or an instrumentality of the State. The term includes a corporation whose shares are traded publicly and which is the parent company of the contracting party in a procurement contract.
(7) 'Office' means the Office of the State Chief Information Officer;
(8) 'Other state entity' means the General Assembly, the State Senate, the State House of Representatives, or any committee or instrumentality of the General Assembly, State Senate or State House of Representatives; the Judicial Branch; the Legislative Council; the Office of Legislative Printing and Information Technology Resources; the Department of Transportation; or any other state agency or department that is not a political subdivision or is not included in the definition of a governmental body.
(9) 'Political subdivision' means the counties, municipalities, school districts, special purpose districts, special service districts, commissioners of public works, and any other local governmental authority, board, commission, agency, department, or political body.
(10) 'Telecommunications' means the provision, transmission, conveyance, or routing of voice, data, video, or any other information or signals to a point, or between or among points, by or through any electronic, radio, or other medium or method now in existence or devised after this article takes effect. Telecommunications includes, but is not limited to, local telephone services, toll telephone services, telegraph services, teletypewriter services, teleconferencing services, private line services, channel services, Internet protocol telephony, cable services, and mobile telecommunications services, and includes all facilities and equipment performing these functions.
Section 1-3-320. (A) There is created the South Carolina Information Technology Advisory Council.
(B) The advisory council consists of the following nine members:
(1) two cabinet agency directors appointed by the Governor;
(2) one noncabinet agency director appointed by the Governor upon recommendation of the president of the State Agency Directors Organization;
(3) one representative of the state institutions of higher learning appointed by the Council of Public College and University Presidents;
(4) two citizen members from the private sector appointed by the Governor;
(5) one citizen member from the private sector appointed by the President of the Senate;
(6) one citizen member from the private sector appointed by the Speaker of the House of Representatives; and
(7) the State Chief Information Officer.
(C) The State Chief Information Officer serves as chairman of the advisory council.
(D) Appointed members serve at the pleasure of the appointing authority. Members who serve by virtue of an office serve on the advisory council while they hold that office.
(E) Members serve without compensation, but citizen members of the advisory council are allowed the usual per diem and mileage as provided by law for members of boards, commissions, and committees while on official business of the advisory council.
(F) The powers and duties of the advisory council include the following:
(1) make recommendations for the coordinated statewide strategic plan for information technology prepared by the office;
(2) make recommendations for the statewide strategic information technology directions, standards, and enterprise architecture prepared by the office;
(3) make recommendations concerning a process to assess information technology plans and information technology projects as provided in Section 1-3-335(4);
(4) make recommendations concerning the procedures developed by the office for the allocation and distribution of funds from the Information Technology Innovation Fund;
(5) upon request of the State Chief Information Officer or the board, make recommendations concerning the advisability of granting governmental bodies exemptions from the requirements imposed by the Chief Information Officer as provided in this article;
(6) upon request of the State Chief Information Officer or the board, make recommendations concerning the termination of any information technology project of a governmental body or governmental bodies; and
(7) upon request of the board, may review decisions of the office concerning whether the information technology plans and projects of the governmental body conform to statewide information technology plans, strategies, and standards.
Section 1-3-325. (A) The State Information Technology Directors Committee is created to advise the State Chief Information Officer on matters relating to the development and implementation of information technology standards, policies, and procedures and facilitate the exchange of information among the information technology directors of governmental bodies. The committee includes representatives from governmental bodies and must be chosen in a manner and number determined by the State Chief Information Officer.
(B) The State Chief Information Officer may establish other standing or ad hoc advisory committees to provide assistance relating to any other matters within the office's authority.
(C) Members of the advisory committees appointed pursuant to subsections (A) and (B) are allowed the usual per diem and mileage as provided by law for members of boards, commissions, and committees while on official business of the committees. Members who are full-time state employees shall not receive per diem.
Section 1-3-330. The powers and duties of the office include the following:
(1) develop for approval by the board a coordinated statewide strategic plan for information technology;
(2) develop for approval by the board statewide strategic information technology directions, standards, and enterprise architecture. These directions, standards, and architecture must include, but are not limited to, information related to the privacy and confidentiality of data collected and stored by governmental bodies, web site accessibility, and assistive technologies. The office shall implement necessary management processes to assure that governmental bodies fully comply with these directions, standards, and architecture;
(3) develop policies and procedures for the effective management of information technology investments throughout their entire life cycles, including, but not limited to, project definition, procurement, development, implementation, operation, performance evaluation, and enhancement or retirement;
(4) in cooperation with governmental bodies, evaluate the information technology of governmental bodies to determine whether the merger of information technology and related resources is justified by sound business principles including, but not limited to, efficiency, cost effectiveness, and cross agency information sharing. If the State Chief Information Officer and a governmental body or governmental bodies do not agree on a merger determination by the State Chief Information Officer, the governmental body or governmental bodies may seek a waiver from the determination by following the appeal process in Section 1-3-355;
(5) plan and forecast future needs for information technology and conduct studies and surveys of organizational structures and best management practices of information technology systems and procedures;
(6) evaluate the information technology plans and projects of governmental bodies to ensure that the plans and projects are consistent with statewide plans, strategies, and standards, including alignment with the state's business goals, investments, and other risk management policies;
(7) assist the Secretary of Commerce in the development of information technology related industries in the State and the promotion of economic development initiatives based on information technology;
(8) assist governmental bodies in the development of guidelines concerning the qualifications and training requirements of information technology related personnel;
(9) secure all telecommunications equipment and services for governmental bodies under terms the office considers suitable and coordinate the supply of the equipment and services for use by governmental bodies;
(10) operate and manage a state consolidated data center, and other appropriate data centers, to be used by governmental bodies under terms and conditions established by the office;
(11) develop information technology applications and services for entities requesting them;
(12) administer information technology related procurements and contracting activities for governmental bodies in accordance with the South Carolina Consolidated Procurement Code;
(13) enter into agreements and contracts with governmental bodies, political subdivisions, and other state entities to provide and receive goods and services. The office may establish fee schedules to be collectible from governmental bodies and other state entities for services rendered and goods provided;
(14) hire necessary personnel and assign them duties and powers as the office prescribes; and
(15) exercise and perform other powers and duties as granted to it, imposed upon it by law or necessary to carry out the purposes in this article.
Section 1-3-335. The office has the following additional powers and duties relating to planning and the management of information technology projects of governmental bodies:
(1) oversee the development of any statewide and multi-agency information technology enterprise projects;
(2) develop for board approval a process for approving the information technology plans of governmental bodies;
(3) establish a methodology and process for conceiving, planning, scheduling, procuring, and providing appropriate oversight for information technology projects;
(4) develop for the board's approval a process for approving information technology projects proposed by governmental bodies to ensure that all of these projects conform to statewide information technology plans, strategies, and standards, the information technology plan of the governmental body, and the project management methodology. Before initiating any information technology project proposed by a governmental body or governmental bodies that exceeds an amount set or adjusted by the board, but initially set at four hundred thousand dollars, the project must be approved, as provided in the approval process. Governmental bodies shall not artificially divide these projects so as to avoid the approval process;
(5) monitor approved information technology projects. The office may modify and suspend any information technology project that is not in compliance with statewide information technology plans, strategies, and standards or that has not met the performance measures agreed to by the office and the sponsoring governmental body. Upon suspension of an information technology project, the State Chief Information Officer must submit to the board a recommended action plan at the board's next regularly scheduled meeting. The governmental body may respond to the State Chief Information Officer's recommended action plan when it is presented to the board. Upon notifying a governmental body and giving the governmental body an opportunity to be heard, the board may terminate projects upon recommendation of the State Chief Information Officer;
(6) establish minimum qualifications and training standards for project managers; and
(7) establish an information clearinghouse that identifies best practices and new developments and contains detailed information regarding the state's previous experiences with the development of information technology projects.
Section 1-3-340. (A) The office has the following additional powers and duties relating to telecommunications:
(1) coordinate the various telecommunications facilities and services used by governmental bodies;
(2) acquire, lease, construct, or organize facilities and equipment as necessary to deliver comprehensive telecommunications services in an efficient and cost-effective manner, and maintain these facilities and equipment;
(3) provide technical assistance to governmental bodies in areas such as:
(a) performing systems development services, including design, application programming, and maintenance;
(b) conducting research and sponsoring demonstration projects pertaining to all facets of telecommunications; and
(c) planning and forecasting for future needs in communications services.
(B) If requested by a political subdivision or other state entity, the office may supply telecommunications goods and services to the political subdivision or other state entity under terms and conditions agreed upon by the office and the political subdivision or other state entity.
(C) A governmental body shall not enter into an agreement or renew an existing agreement for telecommunications services or equipment unless approved by the office.
Section 1-3-345. (A) The office has the following additional powers and duties relating to information technology procurements by governmental bodies:
(1) ensure that information technology procurements are conducted in a manner consistent with the South Carolina Consolidated Procurement Code and related regulations;
(2) ensure that information technology procurements conform to statewide information technology plans, strategies, and standards. The office may reject any information technology procurement that does not conform to statewide information technology plans, strategies, and standards;
(3) recommend to the board categories of information technology procurement, which must be exempted from the requirements of the South Carolina Consolidated Procurement Code and related regulations;
(4) enter into cooperative purchasing agreements with political subdivisions or other state entities for the procurement of information technology and allow political subdivisions and other state entities to participate in the office's procurement of information technology under terms and conditions established by the office; and
(5) participate in, sponsor, conduct, or administer cooperative purchasing agreements for the procurement of information technology.
(B) If requested by a political subdivision or other state entity, the office may supply information technology goods and services to the political subdivision or other state entity under terms and conditions agreed upon by the office and the political subdivision or other state entity.
Section 1-3-350. The office has the following additional powers and duties relating to the security of government information and infrastructure:
(1) to protect the state's critical information technology infrastructure and associated data systems if there is a major disaster, whether natural or otherwise, and to allow the services to the citizens of this State to continue if there is such an event, the office shall develop a Critical Information Technology Infrastructure Protection Plan which devises policies and procedures to provide for the confidentiality, integrity, and availability of, and to allow for alternative and immediate on-line access to data and information systems necessary to provide critical information to citizens and ensure the protection of state employees as they carry out their disaster-related duties. All governmental bodies of this State are directed to assist the office in the collection of data required for this plan;
(2) to oversee, plan, and coordinate periodic security audits of governmental bodies regarding the protection of government information and information technology infrastructure. These security audits may include, but are not limited to, on-site audits as well as reviews of all written security procedures. The office may conduct the security audits or contract with a private firm or firms to conduct these security audits. Governmental bodies subject to a security audit shall cooperate fully with the entity designated to perform such audits.
Section 1-3-355. (A) Each governmental body is required to develop an information technology plan and submit the plan to the office for approval. The office may reject or require modification to those plans that do not conform to statewide information technology plans, strategies, and standards.
(B) A governmental body or governmental bodies may seek a waiver from the standards, requirements, or merger determinations as provided in this article by submitting a request for a waiver to the State Chief Information Officer.
(C) The State Chief Information Officer must consider the technological and financial impact on the State as a whole and on the specific governmental body or governmental bodies in making a determination regarding the waiver.
(D) In deciding whether to grant the request or upon the request of the governmental body or governmental bodies, the State Chief Information Officer may seek a recommendation concerning the waiver from the advisory council.
(E) If the State Chief Information Officer denies the request for a waiver, the governmental body or governmental bodies may seek review of the denial by the board. The governmental body or governmental bodies and State Chief Information Officer must present information concerning the waiver to the board, and the board may request a recommendation from the advisory council if one has not been previously obtained.
(F) The board's decision concerning the waiver is final, but does not preclude the governmental body or governmental bodies from seeking a subsequent waiver through the appeal process in this section upon a showing of substantial change in circumstances.
Section 1-3-360. (A) The Budget and Control Board shall provide, from funds appropriated for that purpose by the General Assembly, funds necessary to carry out all duties and responsibilities assigned to the office that are not reimbursable through a fee-for-service methodology. The office must deposit in a special account in the Office of the State Treasurer revenue received from providing goods and services to governmental bodies, political subdivisions, and other state entities. The revenue deposited in the account may be expended only for the costs of providing the goods and services, and these funds may be retained and expended for the same purposes.
(B) There is created an Information Technology Innovation Fund. This fund must provide incentives to governmental bodies to implement enterprise initiatives and electronic government projects. Use of the fund must encourage governmental bodies to pursue innovative and creative approaches using technology that provides needed citizens' services more cost effectively and efficiently. The fund shall not be used to replace or offset appropriations for on-going technology expenditures and operations. The fund consists of those funds appropriated through the state budget process, grants, gifts, and other donations received by the State or otherwise available. The office, with the approval of the board, is responsible for developing appropriate procedures for the allocation and distribution of these funds.
Section 1-3-365. (A) An information technology vendor for a contract or contracts must not pay, give, or otherwise make available anything of value in violation of provisions of the South Carolina Ethics Reform Act. A person who violates the act is subject to the provisions of Sections 11-35-4220 and 11-35-4230.
(B) An information technology vendor who has entered into the competitive solicitation process for a contract or contracts or who has been awarded a contract or contracts with the office shall not contribute to or make independent expenditures relative to the campaign of a candidate for the General Assembly or a statewide constitutional officer, to a political party, as defined in Section 8-13-1300(26), or to a committee, as defined in Section 8-13-1300(6), during the competitive solicitation process or during the term of the contract or contracts.
(C) The prohibition in subsection (B) specifically applies to the officer or board member of an information technology vendor, holders of an interest in an information technology vendor of more than ten percent, and their immediate family members."
SECTION 2. Section 1-11-430 of the 1976 Code is amended to read:
"Section 1-11-430. In post-divestiture circumstances, the State state government, including its boards, committees, commissions, councils, and agencies, and other entities but excluding the General Assembly, the State Senate, the State House of Representatives, or any committee or instrumentality of the General Assembly, State Senate, or State House of Representatives; the Legislative Council; the Office of Legislative Printing and Information Technology Services; or counties, municipalities, and special service and school districts, must be treated as a single enterprise for purposes of securing and utilizing local and long distance telecommunications equipment and services.
The State Budget and Control Board shall secure all telecommunications equipment and services for the state government enterprise under terms it considers suitable and coordinate the supply of the equipment and services for state government use. No entity of state government may enter into an agreement or renew an existing agreement for telecommunications services unless approved by the board."
SECTION 3. Title 1 of the 1976 Code is amended by adding:
Section 1-8-10. (A) There is hereby created as a separate division within the Department of Administration the Office of the State Inspector General to be headed by a State Inspector General. The State Inspector General must be responsible for promoting integrity and efficiency in executive agencies.
(B) The State Inspector General must possess the following qualifications:
(1) a bachelor's degree from an accredited college or university with major in accounting, or with a major in business which includes five courses in accounting, and five years of experience as an internal auditor of independent post auditor, electronic data processing auditor, accountant, or any combination thereof. The experience must at a minimum consist of audits of units of government or private business enterprises, operating for profit or not for profit; or
(2) a master's degree in accounting, business administration, or public administration from an accredited college or university and four years of experience as required in item (1); or
(3) a certified public accountant license or a certified internal audit certificate issued by the Institute of Internal Auditors or earned by examination, and five years of experience as required in item (1).
(C) The State Inspector General must be appointed by the Governor with the advice and consent of the Senate for a term to be coterminous with that of the Governor.
(D) The State Inspector General shall serve until his successor is appointed and qualifies. Vacancies must be filled in the manner of original selection.
(E) The State Inspector General may be removed from office at the Governor's discretion by an executive order as provided in Section 1-3-240(B).
(F) The State Inspector General shall supervise the Office of State Inspector General under the direction and control of the Governor and shall exercise other powers and perform other duties as the Governor requires. The State Inspector General must be directly responsible to the Governor and must be independent of any other executive agency.
Section 1-8-20. (A) For purposes of this chapter, 'executive agency' or 'executive agencies' means any office, department, board, commission, institution, university, college, body politic and corporate of the State and any other person or any other administrative unit of state government or corporate outgrowth of state government, expending or encumbering state funds by virtue of an appropriation from the General Assembly, or handling money on behalf of the State, or holding any trust funds from any source derived. 'Executive agency' or 'executive agencies' does not mean or include municipalities, counties, special purpose districts, the South Carolina National Guard, or any entity that derives its powers and duties under Article 3 or Article 5 of the South Carolina Constitution.
(B) The purpose of the Office of State Inspector General is to:
(1) initiate, supervise, and coordinate investigations, recommend polices, and carry out other activities designed to deter, detect, prevent, and eradicate fraud, waste, misconduct, and abuse in the programs, operations, and contracting of all executive agencies;
(2) keep the heads of executive agencies and the Governor fully informed about problems, errors, omissions, misconduct, and deficiencies relating to or arising out of the administration of programs, operations, and contracting in executive agencies;
(3) provide leadership, coordination, and control over satellite Inspector General offices in designated executive agencies to ensure a coordinated and efficient administration of duties and use of staff.
(C) Agency or satellite Inspector General offices established in executive agencies must report to and follow the direction of the State Inspector General.
(D) The Office of State Inspector General and the State Inspector General have no jurisdiction, power, or authority over:
(1) the South Carolina National Guard, the Inspector General of the South Carolina National Guard, or matters falling under the jurisdiction or cognizance of the Adjutant General or the Inspector General of the South Carolina National Guard;
(2) municipalities, counties, or special purpose districts; or
(3) any entity that derives its powers and duties under Article 3 or Article 5 of the South Carolina Constitution.
Section 1-8-30. (A) It is the duty and responsibility of the State Inspector General to:
(1) initiate, supervise, and coordinate investigative activities relating to fraud, waste, misconduct, or abuse in executive agencies;
(2) investigate, upon receipt of a complaint or for cause, any administrative action of any executive agency including, but not limited to, the possible existence of an activity in an executive branch agency constituting a violation of law, rules or regulations, or mismanagement, fraud, waste of funds, abuse of authority, malfeasance, misfeasance, nonfeasance, or a substantial and specific danger to the public health and safety;
(3) examine the records of any executive agency;
(4) require and obtain immediately by written notice from officers and employees of executive agencies, to the fullest extent permitted by law, information, documents, reports, answers, records, accounts, papers, and other necessary data and documentary evidence;
(5) have direct and prompt access to the heads of executive agencies when necessary for a purpose pertaining to the performance of functions and responsibilities under this chapter;
(6) recommend policies for and conduct, supervise, and coordinate activities designed to deter, detect, prevent, and eradicate fraud, waste, misconduct, and abuse in executive agencies;
(7) coordinate complaint-handling activities in executive agencies;
(8) implement policies to conform to the standards of Chapter 27 of Title 8 concerning information received from state employees;
(9) establishing and maintaining an 800 telephone number for reporting fraud, waste, and abuse and for use as a whistle blower's hotline;
(10) report expeditiously to and cooperate fully with the State Attorney General, South Carolina Law Enforcement Division, the United States Attorney General, an appropriate solicitor, and other law enforcement agencies when there are recognizable grounds to believe that there has been a violation of criminal law or that a civil action should be initiated;
(11) refer matters to the heads of executive agencies whenever the State Inspector General determines that disciplinary or other administrative action is appropriate;
(12) review, evaluate, and monitor the policies, practices, and operations of the Executive office of Governor;
(13) conduct special investigations and management reviews at the request of the Governor;
(14) select, appoint, and employ officers and employees necessary for carrying out the functions, powers, and duties of the office; and
(15) promulgate regulations to implement the polices and purposes of this chapter including, but not limited to, regulations for a system of monetary rewards for persons whose reports of fraud, waste, or abuse result in savings to the State, the prevention of loss, or the recovery of money or property owed to or belonging to the State or an executive agency.
(B) The Office of Inspector General and the State Inspector General are authorized and directed to take any lawful action that is necessary and proper for the discharge of their duties and responsibilities under this chapter.
Section 1-8-40. (A) Upon request of the State Inspector General for information or assistance, executive agencies shall immediately furnish the information and assistance to the State Inspector General or an authorized designee.
(B) If information or assistance requested is, in the judgment of the State Inspector General, unreasonably refused or not provided, the State Inspector General may report the circumstances to the head of the agency, the Attorney General, and the Governor for appropriate action.
(C) The State Inspector General must submit any findings in the form of a written report to the Governor upon completion of any investigation or audit. Upon request, any report submitted to the Governor by the State Inspector General must be made available to the President Pro Tempore of the Senate and Speaker of the House of Representatives.
(D) The State Inspector General must monitor the implementation of the executive agency's response to any report. No later than six months after the State Inspector General publishes a report on the executive agency, the State Inspector General must provide a written response to the Governor on the status of corrective actions taken. Upon request, any report submitted to the Governor by the State Inspector General must be made available to the President Pro Tempore of the Senate and Speaker of the House of Representatives.
(E) No later than February 15th of each year, the State Inspector General must submit an annual report summarizing the activities of the office during the immediately preceding state fiscal year to the Governor, the President Pro Tempore of the Senate, the Speaker of the House of Representatives, and the Legislative Audit Council. The report must include, but need not be limited to:
(1) a description of activities relating to the development, assessment, and validation of performance measures;
(2) a description of significant abuses and deficiencies relating to the administration of programs and operations of the agency disclosed by investigations, audits, reviews, or other activities during the reporting period;
(3) a description of the recommendations for corrective action made by the State Inspector General during the reporting period with respect to significant problems, abuses, or deficiencies identified;
(4) the identification of each significant recommendation described in previous annual reports on which corrective action has not been completed; and
(5) a summary of each audit and investigation completed during the reporting period.
(F) Any report under this section is subject to public disclosure to the extent that it does not include information made confidential and exempt under the provisions of Sections 30-4-20(c) and 30-4-40. However, when the State Inspector General or a member of his staff receives from an individual a complaint or information, the name or identity of the individual, must not be disclosed to anyone else without the written consent of the individual, unless the State Inspector General determines that such disclosure is unavoidable during the course of the investigation.
(G) The State Inspector General may make public reports relating to the administration of the programs and operations of an executive agency that are, in the judgment of the State Inspector General, necessary or desirable. If the State Inspector General determines to issue a public report, he must consult with the Attorney General and other laws enforcement agencies before issuing the report to ensure against an adverse impact on a grand jury proceeding or prosecution being conducted by the Attorney General, a circuit solicitor, or a law enforcement agency;
(H) In performing his duties, the State Inspector General is subject to the statutory provisions and penalties regarding confidentiality of records of the executive agency or person under review.
Section 1-8-50. (A) No person may take or threaten to take action against an employee as a reprisal for making a complaint or disclosing information to the State Inspector General, unless the complaint was made or the information disclosed with the knowledge that it was false or with wilful disregard for its truth or falsity.
(B) Nothing in this article shall affect the rights and protections of state employees afforded under Title 8.
(C) The protections in this chapter for employees who report fraud, waste, misconduct, malfeasance, misfeasance, nonfeasance, or abuse in good faith are in addition and cumulative to protections provided by another law."
SECTION 1. Section 13-1-10 of the 1976 Code, as last amended by Act 181 of 1993, is further amended to read:
"Section 13-1-10. (A) The Department of Commerce is established as an administrative agency of state government which is comprised of a Division of State Development, a Division of Savannah Valley Development, a Division of Aeronautics, a Division of Public Railways, and an Advisory Coordinating Council for Economic Development. Each division of the Department of Commerce shall have such functions and powers as provided for by law.
(B) All functions, powers, and duties provided by law to the State Development Board, the Savannah Valley Authority, the South Carolina Aeronautics Commission, the South Carolina Public Railways Commission, and the Coordinating Council for Economic Development, its officers or agencies, are hereby transferred to the Department of Commerce together with all records, property, personnel, and unexpended appropriations. All rules, regulations, standards, orders, or other actions of these entities shall remain in effect unless specifically changed or voided by the department in accordance with the Administrative Procedures Act."
SECTION 2. Section 13-1-20 of the 1976 Code, as added by Act 181 of 1993, is amended to read:
"Section 13-1-20. The Department of Commerce shall conduct an adequate statewide program for the stimulation of economic activity to develop the potentialities of the State; manage the business and affairs of the Savannah Valley Development; develop state public airports and an air transportation system that is consistent with the needs and desires of the public; develop the state public railway system for the efficient and economical movement of freight, goods, and other merchandise; and enhance the economic growth and development of the State through strategic planning and coordinating activities."
SECTION 1. Section 24-13-110 of the 1976 Code is amended to read:
"Section 24-3-110. The State Department of Corrections may purchase the machinery and establish a plant for the purpose of manufacturing motor vehicle license plates and metal road signs. The charge for license plates and metal road signs sold to the Department of Public Safety Motor Vehicles and the Department of Transportation shall be in line with the prices previously paid private manufacturers and all state motor vehicle license plates, metal road signs, and other signs capable of being manufactured by such a plant shall be purchased through the Department of Corrections and manufactured by it. The Department of Public Safety Motor Vehicles may prescribe the specifications of plates and the Department of Transportation may prescribe the specifications of signs used, the specifications to include colors, quality, and quantity."
SECTION 2. Section 24-13-1910 of the 1976 Code is amended to read:
"Section 24-13-1910. There is established one or more centers for alcohol and drug rehabilitation under the jurisdiction of the Department of Corrections to treat and rehabilitate alcohol and drug offenders. The Department Bureau of Alcohol and Other Drug Abuse Services in the Department of Health and Human Services, Division of Behavioral Health Services has primary responsibility for the addictions treatment of the offenders, and the Department of Corrections has primary responsibility for the maintenance and security of the offenders. The Department of Corrections may construct one or more centers upon the necessary appropriation of funds by the General Assembly. The centers established or constructed as authorized by this section shall provide at least seven hundred fifty beds. The centers established under this section must be fully operational by January 1, 1997."
SECTION 3. Section 24-13-1920 of the 1976 Code is amended to read:
"Section 24-13-1920. The Department Bureau of Alcohol and Other Drug Abuse Services shall establish a program to provide alcohol and drug abuse intervention, prevention, and treatment services for offenders sentenced to a center for alcohol and drug rehabilitation established pursuant to Section 24-13-1910. The Department Bureau of Alcohol and Other Drug Abuse Services shall provide staff and support necessary to administer the program. Funds for this program must be appropriated annually by the General Assembly."
SECTION 4. Section 24-13-1940 of the 1976 Code is amended to read:
"Section 24-13-1940. For the Department of Corrections to establish and maintain a center for alcohol and drug rehabilitation, its director shall coordinate with the Department Bureau of Alcohol & Other Drug Abuse Services to:
(1) develop policies and procedures for the operation of the center for alcohol and drug rehabilitation;
(2) fund other management options advantageous to the State including, but not limited to, contracting with public or nonpublic entities for the management of a center for alcohol and drug rehabilitation;
(3) lease buildings;
(4) develop standards for alcohol and drug abuse counseling for offenders sentenced to a center for alcohol and drug rehabilitation;
(5) develop standards for disciplinary rules to be imposed on residents of a center for alcohol and drug rehabilitation."
SECTION 5. Section 24-13-2140 of the 1976 Code is amended to read:
"Section 24-13-2140. The Department of Corrections shall coordinate the efforts of the affected state agencies through the Program Services Administration. The Department of Corrections shall:
(1) develop such policies and standards as may be necessary for the provision of assessment, training, and referral services;
(2) obtain information from appropriate agencies and organizations affiliated with the services to determine actions that should be undertaken to create or modify these services;
(3) disseminate information about the services throughout the State;
(4) provide information and assistance to other agencies, as may be appropriate or necessary, to carry out the provisions of this chapter;
(5) provide inmates of the Department of Corrections information concerning post-release job training and employment referral services and information concerning services that may be available from the Department Bureau of Alcohol and Other Drug Abuse Services, and the Department Bureau of Mental Health, both in the Department of Health and Human Services, Division of Behavioral Health Services, and the Office of Veterans Affairs Division, Office of the Governor;
(6) prepare an annual report that will be submitted to the directors of each agency that is a party to a memorandum of understanding as provided for in Section 24-13-2120;
(7) negotiate with Alston Wilkes Society and private sector entities concerning the delivery of assistance or services to inmates who are transitioning from incarceration to reentering their communities."
SECTION 6. Section 24-21-620 of the 1976 Code is amended to read:
"Section 24-21-620. Within the ninety-day period preceding a prisoner having served one-fourth of his sentence, the board, either acting in a three-member panel or meeting as a full board, shall review the case, regardless of whether or not any application has been made therefor, for the purpose of determining whether or not such prisoner is entitled to any of the benefits provided for in this chapter; provided however, that in cases of prisoners in confinement due to convictions for nonviolent crimes, an administrative hearing officer may be appointed by the director to review the case who must submit to the full board written findings of fact and recommendations, which shall be the basis for a determination by the board. Upon an affirmative determination, the prisoner must be granted a provisional parole or parole. Upon affirmative recommendation from the administrative hearing officer, a hearing shall be scheduled before the board. Upon an affirmative determination by the board, the prisoner must be granted a provisional parole or parole. Upon a negative determination, the prisoner's case shall be reviewed every twelve months thereafter for the purpose of such determination."
SECTION 7. Chapter 21, Title 24 is amended by adding:
"Section 24-21-630. In cases of parole eligible prisoners in confinement due to conviction for violent crimes, an administrative hearing officer may be appointed by the director to review the case who must submit to the full board written findings of fact and recommendations which shall be the basis for the determination by the board. Upon affirmative recommendation from the administrative hearing officer, a hearing shall be scheduled before the board. Upon an affirmative determination by the board, the prisoner must be granted a provisional parole or parole."
SECTION 8. Section 24-23-40 of the 1976 Code is amended to read:
"Section 24-23-40. The community corrections plan shall provide for the department's:
(1) development, implementation, monitoring, and evaluation of statewide policies, procedures, and agreements with state agencies, such as the Department of Vocational Rehabilitation,; and the Department Bureau of Mental Health, and the Department Bureau of Alcohol and Other Drug Abuse Services, both in the Department of Health and Human Services, for purposes of coordination and referral of probationers, parolees, and community supervision releasees for rehabilitation services;
(2) development of specific guidelines for the vigorous monitoring of restitution orders and fines to increase the efficiency of collection and development of a systematic reporting system so as to notify the judiciary of restitution and fine payment failures on a regular basis;
(3) development of a program development and evaluation capability so that the department can monitor and evaluate the effectiveness of the above programs as well as to conduct research and special studies on such issues as probation, parole, and community supervision outcomes, revocations, and recidivism;
(4) development of adequate training and staff development for its employees."
SECTION 9. Section 20-7-8515(D) of the 1976 Code, as last amended by Act 388 of 2000, is further amended to read:
"(D) Law enforcement information or records of children created pursuant to the provisions of this article may be shared among law enforcement agencies, solicitors' offices, the Attorney General, the department, the Department Bureau of Mental Health, the Department of Corrections, and the Department of Probation, Parole and Pardon Services for criminal justice purposes without a court order."
SECTION 10. Section 23-3-460 of the 1976 Code, as last amended by Act 310 of 2002, is further amended to read:
"Section 23-3-460. Any person required to register under this article shall be required to register annually for life. For purposes of this article, 'annually' means each year within thirty days after the anniversary date of the offender's last registration. The offender shall register at the sheriff's department in the county where he resides. A person determined by a court to be a sexually violent predator pursuant to state law is required to verify registration and be photographed every ninety days by the sheriff's department in the county in which he resides unless the person is committed to the custody of the State, whereby verification shall be held in abeyance until his release.
If any person required to register under this article changes his address within the same county, that person must send written notice of the change of address to the county sheriff within ten days of establishing the new residence.
If any person required to register under this article changes his address into another county in South Carolina, the person must register with the county sheriff in the new county within ten days of establishing the new residence. The person must also provide written notice within ten days of the change of address in the previous county to the county sheriff with whom the person last registered.
Any person required to register under this article and who is employed by, enrolled at, or carries on a vocation at an institution of higher education must provide written notice within ten days of each change in enrollment, employment, or vocation status at an institution of higher education in this State. For purposes of this section: 'employed and carries on a vocation' means employment that is full-time or part-time for a period of time exceeding fourteen days or for an aggregate period of time exceeding thirty days during any calendar year, whether financially compensated, volunteered, or for the purpose of government or educational benefit; and 'student' means a person who is enrolled on a full-time or part-time basis, in any public or private educational institution, including any secondary school, trade, professional institution, or institution of higher education.
If any person required to register under this article moves outside of South Carolina, the person must provide written notice within ten days of the change of address to a new state to the county sheriff with whom the person last registered.
Any person required to register under this article who moves to South Carolina from another state and is not under the jurisdiction of the Department of Corrections, the Department of Probation, Parole and Pardon Services, or the Department of Juvenile Justice at the time of moving to South Carolina must register within ten days of establishing residence in this State.
The sheriff of the county in which the person resides must forward all changes to any information provided by a person required to register under this article to SLED within five business days.
The South Carolina Department of Public Safety, Division of Motor Vehicles, shall inform, in writing, any new resident who applies for a driver's license, chauffeur's license, vehicle tag, or state identification card of the obligation of sex offenders to register. The department also shall inform, in writing, a person renewing a driver's license, chauffeur's license, vehicle tag, or state identification card of the requirement for sex offenders to register."
SECTION 11. Section 40-47-140(D) of the 1976 Code is amended to read:
"(D) For the SPEX (Special Purpose) and COMVEX examinations, the following standards apply:
An applicant for permanent licensure who has not passed national boards, FLEX, SPEX, COMVEX, or been certified, recertified, or awarded a certificate of added qualifications by a specialty board recognized by the American Board of Medical Specialities or the American Osteopathic Association within ten years of the date of filing the application with this board shall pass the SPEX or COMVEX exam. A passing score on the SPEX examination is seventy-five or better. A passing score on the COMVEX examination must be established by the testing agency. This requirement is in addition to all other requirements for licensure. The SPEX or COMVEX examination requirement does not apply to a physician employed full time by the South Carolina Department of Corrections, South Carolina Department of Health and Environmental Control, State Department Bureau of Mental Health, and Department of Disabilities and Special Needs acting within the scope of his employment. A license issued to this physician is revoked immediately if he leaves the full-time employment or acts outside his scope of employment. However, the SPEX or COMVEX examination requirement applies to a physician providing services under a contract for the State and a physician providing services for which there is an expectation of payment, is payment for services, or should have been payment from a source other than the salary the physician receives from the State."
SECTION 12. Section 42-1-480 of the 1976 Code is amended to read:
"Section 42-1-480. Any inmate of the State Department of Corrections, as defined in this section, in the performance of his work in connection with the maintenance of the institution, any Department vocational training program, or with any industry maintained therein, or with any highway or public works activity outside the institution, who suffers an injury for which compensation is specifically prescribed in this Title, may, upon being released from such institution either upon parole or upon final discharge, be awarded and paid compensation under the provisions of this Title. If death results from such injury, death benefits shall be awarded and paid to the dependents of the inmate. The time limit for filing a claim under this section shall be one year from the date of death of the inmate or the date of his release either by parole or final discharge, and no inmate shall be eligible for benefits unless his injury is reported prior to his release from custody of the Department. If any person who has been awarded compensation under the provisions of this section shall be recommitted to an institution covered by this section, such compensation shall immediately cease, but may be resumed upon subsequent parole or discharge.
For purposes of this section, the term 'inmate' includes any person sentenced to the South Carolina Department of Corrections and who is then in the jurisdiction of the Department, or any person sentenced to the county public works who has been transferred to the Department of Corrections for confinement. An inmate who has been sentenced to the Department of Corrections and who is temporarily transferred to the county public works, or to any other South Carolina law-enforcement authority, or to out-of-state authorities, is not considered to be in the 'jurisdiction' of the South Carolina Department of Corrections for purposes of this section.
This section shall not apply to patients of the South Carolina Department Bureau of Mental Health in the Department of Health and Human Services or those persons who are confined within the jurisdiction of the county prisons, county jails, city jails or overnight lockups or to any inmate injured in a fight, riot, recreational activity or other incidents not directly related to his work assignment."
SECTION 13. Section 44-48-50 of the 1976 Code is amended to read:
"Section 44-48-50. The Director of the Department of Corrections shall appoint a multidisciplinary team to review the records of each person referred to the team pursuant to Section 44-48-40. These records may include, but are not limited to, the person's criminal offense record, any relevant medical and psychological records, treatment records, and any disciplinary or other records formulated during confinement or supervision. The team, within thirty days of receiving notice as provided for in Section 44-48-40, shall assess whether or not the person satisfies the definition of a sexually violent predator. If it is determined that the person satisfies the definition of a sexually violent predator, the multidisciplinary team must forward a report of the assessment to the prosecutor's review committee. The assessment must be accompanied by all records relevant to the assessment. Membership of the team must include:
(1) a representative from the Department of Corrections;
(2) a representative from the Department of Probation, Parole, and Pardon Services;
(3) a representative from the Department Bureau of Mental Health in the Department of Health and Human Services of who is a trained, qualified mental health clinician with expertise in treating sexually violent offenders;
(4) a retired judge appointed by the Chief Justice who is eligible for continued judicial service pursuant to Section 2-19-100; and
(5) the Chief Attorney of the Office of Appellate Defense or his designee.
The Director of the Department of Corrections or his designee shall be the chairman of the team."
SECTION 1. Section 59-1-450 of the 1976 Code, as last amended by Act 400 of 1998, is further amended to read:
"Section 59-1-450. The State Board of Education, through the Department of Education and in consultation with the Education Oversight Committee, shall promulgate regulations for establishing parenting/family literacy programs to support parents in their role as the principal teachers of their preschool children. The programs must provide parent education to parents and guardians who have children ages birth through five years and who choose to participate in the programs and must include intensive and special efforts to recruit parents or guardians whose children are at risk for school failure. The program or programs also should include developmental screening for children and offer parents of children from birth through five years opportunities to improve their education if the parents do not possess a high school diploma or equivalent certificate.
The State Board of Education, through the Department of Education and after consultation with the Education Oversight Committee, shall promulgate regulations to implement parenting/family literacy programs in all school districts or consortia of school districts. Priority must be given to serving those parents whose children are considered at risk for school failure according to criteria established by the State Board of Education. From funds appropriated for the programs, an adequate number of those parenting programs funded under the Target 2000 Act shall receive priority in funding for fiscal years 1993-94 and 1994-95 and must be funded at no less than the level received in fiscal year 1992-93 contingent upon their agreeing to provide technical assistance to other districts and schools planning and implementing parenting/family literacy programs in concert with the Department of Education's technical assistance process required in this chapter. Only those projects whose evaluations show them to be most effective may be selected based on criteria developed by the State Department of Education in consultation with the Education Oversight Committee.
Beginning in fiscal year 1995-96 for districts with Target 2000 Act parenting programs and in fiscal year 1993-94 for all other school districts and district consortia, funding must be allocated to districts and consortia serving more than two thousand pupils on a base amount of not less than forty thousand dollars with any additional appropriation to be distributed based on the number of free and reduced-price lunch-eligible students in grades one through three in a district or consortium relative to the total free and reduced-price lunch-eligible students in grades one through three in the State. The programs developed in each district and consortium may draw upon lessons learned from parenting programs funded under this section.
The State Board of Education, through the Department of Education, in developing the regulations for this program shall consult with representatives of the Department of Health and Environmental Control, Department Bureau of Social Services, the South Carolina State Library, and Department of Health and Human Services Finance Commission, and with adult education and early childhood specialists. In developing the regulations, the State Board and State Department of Education shall consider the guidelines developed for the Target 2000 Act parenting programs and any available evaluation data.
By December, 1993, the chairman of the Human Services Coordinating Council shall convene a committee consisting of supervisors of programs dealing with early childhood and parenting from the Department of Education, Department of Health and Environmental Control, the Department of Social Services, the South Carolina State Library, and the Health and Human Services Finance Commission; at least one representative from each of these agencies who administer these programs at the county and district level; and adult education and early childhood specialists. The Executive Director of the Finance Commission shall chair this committee. By July 1, 1994, this committee shall report to the Education Oversight Committee and the Joint Committee on Children ways to better coordinate programs for parenting and literacy and recommend changes to each agency's state regulations or provisions of law which would better promote coordination of programs. The Department of Health and Environmental Control, the Department Bureau of Social Services, and the Department of Health and Human Services Finance Commission shall direct their employees at the county and district levels to cooperate with school district officials in establishing parenting/family literacy programs."
SECTION 2. Section 59-36-20 of the 1976 Code, as added by Act 86 of 1993, is amended to read:
"Section 59-36-20. The State Board of Education and the State Department of Education are responsible for establishing a comprehensive system of special education and related services and for ensuring that the requirements of the Federal Individuals with Disabilities Education Act are carried out. Other state agencies which provide services for children with disabilities are directed to cooperate in the establishment and support of the system. Agencies with responsibilities under this chapter include: the Department of Mental Retardation Disabilities and Special Needs, the School for the Deaf and the Blind, the Commission for the Blind, the Department of Health and Environmental Control, the Department Bureau of Mental Health, the State Department Bureau of Social Services, Bureau of the Continuum of Care, and the State Department of Education.
All public education programs for children with disabilities within the State, including all programs administered by any other state or local agency, are under the general supervision of the persons responsible for education programs for children with disabilities in the State Department of Education and must meet the standards of the State Board of Education.
No provision of this section or of this chapter may be construed to limit the responsibilities of agencies other than the Department of Education from providing or paying for some or all of the cost of services to be provided the state's children with disabilities and the level of service must, at a minimum, be similar to that provided individuals with similar needs. If agencies are unable to agree on responsibilities for a particular child, the issue must be decided by the Bureau of Children's Case Resolution System Services, Section 20-7-5210, et seq."
SECTION 3. Section 43-1-240 of the 1976 Code is amended to read:
"Section 43-1-240. The State Department Bureau of Social Services in establishing priorities and funding for programs and services which impact on children and families during the first years of a child's life, within the powers and duties granted to it, must support, as appropriate, the South Carolina First Steps to School Readiness initiative, as established in Title 59, Chapter 152, at the state and local levels."
SECTION 4. Section 44-1-280 of the 1976 Code is amended to read:
"Section 44-1-280. The Board and Department of Health and Environmental Control in establishing priorities and funding for programs and services which impact on children and families during the first years of a child's life, within the powers and duties granted to it, must support, as appropriate, the South Carolina First Steps to School Readiness initiative, as established in Title 59, Chapter 152, at the state and local levels."
SECTION 5. Section 13-7-20 of the 1976 Code is amended to read:
"Section 13-7-20. The Division of State Development of the Department of Commerce, hereinafter in this section referred to as the division, is hereby designated as the agency of the State which shall be responsible for the promotion and development of atomic energy resources in South Carolina.
In accordance with the laws of this State, the division shall employ, compensate, and direct the activities of such individuals as may be necessary to carry out the provisions of this article. The division shall have the following powers and duties in the promotion and development of atomic energy industries, and resources, in addition to its other duties as imposed by law:
(1) Promote and assist in the establishment of private atomic energy facilities such as nuclear fuel manufacturing, fabrication, and reprocessing plants; radioisotope facilities; waste-disposal sites; test-reactor sites; transportation facilities; and others which are necessary or desirable for the promotion and development of atomic energy resources within the State.
(2) Assist the Governor, the General Assembly, and other agencies of state government in the development and promotion of atomic energy resources and industrial activities.
(3) Coordinate the atomic energy industrial development activities of the State, recognizing the regulatory authority of the State Department of Health and Human Services and the duties of other departments of state government.
(4) Maintain a close liaison with the industrial community, the federal government, the governments of other states, and regional bodies concerned with the promotion and development of industrial activity in the field of atomic energy.
(5) Cooperate with institutions of higher learning in order to take full advantage of all research activities which will support atomic energy development and industrial activities.
(6) Accept and administer loans, grants, and other funds or gifts, conditional or otherwise, in the furtherance of its promotion and development functions, from the federal government and other sources, public or private."
SECTION 1. Chapter 4, Title 48 of the 1976 Code is amended to read:
Section 48-4-10. (A) The South Carolina Department of Natural Resources is created to administer and enforce the laws of this State relating to wildlife, marine resources, and natural resources and other laws specifically assigned to it. The department must be comprised of a Natural Resources Enforcement Division, a Wildlife and Freshwater Fisheries Division, a Marine Resources Division, a Water Resources Division, and a Land Resources and Conservation Districts Division. Each division of the department must have the functions and powers provided by law.
(B) All functions, powers, and duties provided by law to the former South Carolina Wildlife and Marine Resources Department, the Geological Survey Division of the Budget and Control Board, to include the State Geologist, and the South Carolina Migratory Waterfowl Committee are transferred to the Department of Natural Resources. All nonregulatory functions, powers, and duties provided by law to the former South Carolina Water Resources Commission and the State Land Resources Conservation Commission are transferred to the Department of Natural Resources. All rules, regulations, standards, orders, or other actions of these entities remain in effect unless specifically changed or voided by the department in accordance with the Administrative Procedures Act.
(C) All divisions are directly accountable to and subject to the Department of Natural Resources.
(D) The Wildlife and Marine Resources Commission, the Land Resources Conservation Commission, and the Water Resources Commission are abolished. Reserved.
Section 48-4-20. For the purposes of this chapter:
(1) 'Board' means the governing body advisory board of the department.
(2) 'Department' means the South Carolina Department of Natural Resources.
(3) 'Director' or 'Executive Director' means the administrative head of the department, appointed by the board Governor with the advice and consent of the Senate. The Director serves at the pleasure of the Governor and may be removed by the Governor pursuant to Section 1-3-240(B).
Section 48-4-30. The department shall be governed by a An advisory board consisting of seven non-salaried nonsalaried board members is hereby created for the department. Board members of the former Department of Wildlife and Marine Resources shall serve as board members for the Department of Natural Resources until their terms expire and their successors are appointed and qualify. All advisory board members shall must be appointed by the Governor with the advice and consent of the Senate. One member shall be appointed from each congressional district of the state, and one shall be appointed from the state at-large at large. In making appointments, race, gender, and other demographic factors should must be considered to assure ensure nondiscrimination, inclusion, and representation to the greatest extent possible of all segments of the population of the State; however, consideration of these factors in making an appointment in no way creates a cause of action or basis for an employee grievance for a person appointed or for a person who fails to be appointed. Board Advisory board members must possess sound moral character, and superior knowledge in the fields of wildlife, marine, and natural resource management, and proven administrative ability.
The Governor may remove any advisory board member pursuant to the provisions of Section 1-3-240(B).
Terms of the members shall be are for four years and until their successors are appointed and qualify. If a vacancy occurs when the General Assembly is not in session, it must be filled by the Governor's appointment for the unexpired term, subject to confirmation by the Senate at the next session of the General Assembly.
Each advisory board member, within thirty days after notice of appointment and before taking office, shall take and file with the Secretary of State the oath of office prescribed by the State Constitution.
One of the members of the advisory board shall be designated by the Governor to serve as chairman.
Section 48-4-40. The advisory board members shall receive reimbursement for their expenses incurred while engaged in the work of the board as provided by law for state boards and commissions.
Section 48-4-50. The advisory board shall be vested with the duty and authority to oversee, manage, and control the operation, administration, and organization of the department subject only to the laws of this State and the United States render advice and counsel, and shall perform such duties and functions as may be set by the department director after consultation with the Governor. The advisory board may hold meetings, as considered necessary by the chairman, with a majority of the board members constituting a quorum.
Section 48-4-60. The board Director of the Department of Natural Resources shall appoint a director to serve at its pleasure who shall be the administrative head of the department. The director must carry out the policies of the board department and administer the its affairs of the department. The director may exercise all powers belonging to the board department within the guidelines and policies established by the board. The director shall manage the administration and organization of the department, subject to constitutional and statutory provisions, and may appoint such assistants or deputies as the director considers necessary. The director may hire such employees as the director considers necessary for the proper administration of the affairs of the department. The director must prescribe the duties, powers, and functions of all assistants, deputies, and employees of the department.
Section 48-4-70. The board director shall:
(1) hold meetings, as considered necessary by the chairman, with a majority of the board members constituting a quorum. The board may hold meetings, transact business, or conduct investigations at any place necessary; however, its primary office is in Columbia;
(2) formulate and recommend legislation to enhance uniformity, enforcement, and administration of the wildlife, marine, and natural resource laws;
(3) make an annual report to the General Assembly on all matters relating to its action the department;
(4)(2) require those of its the department's officers, agents, and employees it he designates to give bond for the faithful performance of their duties in the sum and with the sureties it he determines, and all premiums on the bonds must be paid by the board department;
(5)(3) pay travel expenses; and purchase or lease all necessary facilities, equipment, books, periodicals, and supplies for the performance of its his duties; and
(6)(4) exercise and perform other powers and duties as granted to it the director or imposed upon it the director by law.
Section 48-4-80. The board director may:
(1) make rules and promulgate regulations, not inconsistent with law, to aid in the performance of its the department's duties. The board director may prescribe the extent, if any, to which these rules and regulations must be applied without retroactive effect. These regulations must be promulgated through the Department of Natural Resources.
(2) exercise all authority granted to it the department under the laws and regulations relating to wildlife, marine and natural resources.
(3) conduct such hearings as may be required by law."
SECTION 2. Section 48-9-15 of the 1976 Code is amended to read:
"Section 48-9-15. As used in this chapter:
(1) 'Department' means the Department of Natural Resources.
(2) 'Division' means Land Resources and Conservation Districts Division of the Department of Natural Resources.
(3) 'Director' means the administrative head of the department appointed by the board Governor."
SECTION 3. Section 51-17-10 of the 1976 Code, as last amended by Act 181 of 1993, is further amended to read:
"Section 51-17-10. The following words or phrases have the definition given unless clearly specified otherwise:
1. 'Board of the department' means the governing board of the Department of Natural Resources Reserved.
2. 'Department' means the Department of Natural Resources.
3. 'Advisory board' means the Heritage Trust Advisory Board.
4. 'Natural area' means an area of land or water, or a combination thereof, generally, but not necessarily, large in size. Such an area may be in public or private ownership and shall contain relatively undisturbed ecosystems, landforms, threatened, endangered, or unique plant life or animal habitats, or other unusual or outstanding scientific, educational, aesthetic, or recreational characteristics.
5. 'Natural feature' means an area of land or water, or a combination thereof, which is generally, but not necessarily, small in size. Such area may be in public or private ownership and shall contain or consist of outstanding remnants or natural elements of surviving undisturbed natural ecosystems such as record size individual species of plant life, nests or rookeries, geological formations, or objects of special scientific, educational, aesthetic, or recreational character.
6. 'Cultural area or feature' means an area or feature which provides an outstanding example of our historical or archeological heritage. Such an area or feature shall be a site of special historic interest or contain outstanding remnants or elements of the way of life and significant events of our past so that through their preservation and the restoration of related existing structures, or the development of a historic area, as well as through study, investigation and examination of the material remains in that life, a record may be preserved of the interrelationship and effect between man's activities and his surrounding environment. A cultural area or feature may be one that is either publicly or privately owned.
7. 'Heritage Preserve' means a natural or cultural area or feature which is 'dedicated' under this chapter.
8. 'Heritage Site' means a natural or cultural feature which has been recognized as such through 'registration' under this chapter.
9. 'Dedicate or dedication' means the process by which any natural or cultural area or feature shall be established as a Heritage Preserve in accordance with the procedures set out in Section 51-17-80. Dedication may result from either of the following methods, but no power of eminent domain is hereby conferred or granted to the board of the department, the advisory board, or to the Department of Natural Resources under this chapter:
(a) 'Acquisition' means the establishment of a Heritage Preserve whereby the owner of a natural or cultural area or feature transfers the fee simple interest therein to the board of the department for such purpose; or
(b) 'Acceptance' means the establishment of a Heritage Preserve whereby the owner of a natural or cultural area or feature transfers less than the fee simple interest therein to the board of the department Department of Natural Resources for such purpose. Examples are granting of a 'conservation or open space easement' or the transfer of title subject to a life estate or reverter. Interests in real estate of a term of years shall not qualify for dedication under this chapter.
10. 'Register' or 'registration' means the process by which the owner of a natural or cultural feature shall enter into a written agreement with the board of the department Department of Natural Resources recognizing the unique and outstanding characteristics thereof in accordance with the procedures set out in Section 51-17-100.
11. 'Priority areas and features list' means the list made up of those areas and features recommended by the advisory board, and approved by the board of the department Department of Natural Resources, under this chapter whose preservation is of primary importance to the goals and purposes of this chapter and which are, therefore, eligible to be included as Heritage Preserves and Sites.
12. 'The Heritage Trust Program' means the entire system established under this chapter to provide for the inventorying, preservation, use and management of unique and outstanding natural or cultural areas and features in this State. The term 'Heritage Trust' means the legal trust which is created under Section 51-17-90."
SECTION 4. Section 51-17-50 of the 1976 Code, as last amended by Act 361 of 1994, is further amended to read:
"Section 51-17-50. The Heritage Trust Advisory Board is hereby created to assist the board of the department Department of Natural Resources in carrying out its duties and responsibilities under this chapter. The advisory board shall consist of seventeen members who shall be chosen as follows and shall elect from its membership a chairman:
1. From the general public, six persons, one from each congressional district within the State, who shall be appointed by the Governor and serve for a term of six years. Of these six, four persons shall be from the scientific community who are recognized and qualified experts in the ecology of natural areas, and two persons shall be from the cultural community who are recognized and qualified experts in the history and archeology of the State. The term 'expert' does not of necessity denote a professional but one learned and interested in the field.
2. From state government, the following persons or their designees:
A. The Chairman of the board of the Department of Natural Resources;
B.(A) The Director of the Department of Natural Resources;
C.(B) The Director of the South Carolina Department of Park, Recreation and Tourism;
D.(C) The Director of the Land Resources Conservation Districts Division of the Department of Natural Resources;
E.(D) The Director of the South Carolina Department of Archives and History;
F.(E) The State Forester;
G.(F) The State Archeologist;
H.(G) The Director of the State Museum; and
I.(H) The Secretary of Commerce.
Provided, however However, of the initial appointees under this section, that of the six persons appointed under Item 1 above, two shall serve for a term of two years, two for a term of four years, and two for a term of six years."
SECTION 5. Section 51-17-70 of the 1976 Code is amended to read:
"Section 51-17-70. The department shall act as the basic staff for the board of the department and the advisory board and shall have the following powers and duties:
1. The director shall select a member of his staff who shall be primarily responsible for the administration of the Heritage Trust Program.
2. The department shall supply such other staff and support services as the board of the department and the advisory board shall require to fulfill their duties and responsibilities under this chapter.
3. The department shall maintain a public record of any inventories or lists established under this chapter.
4. The department shall work with owners, both public and private, in the development of proposals for the dedication and recognition of natural and cultural areas and features as Heritage Preserves and Sites, and it shall keep the advisory board informed of the same in order that therefrom the advisory board may make recommendations to the board of the department as provided under this chapter.
5. The department shall consult with and work in cooperation with the Department of Archives and History, the State Archeologist, the Department of Parks, Recreation and Tourism and any other state, county, or local unit of government, or any private entity, or group which is or should be directly involved in the Heritage Trust Program as well as in any particular efforts to preserve or protect any specific area or feature under the provisions of this chapter. In all cases, the department shall attempt to avoid duplication of effort with other agencies and groups and shall have no mandatory authority hereunder to require action by any such body."
SECTION 6. Section 51-17-90 of the 1976 Code, as last amended by Act 181 of 1993, is further amended to read:
"Section 51-17-90. There is hereby created the South Carolina Heritage Trust, the trustee of which shall be the Board of the South Carolina Department of Natural Resources Director of the Department of Natural Resources. The corpus of the trust shall be made up of those Heritage Preserves which the board director of the department considers to be of such outstanding and unique natural or cultural character so as to be significant and essential to the carrying out of the goals and purposes of this chapter and as such, to merit a greater degree of preservation than that provided by dedication. The board director of the department shall have authority to place into the corpus of the trust any Heritage Preserve that it the director feels meets this criteria and which has been recommended for inclusion therein by the advisory board. The beneficiaries of this trust are and shall be the present and future generations of citizens of the State, more particularly those present and future citizens residing within a close proximity to any area or feature which itself, or an interest therein, becomes, constitutes, or comprises a part of the corpus of such trust and who actually enjoy use of such area or feature; and further and more particularly, those present and future students, teachers, and persons residing in the State who are concerned with conservation or with research in any facet of ecology, history, or archeology and who actually utilize any such area or feature for the promotion of such interest.
Wherever the term 'area or feature' is used in this section, it shall include 'or interests therein'. The following, except as otherwise expressly provided, shall constitute substantive terms of the trust and apply to any area or feature which becomes a part of the corpus thereof:
1. Upon approval by the board director of the department of the inclusion of a Heritage Preserve in the corpus of the South Carolina Heritage Trust, such transfer shall be recorded in the county in which the property is located and shall establish conclusive proof that such area or feature is suitable for preservation and protection under this chapter and constitutes a part of the corpus of the South Carolina Heritage Trust.
2. In any case wherein the previous owner of a Heritage Preserve has restricted such area or feature from inclusion in the South Carolina Heritage Trust, or where the previous owner has withheld an interest therein such as a life estate or reverter, the Heritage Preserve involved shall not be allowed to become a part of the corpus of the South Carolina Heritage Trust unless at a subsequent time such approval is obtained from such person or his successor in interest.
3. Upon the approval by the board director of the department of the inclusion of any Heritage Preserve in the South Carolina Heritage Trust and the transfer of the title or interest held by the board director of the department therein to the trust, subject to the provisions of Item 2 of this section, legal title to such area or feature shall be conveyed to the trustee of the South Carolina Heritage Trust and the equitable, or beneficial ownership, shall rest in those beneficiaries previously stated and described, whether such property was owned by a private or public source prior to dedication.
4. Upon approval by the advisory board, the department, and the board director of the department, and any agency of the State is hereby authorized to enter into agreement in advance with any person, firm, corporation, legal entity of government, or any private group that any particular area or feature shall be conveyed to the trustee in trust under the provisions of this chapter.
5. Upon approval by the board director of the department of inclusion of any Heritage Preserve into the corpus of the South Carolina Heritage Trust, the advisory board shall review the management plan therefor as well as the 'Dedication Agreement' and any other sources of information which it may consider appropriate. Upon approval thereof by the board director of the department, the department, or that agency or group assigned management responsibilities therefor, shall manage the property in accordance therewith. Except to the extent expressly otherwise provided in the 'Dedication Agreement', the following substantive terms shall be deemed to be set forth in the conveyance to the Heritage Trust and the trustee shall hold such property in trust subject to such terms:
(a) The essential natural character of the property shall be maintained.
(b) There shall be no erection of any improvements thereon except those minimal improvements necessary for the security, safety, or convenience of the public and those required for maintenance and management.
(c) Cutting or burning of timber, wood or other destruction of flora or fauna shall be permitted only for conservation or regeneration of flora or fauna; or for the control of plant succession by deliberate manipulation for restoration of preservation of a particular vegetation type or of an endangered species of flora, fauna or wildlife; or for the establishment and maintenance of nature and hiking trails, camping areas and the like where compatible and consistent with the character of the area or feature concerned and not seriously damaging or detrimental to the natural quality of the property.
(d) No stream shall be dammed or have its course altered.
(e) No motorized vehicles shall be permitted on the property other than those utilized by the trustee or its agents in management and protection of the property or used by the general public for ingress and egress to the property in compliance with the management plan for the area or feature concerned.
(f) No change shall be made in the general topography of the area or feature except for those minimal alterations which may be necessary to provide on-foot access to the public for visitation, or observation; and this shall be done only where wholly compatible and consistent with the character of the property and where no detrimental effect shall result.
(g) No activity shall be allowed or permitted which might pollute any stream, body of water, or the atmosphere.
(h) No signs, billboards or other advertising of any kind shall be erected; however, informational and directional signs related to the designation of the area or feature as a Heritage Preserve and related to the public's enjoyment thereof shall be allowed when approved by the trustee.
(i) No other acts or uses which are detrimental to the retention of the property in its natural state shall be allowed, including those detrimental to flood control, drainage, water conservation, erosion control or soil conservation, or fish or wildlife habitat preservation.
(j) Where cultural areas or features are involved, reasonable excavation, improvement and the like shall be allowed for research purposes as well as to restore such area or feature.
(k) The trust shall continue in perpetuity.
(l) Nothing in this chapter shall be interpreted as restricting the use of an existing or any future easement, express or implied, in favor of any utility or other holder of an easement for public purposes.
6. Those natural and related cultural areas and features which are acquired as Heritage Preserves in accordance with the trust provisions of this chapter are hereby declared to be as such at their highest, best and most important use for the public benefit. The State, any agencies thereof, local or county entities of government, or public utility which has the power of condemnation by law may acquire by purchase, gift, or eminent domain an easement or other interest in any property comprising a part of the corpus of the Heritage Trust; provided, however, that before any such condemnation shall occur, a court of competent jurisdiction shall determine the following:
(1) there is an unavoidable and imperative public necessity that the property or interest therein be taken for another public use;
(2) that there is no feasible and prudent alternative for the proposed use for which the property or interest therein is to be taken; and
(3) that the proposal for taking includes all possible planning to minimize the harm done to such property resulting from such proposed use. Where the court deems appropriate, a public hearing shall be conducted prior to the court's decision to allow comment and input thereto. No city, county, public district, agency of the State, or public utility of the State shall acquire any real property which is a part of the corpus of the Heritage Trust through condemnation for the purpose of utilizing such property for another public use unless the acquiring entity pays or transfers to the Heritage Trust sufficient compensation to enable the operating entity to replace the real property and facilities thereon. The trustee of the trust shall have authority to utilize such proceeds to acquire additional property for the trust and to maintain those properties which form the corpus of the trust.
7. The common law of South Carolina pertaining to trusts shall be applicable to the Heritage Trust and to all areas or features, or interests therein, which become a part of this corpus. Without in any way limiting the generality of the foregoing, such trusts shall not fail for want of a trustee, and the trust shall be terminated as to any particular area or feature, or interest therein, only upon total failure of the intended purpose. Any substitution of the trustee or termination of the trust as to any particular area or feature, or interests therein, shall occur only after appropriate judicial action wherein the beneficiaries are adequately represented, and such total failure shall not in any way affect the remainder of the property within the corpus of the trust.
8. The trustee shall hold, manage, preserve and enforce the various areas and features, or interests therein, which become a part of the corpus of the trust in accordance with the terms of this chapter and in any respective conveyances and transfers thereto. To that end the trustees may adopt and modify rules and regulations for the use and enjoyment of such trust properties by the public, and may employ or appoint agents to act on their behalf in the management of such properties."
SECTION 7. Section 51-17-130 of the 1976 Code, as last amended by Act 181 of 1993, is further amended to read:
"Section 51-17-130. 1. Enforcement officers of the Natural Resources Enforcement Division of the Department of Natural Resources, park rangers, and forestry rangers, as well as all other state and local law enforcement officials, shall have authority to enforce the provisions of this chapter.
2. The Attorney General shall enforce the rules and regulations of the board of the department both as they apply to those areas dedicated as well as those that are subsequently made a part of the corpus of the South Carolina Heritage Trust. In exercise of this authority, the Attorney General may, among other things and at the request of the board of the department, bring an action for injunctive or declaratory relief in any court of competent jurisdiction.
3.(a) Any person violating the provisions of this chapter where the damage to the property does not exceed five hundred dollars is guilty of a misdemeanor and, upon conviction, shall be fined not more than one hundred dollars or be imprisoned not more than thirty days for each offense.
(b) Any person violating the provisions of this chapter where the damage to the property exceeds five hundred dollars is guilty of a misdemeanor and, upon conviction, shall be fined not less than five hundred dollars nor more than five thousand dollars or be imprisoned not more than six months, or both, for each offense."
SECTION 8. Section 51-18-60(2)(a) of the 1976 Code, as added by Act 387 of 2000, is amended to read:
"(a) the Chairman of the Board Director of the Department of Natural Resources;"
SECTION 9. Section 1-5-40(A)(69)(a) of the 1976 Code is amended to read:
"(a) Natural Resources Advisory Board"
SECTION 10. Section 48-45-80 of the 1976 Code is amended to read:
"Section 48-45-80. There is hereby created an advisory committee to the Consortium Director to consist of seven members who shall serve for terms of four years and until their successors are appointed and qualified. Four members must be appointed by the Governor with the advice and consent of the Senate. The four members appointed by the Governor must be residents of coastal counties, no more than one from each county, and two must be associated with the commercial fishing industry. The chairmen of the Senate Fish, Game and Forestry Committee, and House Agriculture and Natural Resources Committee, and Department of Natural Resources Board shall each appoint one member upon the recommendation of a majority of the members of their respective committees and commission. The Director of the Department of Natural Resources shall serve as the seventh member. The four members appointed by the Governor must be residents of coastal counties, no more than one from each county, and two must be associated with the commercial fishing industry."
SECTION 11. Section 48-59-40(A)(1) of the 1976 Code is amended to read:
"(1) the Chairman of the Board for Director of the Department of Natural Resources, the Chairman of the South Carolina Forestry Commission, and the Director of the South Carolina Department of Parks, Recreation and Tourism, all of whom shall serve ex officio and without voting privileges;"
SECTION 12. Section 49-23-20(n) of the 1976 Code is amended to read:
"(n) 'Board' means the governing authority of the Department of Natural Resources."
SECTION 13. Section 49-25-40 of the 1976 Code is amended to read:
"Section 49-25-40. The state climatologist may certify copies as being authentic reproductions of weather records held in the State and shall present a report each year to the board of the Director of the Department of Natural Resources concerning the activities of the climatic program and other information which the board director may consider necessary."
SECTION 14. Section 50-1-5 of the 1976 Code is amended to read:
"Section 50-1-5. For the purposes of Title 50, unless the context clearly indicates otherwise,:
(1) 'Board' means the governing body of the department.
(2) 'Department' means the South Carolina Department of Natural Resources.
(3)(2) "Director" means the administrative head of the department, appointed by the board Governor.
(4)(3) 'Enforcement officer' means an enforcement officer of the Natural Resources Enforcement Division of the department."
SECTION 15. Section 50-3-180(A) of the 1976 Code is amended to read:
"(A) The Mitigation Trust Fund of South Carolina is credited for the purposes of receiving gifts, grants, contributions, and other proceeds for mitigation projects in the State. The Board of Trustees for the Mitigation Trust Fund is the chairman and the members of the South Carolina Department of Natural Resources Board with Director of the Department of Natural Resources has full authority over the administration of the funds deposited in the fund. The State Treasurer is the custodian of the fund and shall invest its assets in an interest-bearing account pursuant to South Carolina law."
SECTION 16. Section 50-3-720 of the 1976 Code is amended to read:
"Section 50-3-720. There is created the Board of Trustees of the Wildlife Endowment Fund of the Department of Natural Resources, with. The Director of the Department of Natural Resources has full authority over the administration of the fund, whose chairman and members are the chairman and members of the board of the Department of Natural Resources. The State Treasurer is the custodian of the fund and shall invest its assets in accordance with the provisions of Title 11."
SECTION 17. Section 50-3-910 of the 1976 Code is amended to read:
"Section 50-3-910. There is created the Board of Trustees of the Jocassee Gorges Trust Fund of the Department of Natural Resources, with. The Director of the Department of Natural Resources has full authority over the administration of the fund, whose chairman and members are the chairman and members of the board of the Department of Natural Resources. The State Treasurer is the custodian of the fund and shall invest its assets in accordance with the provisions of Title 11."
SECTION 18. Section 50-3-1120 of the 1976 Code is amended to read:
"Section 50-3-1120. The board Director of the Department of Natural Resources serves ex officio as the Conservation Grant Fund Board with full authority over the administration of the fund."
SECTION 19. Section 50-5-1950 of the 1976 Code is amended to read:
"Section 50-5-1950. (A) A Saltwater Recreational Fisheries Advisory Committee is established to assist in prioritizing the expenditures of monies received in the special account. The committee is composed of:
(1) one member of the Board of the Director of the Department of Natural Resources to serve ex officio;
(2) two at-large members appointed by the Governor; and
(3) one member from each of the following coastal counties appointed by a majority of the respective legislative delegations of Beaufort, Charleston, Colleton, Georgetown, Horry, Jasper, Dorchester, and Berkeley Counties.
(B) The members in subsection (A)(2) and (3) shall represent the saltwater recreational fishing community.
(C) Committee members shall be paid the usual mileage, subsistence, and per diem as prescribed by law for members of state boards, commissions, and committees to be paid from revenues from the sale of stamps, licenses, prints, and related articles.
(D) The terms of members in subsection (A)(2) and (3) are for four years and are limited to two consecutive terms. Vacancies shall be filled for the remainder of the unexpired term in the manner of original appointment."
SECTION 20. Section 50-11-20 of the 1976 Code is amended to read:
"Section 50-11-20. (A) As used in this article:
(1) 'Board' means the governing body of the South Carolina Department of Natural Resources.
(2) 'Committee' means the Migratory Waterfowl Committee.
(3)(2) 'Department' means the South Carolina Department of Natural Resources.
(4)(3) 'Migratory waterfowl' means members of the family 'Anatidae', including brants, ducks, geese, and swans.
(B) There is created the Migratory Waterfowl Committee composed of nine members. A designee, who is not a paid employee, of Ducks Unlimited of South Carolina, a designee, who is not a paid employee, of the South Carolina Waterfowl Association, and the Chairman of the Board Director of the Department of Natural Resources, or his designee, shall serve ex officio. Two members are appointed by the Chairman of the Agriculture and Natural Resources Committee of the House of Representatives, two are appointed by the Chairman of the Fish, Game and Forestry Committee of the Senate, and two are appointed by the Governor, all of whom must be cognizant of waterfowl. The members of the committee shall serve for terms of three years and until successors are appointed and qualify. Vacancies are filled for the unexpired term in the manner of the original appointment. The members of the committee shall elect a chairman annually. Members of the committee are eligible to receive the per diem, subsistence, and mileage as is provided by law for members of boards, commissions, and committees.
(C) The committee is responsible for the creation of the annual migratory waterfowl stamp provided in Section 50-9-530, shall provide the design to the department, and shall recommend regulations to the department for the creation of migratory waterfowl stamp prints, their administration, sale, and distribution, and other matters relating to the stamps and their prints. If the committee sells any of the stamps, it shall purchase them from the department for five dollars and fifty cents a stamp, all of which is retained by the department. Funds derived from the sale of prints and related artwork must be expended as follows:
(1) The portion of the funds necessary to make up fifty percent of the total funds derived from the sale of the migratory waterfowl stamps and the migratory waterfowl stamp prints must be transferred by the committee to the department to be used for its specified projects.
(2) Except for the amount necessary for the committee to administer and promote the sale of any prints, stamps, or related articles, the remainder of the funds derived from the sale of the prints and related articles must be disbursed to an appropriate nonprofit organization as determined by the board Director of the Department of Natural Resources for the development of waterfowl propagation projects within Canada. The projects must specifically provide waterfowl for the Atlantic Flyway and must demonstrate evidence that the projects are acceptable to the appropriate governmental agencies having jurisdiction over the project areas.
(3) The committee shall have an annual audit of its finances conducted by the State Auditor and shall furnish a copy to the board department."
SECTION 21. Sections 44-1-50, 48-39-40, 48-39-150(D), 48-39-180, 48-39-280(A)(4), 48-39-280(E), 48-39-290(D)(4) of the 1976 are amended to read:
"Sections 44-1-50. The board may conduct such hearings as may be required by law, as considered necessary by the board, and as necessary to hear appeals from decisions of administrative law judges pursuant to Chapter 23 of Title 1. The board does not have the authority to hear appeals from decisions of the Coastal Zone Management Appellate Panel or the Mining Council. Such appeals shall be conducted pursuant to the provisions in Chapters 20 and 30 of Title 48.
The board shall provide for the administrative organization of the department and shall consolidate and merge existing duties, functions, and officers of the former agencies as may be necessary for economic and efficient administration. Provided, however However, that the board may appoint such advisory boards as it considers necessary to carry out the functions of Sections 44-1-10 to 44-1-70, and there shall be provided a compensation for their services as provided by the law for members of boards and commissions.
Section 48-39-40. (A) On July 1, 1994, there is created the Coastal Zone Management Appellate Panel which consists of fourteen members, which shall act as an advisory council to the Department of Health and Environmental Control. The members of the panel shall be constituted as follows: eight members, one from each coastal zone county, to be elected by a majority vote of the members of the House of Representatives and a majority vote of the Senate members representing the county from three nominees submitted by the governing body of each coastal zone county, each House or Senate member to have one vote; six members, one from each of the congressional districts of the State, to be elected by a majority vote of the members of the House of Representatives and the Senate representing the counties in that district, each House or Senate member to have one vote. The panel shall elect a chairman, vice-chairman, and other officers it considers necessary.
(B) Terms of all members are for four years and until successors are appointed and qualify. Members from congressional districts serve terms of two years only as determined by lot at the first meeting of the panel. Vacancies must be filled in the original manner of selection for the remainder of the unexpired term.
(C) On July 1, 1994, members of the South Carolina Coastal Council, become members of the South Carolina Coastal Zone Appellate Panel and continue to serve until their terms expire. Upon the expiration of their terms, members must be selected as provided within this section.
(D) Any applicant having a permit denied or any person adversely affected by the granting of the permit has the right of direct appeal from the decision of to the Administrative Law Judge Division to the Coastal Zone Management Appellate Panel. Appeals from the Administrative Law Judge Division must be taken to circuit court. Any applicant having a permit denied may challenge the validity of any or all reasons given for denial.
Section 48-39-180. Any applicant whose permit application has been finally denied, revoked, suspended or approved subject to conditions of the department by the Coastal Zone Management Appellate Panel, or any person adversely affected by the permit, may, within twenty days after receiving notice thereof, file petition in the circuit court having jurisdiction over the affected land for a review of the department's action 'de novo' or to determine whether the department's action so restricts or otherwise affects the use of the property as to deprive the owner of its existing practical use and is an unreasonable exercise of the State's police power because the action constitutes the equivalent of taking without compensation. If the court finds the action to be an unreasonable exercise of the police power, it shall enter a finding that the action shall not apply to the land of the plaintiff, or in the alternative, that the department shall pay reasonable compensation for the loss of use of the land. The use allowed by any permit issued under this chapter may, in the discretion of the court, be stayed pending decision on all appeals that may be taken. The circuit court may in its discretion require that a reasonable bond be posted by any person. It is specifically intended that any person whose permit application has been denied may have such permit issued by the circuit court having jurisdiction if such person can prove the reasons given for denial to be invalid.
(4) Notwithstanding any other provision of this section, where a department-approved beach nourishment project has been completed, the local government or the landowners, with notice to the local government, may petition an Administrative Law Judge to move the baseline as far seaward as the landward edge of the erosion control structure or device or, if there is no existing erosion control structure or device, then as far seaward as the post project baseline as determined by the department in accordance with Section 48-39-280(A)(1) by showing that the beach has been stabilized by department-approved beach nourishment. If the petitioner is asking that the baseline be moved seaward pursuant to this section, he must show an ongoing commitment to renourishment which will stabilize and maintain the dry sand beach at all stages of the tide for the foreseeable future. If the Administrative Law Judge grants the petition to move the baseline seaward pursuant to this section, no new construction may occur in the area between the former baseline and the new baseline for three years after the initial beach nourishment project has been completed as determined by the department. If the beach nourishment fails to stabilize the beach after a reasonable period of time, the department must move the baseline landward to the primary oceanfront sand dune as determined pursuant to items (1), (2), and (3) for that section of the beach. Any appeal of an Administrative Law Judge's decision under this section may must be made to the Coastal Zone Management Appellate Panel circuit court.
(E) A landowner claiming ownership of property affected who feels that the final or revised setback line, baseline, or erosion rate as adopted is in error, upon submittal of substantiating evidence, must be granted a review of the setback line, baseline, or erosion rate, or a review of all three The requests must be forwarded to the Coastal Zone Management Appellate Panel and handled in accordance with the department's regulations on appeals.
(4) A party aggrieved by the committee's decision to grant or deny a special permit application may appeal to the full Coastal Zone Management Appellate Panel Administrative Law Judge Division pursuant to Section 48-39-150(D)."
SECTION 22. Section 49-3-20 and 49-3-30 of the 1976 Code are amended to read:
"Section 49-3-20. As used in this chapter:,
(1) 'Board' means the governing body of the Department of Natural Resources.
(2) 'Department' means the Department of Natural Resources.
Section 49-3-30. The former Water Resources Commission without its regulatory functions is hereby transferred to the Water Resources Division of the Department of Natural Resources and is directly accountable to and subject to the board Director of the Department of Natural Resources. The Water Resources Division shall be directly accountable to and subject to the Department of Natural Resources. The regulatory functions of the former Water Resources Commission are transferred to the Department of Health and Environmental Control."
SECTION 23. Section 13-11-20 of the 1976 Code is amended to read:
"Section 13-11-20. Members of the board shall be appointed by the Governor as follows: two members upon nomination of the Director of the South Carolina Department of Parks, Recreation and Tourism; one member upon nomination of the Director of the Department of Natural Resources; two members upon nomination of the Director of the Department Secretary of Commerce or his designee; one member upon nomination of the Fairfield County Council; one member upon nomination of the Fairfield County Development Board; and one member appointed by the Governor, who shall be the chairman. In addition, the Director of the South Carolina Department of Parks, Recreation and Tourism, the Director of the Department Secretary of Commerce or his designee, the Executive Director of the State Housing Authority, the Executive Director of the Central Midlands Regional Planning Council, the Transportation Commissioner representing Fairfield County, the Mayor of the city of Winnsboro, the member any members of the House of Representatives from District No. 41 and any Senators from Senatorial District No. 7 who are residents of Fairfield County or who represent the county, and the Executive Director of the South Carolina Department of Archives and History shall serve as ex officio members of the board. Terms of office of the appointed members shall be five years and until their successors are appointed and qualified. Vacancies shall be filled in the manner of original appointment for the unexpired term."
SECTION 1. Articles 1, 2, and 3, Chapter 6, Title 44 of the 1976 Code are amended to read:
Section 44-6-5. As used in this chapter:
(1) 'Department' means the State Department of Health and Human Services.
(2) "Division" means the Division of Research and Statistical Services of the State Budget and Control Board.
'Secretary' means the chief administrative officer of the Department of Health and Human Services.
(3) "Costs of medical education" means the direct and indirect teaching costs as defined under Medicare.
(4) "Market basket index" means the index used by the federal government on January 1, 1986, to measure the inflation in hospital input prices for Medicare reimbursement. If that measure ceases to be calculated in the same manner, the market basket index must be developed and regulations must be promulgated by the commission using substantially the same methodology as the federal market basket uses on January 1, 1986. Prior to submitting the regulations concerning the index to the General Assembly for approval pursuant to the Administrative Procedures Act, the department shall submit them to the Health Care Planning and Oversight Committee for review.
(5) "Medically indigent" means:
(a) all persons whose gross family income and size falls at or below the federal Community Service Administration guidelines and who meet certain qualifying criteria regarding real property allowance, qualifying services, residency requirements, and other sponsorship, and migrant or seasonal farm workers who have no established domicile in any state; and
(b) all persons whose gross family income and size falls between one hundred percent and two hundred percent of the Community Service Administration guidelines who meet certain other qualifying criteria regarding real property allowance, qualifying services, residency requirements, and other sponsorship and whose medical bill is sufficiently large in relation to their income and resources to preclude full payment. For the purposes of this definition, the qualifying criteria for real property allowance shall permit ownership of up to fifty acres of farmland upon which the family has resided for at least twenty-five years.
(6) "Net inpatient charges" means the total gross inpatient charges, minus the unreimbursed cost of medical education and the unreimbursed cost of providing medical care to medically indigent persons. The cost of care provided by a hospital to meet its Hill-Burton obligation is not considered an unreimbursed cost of providing medical care to medically indigent persons.
(7) "South Carolina growth index" means the percentage points added to the market basket index to adjust for the South Carolina specific experience. The Health Care Planning and Oversight Committee shall complete a study which identifies and quantifies those elements which should be included in the growth index. The elements may include, but are not limited to: population increases, aging of the population, changes in the type and intensity of hospital services, technological advances, the cost of hospital care in South Carolina relative to the rest of the nation, and needed improvements in the health status of state residents. Based on the study, the department shall develop and promulgate regulations for the annual computation of the growth index. Prior to submitting the regulations concerning the index to the General Assembly for approval pursuant to the Administrative Procedures Act, the department shall submit them to the Health Care Planning and Oversight Committee for review. Until a formula for computing the South Carolina growth index is promulgated, the annual index must be six and six-tenths percent which is equal to the average percentage difference between South Carolina hospital expenditures and the federal market basket index for the previous ten years.
(8) "State resident" means a person who is domiciled in South Carolina. A domicile once established is lost or changes only when one moves to a new locality with the intention of abandoning his old domicile and intends to live permanently or indefinitely in the new locale.
(9) "Target rate of increase" means the federal market basket index as modified by the South Carolina growth index.
(10) "General hospital" means any hospital licensed as a general hospital by the Department of Health and Environmental Control.
Section 44-6-10. (A) There is created the State Department of Health and Human Services which shall be headed by a Director secretary appointed by the Governor, upon the advice and consent of the Senate. The director secretary is subject to removal by the Governor pursuant to the provisions of Section 1-3-240(B).
(B) The department shall be organized into the following divisions:
(1) Division of Administration;
(2) Division of Health Care Financing;
(3) Division of Health Services;
(4) Division of Human Services;
(5) Division of Advocacy and Service Coordination.
(C) The secretary shall appoint an undersecretary for each division who shall oversee the operation of his respective division, and who shall serve at the pleasure of the secretary. Each undersecretary shall appoint the bureau chiefs who shall oversee the operation of the respective bureaus, and who shall serve at the pleasure of the undersecretary.
(D) The department may promulgate regulations to carry out its duties under this chapter and other provisions of law.
All state and local agencies whose responsibilities include administration or delivery of services which are covered by this chapter shall cooperate with the department and comply with its regulations.
Section 44-6-20. The Division of Administration shall:
(1) asses, prioritize, and coordinate division goals and objectives into a comprehensive department strategic plan;
(2) provide human resource management to all divisions, including all bureaus, offices, services, and programs within each division and is responsible for administration of state personnel policies and general department personnel policies;
(3) consult with each division in the development of each division's respective budget;
(4) coordinate and consolidate division budgets into a comprehensive Health and Human Services budget;
(5) provide other administrative oversight functions as the secretary may specify.
Section 44-6-30. (A) The department shall Division of Health Care Financing is comprised of the following bureaus:
(1) Bureau of Medicaid Services;
(2) Bureau for South Carolina Retires and Individuals Pooling Together for Savings (SCRIPTS) Program.
(B)(1) The Bureau of Medicaid Services shall administer Title XIX of the Social Security Act (Medicaid), including the Early Periodic Screening, Diagnostic and Treatment Program, and the Community Long-Term Care System.
(2) Be The bureau is designated as the South Carolina Center for Health Statistics to operate the Cooperative Health Statistics Program pursuant to the Public Health Services Act.
(3) Administer the Social Services Block Grant Program.
(4) Be prohibited from engaging in the delivery of services.
(C) The Division of Health Care Financing shall utilize the funds appropriated to the division pursuant to this section, and as may otherwise be provided by law, to enhance its health and medical purchasing capabilities and to further ensure accountability and the coordinated and effective expenditure of state and federal health funds. Unless otherwise provided for by law, the Bureau of Medicaid Services shall not engage in the delivery of services. The General Assembly shall appropriate to the Bureau of Medicaid Services Medicaid state matching funds for all entities within the Department of Health and Human Service, which shall be consolidated to match federal funds, the combination of which shall be used to reimburse claims for Medicaid reimbursable services. State matching funds appropriated to the Bureau of Medicaid Services annually must be identified in line items within the Bureau's appropriations specifying the division, bureau, office, or program within the Department of Health and Human Services for which the funds will be expended. Of the total Medicaid funds appropriated to the bureau for FY 2005-2006, the amount expended for each program or service must be maintained at least at the level of the funding for FY 2004-2005.
However, if the total matching funds for Medicaid are decreased below the FY 2004-2005 level of funding, the funding for these services may be decreased proportionately to the percentage of decrease in the total Medicaid funds.
Section 44-6-40. For all health and human services interagency programs provided for in this chapter, the department shall have the following duties:
(1) Prepare and approve state and federal plans prior to submission to the appropriate authority as required by law for final approval or for state or federal funding, or both.
Such plans shall be guided by the goal of delivering services to citizens and administering plans in the most effective and efficient ways possible.
(2) Compile and maintain in a unified, concise, and orderly form information concerning programs provided for in this chapter.
(3) Continuously review and evaluate programs to determine the extent to which they:
(a) meet fiscal, administrative, and program objectives; and
(b) are being operated cost effectively.
(4) Evaluate plans and programs in terms of their compatibility with state objectives and priorities giving specific attention to areas outlined in Section 44-6-70.
(5) Formulate for consideration and promulgation criteria, standards, and procedures that ensure assigned programs are administered effectively, equitably, and economically and in accordance with statewide policies and priorities.
(6) Inform the Governor and the General Assembly as to the effectiveness of the criteria, standards, and procedures promulgated pursuant to item (5) of this section.
(7) Develop in conjunction with other state agencies an information system to provide data on comparative client and fiscal information needed for programs.
(8) Develop a mechanism for local planning.
(9) Obtain from participating state agencies information considered necessary by the department to perform duties assigned to the department.
(A) The Division of Behavioral Health Services is comprised of the following bureaus:
(1) Bureau of Long-Term Care Facilities;
(2) Bureau of Mental Health; and
(3) Bureau of Alcohol and Other Drug Abuse Services and the Earle E. Morris, Jr. Alcohol and Drug Addiction Treatment Center operated by the former Department of Mental Health.
(B) The Bureau of Long-term Care Facilities shall operate all state facilities providing long-term care to the elderly including nursing homes for veterans as provided for in Section 44-11-30 et seq. and other nursing homes provided for by the former Department of Mental Health.
Section 44-6-45. The State Department of Health and Human Services may collect administrative fees associated with accounts receivable for those individuals or entities which negotiate repayment to the agency. The administrative fee may not exceed one and one-half percent of the amounts negotiated and must be remitted to the State Treasurer and deposited to the credit of the general fund of the State.
Section 44-6-50. In carrying out the duties provided for in Section 44-6-30 the department shall:
(1) Contract for health and human services eligibility determination with performance standards regarding quality control as required by law or regulation.
(2) Contract for operation of certified Medicaid management information claims processing system. For the first year of its operation it shall contract for such system with the Department of Social Services.
(3) Contract for other operational components of programs administered under this chapter as considered appropriate.
(4) Monitor and evaluate all contractual services authorized pursuant to this chapter to assure effective performance. Any contract entered into under the provisions of this chapter must be in accordance with the provisions of the South Carolina Consolidated Procurement Code.
(5) Establish a procedure whereby inquiries from members of the General Assembly concerning the department's work and responsibility shall be answered as expeditiously and definitely as possible.
The Division of Human Services is created to establish a comprehensive, efficient human services delivery system that removes physical/psychosocial barriers so that individuals and families achieve their highest level of independent functioning. The Division of Human Services is comprised of the following bureaus:
(1) Bureau of Social Services including, but not limited to, the Administration of the Child Development and Social Services Block Grants, formerly administered by the former Department of Health and Human Services and the former Childcare Regulation program in the former Department of Social Services, and Managed Treatment Services which includes, managed treatment services provided by the former Department of Social Services; and
(2) Bureau of Senior and Adult Protection Services including:
(a) Office of Aging/Aging Network;
(b) Office of Adult Protective Services; and
(c) Office of Long Term Care Ombudsman Services.
Section 44-6-60. The Division of Advocacy and Service Coordination is comprised of:
(1) Bureau for Foster Care Review;
(2) Bureau of Continuum of Care; and
(3) Bureau of Children's Case Resolution Services.
Section 44-6-70. A state plan must be prepared by the department for each program assigned to it and the department must also prepare resource allocation recommendations based on such plans. The resource allocation recommendations must be approved pursuant to state and federal law. The state plans must address state policy and priority areas of service with specific attention to the following objectives:
(a) Prevention measures as addressed in health and human services programs.
(b) Achievement of a balanced health care delivery system assuring that regulations, coverage, and reimbursement policies assure that while the most appropriate care is given, tailored to the client's needs, it is delivered in the most cost-effective manner.
(c) Simplification of paperwork requirements.
(d) Achievement of optimum cost effectiveness in administration and delivery of services provided quality of care is assured.
(e) Improvement of effectiveness of third party reimbursement efforts.
(f) Assurance of maximum utilization of private and nonprofit providers in administration and service delivery systems, provided quality of care is assured.
(g) Encouragement of structured volunteer programs in administration and service delivery.
To ensure accountability and the coordinated, efficient delivery of health and human services, the division shall implement an electronic case monitoring system. This system must be developed by the Division of Healthcare Financing and the Office of Research and Statistics in the State Budget and Control Board in consultation with the Division of Health Services, Division of Human Services, and the Division of Advocacy and Service Coordination and other entities as necessary.
Section 44-6-80. The department Secretary must submit to the Governor, the State Budget and Control Board, and the General Assembly Chairmen of the Senate Judiciary Committee and House of Representatives Judiciary Committee an annual report concerning the work of the department and including details on improvements in the cost effectiveness achieved since the enactment of this chapter and must recommend changes for further improvements all requests for assistance or services from the department that could not be delivered because the person for whom the assistance or service was sought did not meet the department's criteria for providing the assistance or service. In addition, the department must include any statistical information compiled by the department for the electronic case monitoring system or by the Office of Research and Statistics in the Budget and Control Board which demonstrates populations with multiple disabilities or needs that are routinely denied services or assistance by the department due to defined department criteria.
Interim reports must be submitted as needed to advise the Governor and the General Assembly of substantive issues how to ensure service coordination, prevent unnecessary duplication of services, and avoid denying services to persons with multiple disabilities or needs because the persons fail to meet defined department criteria.
Section 44-6-90. The department may promulgate regulations to carry out its duties.
All state and local agencies whose responsibilities include administration or delivery of services which are covered by this chapter shall cooperate with the department and comply with its regulations.
Section 44-6-100. The department employees shall have such general duties and receive such compensation as determined authorized by the director have Secretary of the Department of Health and Human Services. The director shall be responsible for administration of state personnel policies and general department personnel policies. The director secretary of the department shall have sole appoint an undersecretary for each division. The undersecretaries shall appoint the chief of each bureau within a division, all of whom shall serve at the pleasure of the undersecretary who appoints them. The chief of each bureau has authority to employ and discharge employees subject to such personnel policies and funding available for that purpose.
In all instances, the director secretary shall serve as the chief administrative officer of the department and shall have the responsibility of executing policies, directives, and actions of the department either personally or by issuing appropriate directives to the employees.
The goal of the provisions of this section is to ensure that the department's business is conducted according to sound administrative practice, without unnecessary interference with its internal affairs. Public officers and employees shall be guided by this goal and comply with these provisions.
Section 44-6-132. The General Assembly finds that:
(1) There are citizens who cannot afford to pay for hospital care because of inadequate financial resources or catastrophic medical expenses.
(2) Rising health care costs and the growth of the medically indigent population have increased the strains on the health care system with a growing burden on the hospital industry, health insurance companies, and paying patients.
(3) This burden has affected businesses, which are large purchasers of health care services through employee insurance benefits, and taxpayers in counties which support public hospitals, and it causes the cost of services provided to paying patients to increase in a manner unrelated to the actual cost of services delivered to them.
(4) Hospitals which provide the bulk of unreimbursed services cannot compete economically with hospitals which provide relatively little care to indigent persons.
(5) Because of the complexity of the health care system, any effort to resolve the problem of paying for care for medically indigent persons must be multifaceted and shall include at least four general principles:
(a) Funds must be made available to assure continued access to quality health care for medically indigent patients.
(b) Cost containment measures and competitive incentives must be placed into the health care system along with the additional funds.
(c) The cost of providing indigent care must be equitably borne by the State, the counties, and the providers of care.
(d) State residents must be guaranteed access to emergency medical care regardless of their ability to pay or county of residence.
It is the intent of the General Assembly to:
(1) assure care for the largest possible number of its medically indigent citizens within funds available by:
(a) expanding the number of persons eligible for Medicaid services, using additional state and county funds to take advantage of matching federal funds;
(b) creating a fund based on provider and local government contributions to provide medical assistance to those citizens who do not qualify for Medicaid or any other government assistance and who do not have the means to pay for hospital care; and
(c) mandating access to emergency medical care for all state residents in need of the care;
(2) Provide provide incentives for cost containment to providers of care to indigent patients by implementing a prospective payment system in the Medicaid and Medically Indigent Assistance Fund programs;
(3) monitor efforts to foster competition in the health care market place while being prepared to make adjustments in the system through regulatory intervention if needed;
(4) promote market reforms, as the single largest employer in the State, by structuring its health insurance program to encourage healthy lifestyles and prudent use of medical services; and
(5) reduce where possible or maintain the current rate schedules of hospitals to keep costs from escalating.
Section 44-6-135. This article may be cited as the 'South Carolina Medically Indigent Assistance Act'.
Section 44-6-137. For purposes of this article:
(1) 'Costs of medical education' means the direct and indirect teaching costs as defined under Medicare.
(2) 'Division' means the Department of Health and Human Services, Division of Healthcare Financing.
(3) 'General hospital' means any hospital licensed as a general hospital by the Department of Environmental Control.
(4) 'Market basket index' means the index used by the federal government on January 1, 1986, to measure the inflation in hospital input prices for Medicare reimbursement. If that measure ceases to be calculated in the same manner, the market basket index must be developed and regulations must be promulgated by the division using substantially the same methodology as the federal market basket uses on January 1, 1986.
(5) 'Medically indigent' means:
(a) all persons whose gross family income and size falls at or below the federal Community Service Administration guidelines and who meet certain qualifying criteria regarding real property allowance, qualifying services, residency requirements, and other sponsorship, and migrant or seasonal farm workers who have no established domicile in any state; and
(b) all persons whose gross family income and size falls between one hundred percent and two hundred percent of the Community Service Administration guidelines who meet certain other qualifying criteria regarding real property allowance, qualifying services, residency requirements, and other sponsorship and whose medical bill is sufficiently large in relation to their income and resources to preclude full payment. For the purposes of this definition, the qualifying criteria for real property allowance shall permit ownership of up to fifty acres of farmland upon which the family has resided for at least twenty-five years.
(6) 'Net inpatient charges' means the total gross inpatient charges, minus the unreimbursed cost of medical education and the unreimbursed cost of providing medical care to medically indigent persons. The cost of care provided by a hospital to meet its Hill-Burton obligation is not considered an unreimbursed cost of providing medical care to medically indigent persons.
(7) 'Office' means the Office of Research and Statistical Services of the State Budget and Control Board.
(8) 'South Carolina growth index' means the percentage points added to the market basket index to adjust for the South Carolina specific experience. The division shall develop and promulgate regulations for the annual computation of the growth index. Until a formula for computing the South Carolina growth index is promulgated, the annual index must be six and six-tenths percent which is equal to the average percentage difference between South Carolina hospital expenditures and the federal market basket index for the previous ten years.
(9) 'State resident' means a person who is domiciled in South Carolina. A domicile once established is lost or changes only when one moves to a new locality with the intention of abandoning his old domicile and intends to live permanently or indefinitely in the new locale.
(10) 'Target rate of increase' means the federal market basket index as modified by the South Carolina growth index.
Section 44-6-140. (A) To provide cost containment incentives for providers of care to Medicaid recipients, the department Bureau of Medicaid Services shall convert the Medicaid hospital reimbursement system from a retrospective payment system to a prospective payment system by October 1, 1985. The prospective payment system includes, at a minimum, the following elements:
(1) a maximum allowable payment amount established for individual hospital products, services, patient diagnoses, patient day, patient admission, or per patient, or any combination thereof. This payment must be based on hospital costs rather than hospital charges and must be adjusted at least every two years to reflect the most recent audited cost data available. The department bureau shall set by regulation those circumstances under which a hospital may seek an exception. The maximum allowable payment amount must be weighted to allow for the costs of medical education and primary, secondary, or tertiary care considerations;
(2) payment on a timely basis to the hospital by the commission bureau or patient or both, of the maximum allowable payment amount determined by the commission; and
(3) acceptance by the hospital of the maximum payment amount as payment in full, which includes any deductible or copayment provided for in the state Medicaid program.
(B) The department bureau shall at the same time implement other cost containment measures which include, but are not limited to:
(1) utilization reviews for appropriateness of treatment and length of stay;
(2) preadmission certification of nonemergency admissions;
(3) mandatory outpatient surgery in appropriate cases;
(4) a second surgical opinion pilot study; and
(5) procedures for encouraging the use of outpatient services.
The department bureau, to the fullest extent possible, shall utilize information required in this subsection in the form hospitals are presently submitting the information to other governmental agencies or in the form hospitals are presently utilizing the information within the hospital.
Section 44-6-146. (A) Every fiscal year the State Treasurer shall withhold from the portion of the Local Government Fund allotted to the counties a sum equal to fifty cents per capita based on the population of the several counties as shown by the latest official census of the United States. The money withheld by the State Treasurer must be placed to the credit of the commission Bureau of Medicaid Services and used to provide Title XIX (Medicaid) services.
(B) County governments are assessed an additional thirteen million dollars annually for use as matching funds for Medicaid services. Of these funds, seven and a half million dollars must be deposited into the Medicaid Expansion Fund created by Section 44-6-155.
The department bureau shall assess each county its share of the thirteen million dollars based on a formula which equally weighs the following factors in each county: property value, personal income, net taxable sales, and the previous two years of claims against the medically indigent assistance fund or program against county residents. If a trust fund has been established in a county to fund indigent care in the county, contributions on behalf of the county must be credited against the county assessment.
(C) Within thirty days of the first day of the state's fiscal year, and on the first day of the other three quarters, each county shall remit one-fourth of its total assessment to the department bureau. The department bureau shall allow a brief grace period during which late payments are not subject to interest or penalty.
Any county which fails to pay its assessment within the time allotted must pay, in addition to the assessment, a penalty of five percent of the assessment and interest at one and one-half percent per month from the date the assessment was originally due to the date of the payment of the assessment and penalty. The department bureau may in its discretion waive or reduce the penalty or interest or any part thereof.
Section 44-6-150. (A) There is created the South Carolina Medically Indigent Assistance Program administered by the department Bureau of Medicaid Services. The program is authorized to sponsor inpatient hospital care for which hospitals shall receive no reimbursement. A general hospital equipped to provide the necessary treatment shall:
(1) admit a patient sponsored by the program; and
(2) accept the transfer of a patient sponsored by the program from a hospital which is not equipped to provide the necessary treatment.
In addition to or in lieu of an action taken affecting the license of the hospital, when it is established that an officer, employee, or member of the hospital medical staff has violated this section, the South Carolina Department of Health and Environmental Control shall require the hospital to pay a civil penalty of up to ten thousand dollars.
(B) Hospital charges for patients sponsored by the Medically Indigent Assistance Program must be reported to the Division Office of Research and Statistical Services pursuant to Section 44-6-170.
(C) In administering the Medically Indigent Assistance Program, the department bureau shall determine:
(1) the method of administration including the specific procedures and materials to be used statewide in determining eligibility for the program;
(a) In a nonemergency, the patient shall submit the necessary documentation to the patient's county of residence or its designee to determine eligibility before admission to the hospital.
(b) In an emergency, the hospital shall admit the patient pursuant to Section 44-7-260. If a hospital holds the patient financially responsible for all or a portion of the inpatient hospital bill, and if the hospital determines that the patient could be eligible for the program, it shall forward the necessary documentation along with the patient's bill and other supporting information to the patient's county of residence or its designee for processing. A county may request that all hospital bills incurred by its residents sponsored by the program be submitted to the county or its designee for review.
(2) the population to be served, including eligibility criteria based on family income and resources. Eligibility is determined on an episodic basis for a given spell of illness. Eligibility criteria must be uniform statewide and may include only those persons who meet the program's definition of medically indigent;
(3) the health care services covered;
(4) a process by which an eligibility determination can be contested and appealed; and
(5) the program may shall not sponsor a patient until all other means of paying for or providing services have been exhausted. This includes Medicaid, Medicare, health insurance, employee benefit plans, or other persons or agencies required by law to provide medical care for the person. Hospitals may require eligible patients whose gross family income is between one hundred percent and two hundred percent of the federal poverty guidelines, to make a copayment based on a sliding payment scale developed by the department based on income and family size.
(D) Nothing in this section may be construed as relieving hospitals of their Hill-Burton obligation to provide unreimbursed medical care to indigent persons.
Section 44-6-155. (A) There is created the Medicaid Expansion Fund into which must be deposited funds:
(1) collected pursuant to Section 44-6-146;
(2) collected pursuant to Section 12-23-810; and
(3) appropriated pursuant to subsection (B).
This fund must be separate and distinct from the general fund. These funds are supplementary and may shall not be used to replace general funds appropriated by the General Assembly or other funds used to support Medicaid. These funds and the programs specified in subsection (C) are exempt from any budgetary cuts, reductions, or eliminations caused by the lack of general fund revenues. Earnings on investments from this fund must remain part of the separate fund and must not be deposited in the general fund.
(B) The department Bureau of Medicaid Services shall estimate the amount of federal matching funds which will be spent in the State during the next fiscal year due to the changes in Medicaid authorized by subsection (C). Based on this estimate, the General Assembly shall appropriate to the Medicaid Expansion Fund state funds equal to the additional state revenue generated by the expenditure of these federal funds.
(C) Monies in the fund must be used to:
(1) provide Medicaid coverage to pregnant women and infants with family incomes above one hundred percent but below one hundred eighty-five percent of the federal poverty guidelines;
(2) provide Medicaid coverage to children aged one through six with family income below federal poverty guidelines;
(3) provide Medicaid coverage to aged and disabled persons with family income below federal poverty guidelines;
(4) [reserved];
(5) [reserved];
(6) [reserved];
(7) provide up to two hundred forty thousand dollars to reimburse the Office of Research and Statistics of the State Budget and Control Board and hospitals for the cost of collecting and reporting data pursuant to Section 44-6-170;
(8) [reserved].
(D) Any funds not expended for the purposes specified in subsection (C) during a given year are carried forward to the succeeding year for the same purposes.
Section 44-6-160. (A) By August first of each year, the department Bureau of Medicaid Services shall compute and publish the annual target rate of increase for net inpatient charges for all general hospitals in the State. The target rate of increase will be established for a twelve-month period from October first through September thirtieth of the following year. Once established, the target rate of increase must not be amended during the year except as provided in subsection (B) of this section. The department bureau shall monitor the performance of the hospital industry to contain costs, specifically as evidenced by the annual rate of growth of net inpatient charges. If the department bureau determines that the annual rate of increase in net inpatient charges for the hospital industry has exceeded the target rate of increase established for that year, the department bureau shall appoint an expert panel for the purpose of analyzing the financial reports of each hospital whose net inpatient charges exceeded the target rate of increase. The panel's review shall take into consideration service volume, intensity of care, and new services or facilities. The panel shall consist of at least three members who have broad experience, training, and education in the field of health economics or health care finance. The panel shall report its findings and recommendations, including recommended penalties or sanctions, to the department bureau. The department bureau shall decide what, if any, penalty it will impose within three months of receiving all necessary data.
(B) The department bureau may impose penalties or sanctions it considers appropriate. Penalties must be prospective. Financial penalties are limited to a reduction in a hospital's target rate of increase for the following year. Any reduction in a hospital's target rate of increase for the next year must not be greater than the amount the hospital exceeded the industry's target rate of increase for the previous year. Once a hospital is sanctioned, it must be reviewed annually until it succeeds in remaining below its target rate of increase.
Section 44-6-170. (A) As used in this section:
(1) 'Office' means the Office of Research and Statistics of the Budget and Control Board.
(2) 'Council' means the Data Oversight Council.
(3) 'Committee' means the Joint Legislative Health Care Planning and Oversight Committee 'Division' means the Division of Health Care Financing, Department of Health and Human Services.
(B) There is established the Data Oversight Council comprised of:
(1) one hospital administrator;
(2) the chief executive officer or designee of the South Carolina Hospital Association;
(3) one physician;
(4) the chief executive officer or designee of the South Carolina Medical Association;
(5) one representative of major third party health care payers;
(6) one representative of the managed health care industry;
(7) one nursing home administrator;
(8) three representatives of nonhealth care-related businesses;
(9) one representative of a nonhealth care-related business of less than one hundred employees;
(10) the executive vice president or designee of the South Carolina Chamber of Commerce;
(11) a member of the Governor's office staff;
(12) a representative from the Human Services Coordinating Council;
(13) the director or his designee of the South Carolina Department of Health and Environmental Control;
(14)(13) the executive director Undersecretary of the Division of Health Care Financing or his designee of the State Department of Health and Human Services;
(15)(14) the chairman or his designee of the State Health Planning Committee created pursuant to Section 44-7-180.
The members enumerated in items (1) through (10) must be appointed by the Governor for three-year terms and until their successors are appointed and qualify; the remaining members serve ex officio. The Governor shall appoint one of the members to serve as chairman. The office shall provide staff assistance to the council.
(C) The duties of the council are to:
(1) make periodic recommendations to the committee division and the General Assembly concerning the collection and release of health care-related data by the State which the council considers necessary to assist in the formation of health care policy in the State;
(2) convene expert panels as necessary to assist in developing recommendations for the collection and release of health care-related data;
(3) approve all regulations for the collection and release of health care-related data to be promulgated by the office;
(4) approve release of health care-related data consistent with regulations promulgated by the office;
(5) recommend to the office appropriate dissemination of health care-related data reports, training of personnel, and use of health care-related data.
(D) The office, with the approval of the council, shall promulgate regulations in accordance with the Administrative Procedures Act regarding the collection of inpatient and outpatient information. No data may be released by the office except in a format recommended by the council and consistent with regulations. Before the office releases provider identifiable data the office must determine that the data to be released is for purposes consistent with the regulations as promulgated by the office and the release must be approved by the council and the committee division. Provided, however However, committee division approval of the release is not necessary if the data elements and format in the release are substantially similar to releases or standardized reports previously approved by the committee division. The council shall make periodic recommendations to the committee division and the General Assembly concerning the collection and release of health care-related data by the State. Regulations promulgated by the office mandating the collection of inpatient or outpatient data apply to every provider or insurer affected by the regulation regardless of how the data is collected by the provider or insurer. Every effort must be made to utilize existing data sources.
(E) Information may be required to be produced only with respect to admissions of and treatment to patients after the effective date of the regulations implementing this section, except that data with respect to the medical history of the patient reasonably necessary to evaluation of the admission of and treatment to the patient may be required.
(F) The office shall convene a Health Data Analysis Task Force composed of technical representatives of universities and other private sector and public agencies including, but not limited to, health care providers and insurers to make recommendations to the council concerning types of analyses needed to carry out this section.
(G) All general acute care hospitals and specialized hospitals including, but not limited to, psychiatric hospitals, alcohol and substance abuse hospitals, and rehabilitation hospitals shall provide inpatient and financial information to the office as set forth in regulations.
All hospital-based and freestanding ambulatory surgical facilities as defined in Section 44-7-130, hospital emergency rooms licensed under Chapter 7, Article 3, and any health care setting which provides on an outpatient basis radiation therapy, cardiac catherizations, lithotripsy, magnetic resonance imaging, and positron emission therapy shall provide outpatient information to the office as set forth in the regulation. Other providers offering services with equipment requiring a Certificate of Need shall provide outpatient information to the office. Additionally, licensed home health agencies shall provide outpatient information to the office as set forth in the regulation.
Release must be made no less than semiannually of the patient medical record information specified in regulation to the submitting hospital and other information specified in regulation to the hospital's designee. However, the hospital's designee must not have access to patient identifiable data.
(H) If a provider fails to submit the health care data as required by this section or Section 44-6-175 or regulations promulgated pursuant to those sections, the Office of Research and Statistics may assess a civil fine of up to five thousand dollars for each violation, but the total fine may shall not exceed ten thousand dollars.
(I) A person, as defined in Section 44-7-130, seeking to collect health care data or information for a registry shall coordinate with the office to utilize existing data collection formats as provided for by the office and consistent with regulations promulgated by the office. With the exception of information that may be obtained from the Office of Vital Records, Department of Health and Environmental Control, in accordance with Section 44-63-20 and Regulation 61-19 and disease information required to be reported to the Department of Health and Environmental Control under Sections 44-29-10, 44-29-70, and 44-31-10 and Regulations 61-20 and 61-21 and notwithstanding any other provision of law, no hospital or health care facility or health care professional required by this section to submit health care data is required to submit data to a registry which has not complied with this section.
Section 44-6-175. (A) Annually, when a hospital submits its Medicare Cost Report to the Health Care Financing Administration Center for Medicare and Medicaid Services, the hospital shall file a copy of the report with the Division Office of Research and Statistical Services of the State Budget and Control Board including the following information:
(1) information detailing its assets and liabilities; and
(2) a statement of income, expenses, profits, and losses.
(B) The division office shall promulgate regulations to carry out this section.
Section 44-6-180. (A) Patient records received by counties, the department Division of Health Care Financing, or other entities involved in the administration of the program created pursuant to Section 44-6-150 are confidential. Patient records gathered pursuant to Section 44-6-170 are also confidential. The division Office of Research and Statistics shall use patient-identifiable data collected pursuant to Section 44-6-170 for the purpose of linking various data bases to carry out the purposes of Section 44-6-170. Linked data files must be made available to those agencies providing data files for linkage. No agency receiving patient-identifiable data collected pursuant to Section 44-6-170 may release this data in a manner such that an individual patient or provider may be identified except as provided in Section 44-6-170. Nothing in this section may be construed to limit access by a submitting provider or its designee to that provider's information.
(B) A person violating this section is guilty of a misdemeanor and, upon conviction, must be fined not more than five thousand dollars or imprisoned not more than one year, or both.
Section 44-6-190. The department Division of Health Care Financing may promulgate regulations pursuant to the Administrative Procedures Act. Appeals from decisions by the department division are heard pursuant to the Administrative Procedures Act, Administrative Law Judge, Article 5, Chapter 23 of Title 1 of the 1976 Code.
The department office shall promulgate regulations to comply with federal requirements to limit the use or disclosure of information concerning applicants and recipients to purposes directly connected with the administration of the Medicaid program.
Section 44-6-200. (A) A person who commits a material falsification of information required to determine eligibility for the Medically Indigent Assistance Program is guilty of a misdemeanor and, upon conviction, must be fined not more than five hundred dollars or imprisoned for not more than one year, or both.
(B) Unless otherwise specified in this chapter, an individual or facility violating this chapter or a regulation under this chapter is guilty of a misdemeanor and, upon conviction, must be fined not more than one hundred dollars for the first offense and not more than five thousand dollars for a subsequent offense.
Section 44-6-220. All applications for admission to a nursing home must contain a notice, to be signed by the applicant, stating:
'Eligibility for Medicaid-sponsored long-term care services is based on income and medical necessity. To qualify for assistance through the Medicaid program, a nursing home patient must need intermediate or skilled nursing care as determined through an assessment conducted by Medicaid program staff. The fact that a patient has already been admitted to a nursing home is not considered in this determination. It is possible that a patient could exhaust all other means of paying for nursing home care and meet Medicaid income criteria but still be denied assistance due to the lack of medical necessity.
'It is recommended that all persons seeking admission to a nursing home be assessed by the Medicaid program prior to admission. This assessment will provide information about the level of care needed and the viability of community services as an alternative to admission. The department division may charge a fee, not to exceed the cost of the assessment, to persons not eligible for Medicaid-sponsored long-term care services'.
Section 44-6-300. The Department of Health and Human Services shall establish child development services in the following counties: Allendale, Bamberg, Barnwell, Calhoun, Cherokee, Chester, Chesterfield, Fairfield, Jasper, Lexington, Newberry, and Orangeburg. The services established in each county must provide at least thirty slots for the children of that county. For all health and human services interagency programs provided for in this chapter, the Bureau of Medicaid Services shall have the following duties:
(1) Prepare and approve state and federal plans prior to submission to the appropriate authority as required by law for final approval or for state or federal funding, or both.
Such plans shall be guided by the goal of delivering services to citizens and administering plans in the most effective and efficient ways possible.
(2) Compile and maintain in a unified, concise, and orderly form information concerning programs provided for in this chapter.
(3) Continuously review and evaluate programs to determine the extent to which they:
(a) meet fiscal, administrative, and program objectives; and
(b) are being operated cost effectively.
(4) Evaluate plans and programs in terms of their compatibility with state objectives and priorities giving specific attention to areas outlined in Section 44-6-70.
(5) Formulate for consideration and promulgation criteria, standards, and procedures that ensure assigned programs are administered effectively, equitably, and economically and in accordance with statewide policies and priorities.
(6) Inform the Undersecretary of the Division as to the effectiveness of the criteria, standards, and procedures promulgated pursuant to item (5) of this section.
(7) Develop in conjunction with other state agencies an information system to provide data on comparative client and fiscal information needed for programs.
(8) Develop a mechanism for local planning.
(9) Obtain from participating state agencies information considered necessary by the bureau to perform duties assigned to the bureau.
Section 44-6-310. The Department of Health and Human Services shall expand existing child development services in the following counties: Beaufort, Charleston, Florence, Greenville, Hampton, and Richland. The services in each county must be expanded to provide at least twenty new slots but no more than sixty new slots for the children of each county. The Division of Health Care Financing may collect administrative fees associated with accounts receivable for those individuals or entities which negotiate repayment to the agency. The administrative fee shall not exceed one and one-half percent of the amounts negotiated and must be remitted to the State Treasurer and deposited to the credit of the general fund of the State.
Section 44-6-320. The establishment and expansion of the child development services mandated by Sections 44-6-300 and 44-6-310 must be accomplished within the limits of the appropriations provided by the General Assembly in the annual General Appropriations Act for this purpose and in accordance with the Department of Health and Human Services policies for child development services funded through Title XX. In carrying out the duties provided for in this article the Bureau of Medicaid Services shall provide for:
(1) health and human services eligibility determination with performance standards regarding quality control as required by law or regulation.
(2) operation of certified Medicaid management information claims processing system.
(3) other operational components of programs administered under this chapter as considered appropriate.
(4) Monitor and evaluate all contractual services authorized pursuant to this chapter to assure effective performance. Any contract entered into under the provisions of this chapter must be in accordance with the provisions of the South Carolina Consolidated Procurement Code.
(5) Establish a procedure whereby inquiries from members of the General Assembly concerning the department's work and responsibility shall be answered as expeditiously and definitely as possible.
Section 44-6-330. A state plan must be prepared by the Bureau of Medicaid Services for each program assigned to it and the bureau must also prepare resource allocation recommendations based on such plans. The resource allocation recommendations must be approved pursuant to state and federal law. The state plans must address state policy and priority areas of service with specific attention to the following objectives:
(1) Prevention measures as addressed in health and human services programs.
(2) Achievement of a balanced health care delivery system assuring that regulations, coverage, and reimbursement policies assure that while the most appropriate care is given, tailored to the client's needs, it is delivered in the most cost-effective manner.
(3) Simplification of paperwork requirements.
(4) Achievement of optimum cost effectiveness in administration and delivery of services provided quality of care is assured.
(5) Improvement of effectiveness of third party reimbursement efforts.
(6) Assurance of maximum utilization of private and nonprofit providers in administration and service delivery systems, provided quality of care is assured.
(7) Encouragement of structured volunteer programs in administration and service delivery.
Section 44-6-340. The Bureau of Medicaid Services must submit to the Undersecretary of the Division of Health Care Financing an annual report concerning the work of the bureau including details on improvements in the cost effectiveness achieved since the enactment of this chapter and must recommend changes for further improvements.
Interim reports must be submitted as needed to advise the Undersecretary of the Division of Health Care Financing of substantive issues."
SECTION 2. Article 4, Chapter 6, Title 44 of the 1976 Code is amended to read:
Section 44-6-400. As used in this article:
(1) 'Department Division' means the Department of Health and Human Services, Division of Health Care Financing.
(2) 'Nursing home' means a facility subject to licensure as a nursing home by the Department of Health and Environmental Control and subject to the permit provisions of Article 2, Chapter 7 of Title 44 and which has been certified for participation in the Medicaid program or has been dually certified for participation in the Medicaid and Medicare programs.
(3) 'Resident' means a person who resides or resided in a nursing home during a period of an alleged violation.
(4) 'Survey agency' means the South Carolina Department of Health and Environmental Control or any other agency designated to conduct compliance surveys of nursing facilities participating in the Title XIX (Medicaid) program.
Section 44-6-420. When the department Division of Health Care Financing is notified by the survey agency that a nursing home is in violation of one or more of the requirements for participation in the Medicaid program, it may take enforcement action as follows:
(1) if the nursing home is dually certified for participation in both the Medicare and Medicaid programs, the department shall coordinate any enforcement action with federal authorities and shall defer to the actions of these federal authorities to the extent required by federal statute or regulation;
(2) if the nursing home is only certified for participation in the Medicaid program and is not certified for participation in the Medicare program, the department division may take any enforcement action authorized under federal statute or regulation that would have been available for use by federal authorities if the nursing home had been dually certified;
Any enforcement actions taken solely by the department division under item (2) must be proportionate to the scope and severity of the violations and also shall take into account the factors considered by federal authorities in similar enforcement actions. Dually certified nursing homes and nursing homes only certified for participation in the Medicaid program must be subjected to comparable enforcement actions for comparable violations.
Section 44-6-470. Any use of funds collected by the department Division of Health Care Financing as a result of the imposition of civil monetary penalties or other enforcement actions must be for a purpose related to the protection of the health and property of residents of nursing homes that participate in the Medicaid program. These funds may be used for the cost of relocating residents to other nursing homes, if necessary, and also may be used to reimburse residents for personal funds lost as a result of violations of the requirements for participation in the Medicaid program by the nursing home. In addition, these funds may be used for other costs directly associated with enforcement or corrective measures at facilities found to be out of compliance with the requirements for participation in the Medicaid program or for any other purpose that enhances or improves the health and quality of life for residents. These requirements for the use of funds collected also apply to funds received by the department division that are collected as the result of enforcement actions directed by federal authorities.
Section 44-6-530. Before instituting an action under this article, the Department of Health and Human Services division shall determine if the Secretary of the United States Department of Health and Human Services has jurisdiction under federal law. In such cases, it shall coordinate its efforts with the secretary to maintain an action against the nursing home. In an action against a nursing home owned and operated by the State of South Carolina, the secretary has exclusive jurisdiction.
Section 44-6-540. The department Division of Health Care Financing is authorized to promulgate regulations, pursuant to the Administrative Procedures Act, to administer this article, and to ensure compliance with the requirements for participation in the Medicaid program."
SECTION 3. Section 44-6-720(B)(4)(b)(iv) and (B)(5) of the 1976 Code are amended to read:
"(iv) other deductions provided in regulations of the State Health and Human Services Finance Commission Department of Health and Human Services, Division of Health Care Financing;
(5) upon the death of the beneficiary, a remainder interest in the corpus of the trust passes to the State Health and Human Services Finance Commission division. The commission shall remit the state share of the trust to the general fund; and"
SECTION 4. Section 44-6-730 of the 1976 Code is amended to read:
"Section 44-6-730. The State Health and Human Services Finance Commission Division of Health Care Financing shall promulgate regulations as are necessary for the implementation of this article and as are necessary to comply with federal law. In addition, the commission shall amend the state Medicaid plan in a manner that is consistent with this article."
SECTION 5. Section 1-11-720 of the 1976 Code is amended to read:
"Section 1-11-720. (A) In addition to the employees and retirees and their eligible dependents covered under the state health and dental insurance plans pursuant to Section 1-11-710, employees and retirees and their eligible dependents of the following entities are eligible for coverage under the state health and dental insurance plans pursuant to the requirements of subsection (B):
(1) counties;
(2) regional tourism promotion commissions funded by the Department of Parks, Recreation and Tourism;
(3) county mental retardation disabilities and special needs boards funded by the State Mental Retardation Department of Disabilities and Special Needs;
(4) regional councils of government established pursuant to Article 1, Chapter 7 of Title 6;
(5) regional transportation authorities established pursuant to Chapter 25 of Title 58;
(6) alcohol and drug abuse planning agencies designated pursuant to Section 61-12-20;
(7) special purpose districts created by act of the General Assembly that provide gas, water, fire, sewer, recreation, or hospital service, or any combination of these services;
(8) municipalities;
(9) local councils on aging or other governmental agencies providing aging services funded by the Office on Aging, in the Department of Health and Human Services, Division of Human Services, Bureau of Senior and Adult Protection Services;
(10) community action agencies that receive funding from the Community Services Block Grant Program administered by the Governor's Office, Division of Economic Opportunity Bureau of Social Services in the Department of Health and Human Services, Division of Human Services;
(11) a residential group care facility providing on-site teaching for residents if the facility's staff are currently members of the South Carolina Retirement System established pursuant to Chapter 1, Title 9 and if it provides at no cost educational facilities on its grounds to the school district in which it is located.
(12) the South Carolina State Employees' Association;
(13) the Palmetto State Teachers' Association;
(14) the South Carolina Education Association;
(15) the South Carolina Association of School Administrators;
(16) the South Carolina School Boards Association;
(17) the South Carolina Student Loan Corporation.
(18) legislative caucus committees as defined in Section 8-13-1300(21).
(19) soil and water conservation districts established pursuant to Title 48, Chapter 9.
(20) housing authorities as provided for in Chapter 3, Title 31;
(21) the Greenville-Spartanburg Airport District;
(22) cooperative educational service center employees.
(23) the South Carolina Sheriff's Association.
(24) the Pee Dee Regional Airport District.
(B) To be eligible to participate in the state health and dental insurance plans, the entities listed in subsection (A) shall comply with the requirements established by the State Budget and Control Board, and the benefits provided must be the same benefits provided to state and school district employees. These entities must agree to participate for a minimum of four years and the board may adjust the premiums during the coverage period based on experience. An entity which withdraws from participation may shall not subsequently rejoin during the first four years after the withdrawal date.
(C) If an entity participating in the plans pursuant to subsection (A) is delinquent in remitting proper payments to cover its obligations, the board's Office of Insurance Services shall certify the delinquency to the department or agency of the State holding funds payable to the delinquent entity, and that department or agency shall withhold from those funds an amount sufficient to satisfy the unpaid obligation and shall remit that amount to the Office of Insurance Services in satisfaction of the delinquency."
SECTION 6. Article 5, Chapter 6, Title 44 of the 1976 Code, as added by Act 59 of 2003, is amended to read:
Section 44-6-610. This article may be cited as the 'South Carolina Retirees and Individuals Pooling for Savings Act'.
Section 44-6-620. For purposes of this article:
(1) 'Department Bureau' or 'Bureau for SCRIPTS Program' means the Department of Health and Human Services Bureau for South Carolina Retirees and Individuals Pooling Together for Savings Act, in the Department of Health and Human Services, Division of Health Care Financing.
(2) 'Prescription drugs' means outpatient prescription drugs, that have been approved as safe and effective by the United States Food and Drug Administration including insulin syringes, insulin needles, and insulin. 'Prescription drugs' do not include experimental drugs and over-the-counter pharmaceutical products.
(3) 'Program' means the South Carolina Retirees and Individuals Pooling Together for Savings (SCRIPTS) program created pursuant to this article.
Section 44-6-630. There is created within the Department of Health and Human Services, Division of Health Care Financing, the Bureau for South Carolina Retirees and Individuals Pooling Together for Savings (SCRIPTS) program. The program must combine the purchasing power of all South Carolina citizens sixty-five years of age and older who enroll in the program to reduce their prescription drug costs. Where possible, without violation of federal law, the department shall combine negotiating power for the program with negotiating power for pharmaceutical pricing and rebates which may exist now or in the future.
Section 44-6-640. (A) This program must be administered by the Department of Health and Human Services Bureau for SCRIPTS Program. The department bureau may designate, or enter into contracts with, other entities including, but not limited to, other states, other governmental purchasing pools, and nonprofit organizations to assist in the administration of this program.
(B) By December 30, 2003, the department bureau must submit a program implementation and administration plan for review by the State Budget and Control Board. The plan must include:
(1) procedures for program enrollment;
(2) requirements for program participation; and
(3) annual program enrollment fees that must be calculated to pay all additional costs incurred by the department in the administration of the program.
(C) Upon review of the State Budget and Control Board, the program may be implemented as soon as practicable.
(D) When requested by the department bureau, other state agencies shall provide assistance or information necessary for the administration of this program.
Section 44-6-650. A person eligible to participate in this program must:
(1) have attained the age of sixty-five years;
(2) have resided in South Carolina at least six consecutive months before enrolling in the program; and
(3) not be eligible for Medicaid prescription benefits.
Section 44-6-660. (A) The department Bureau for SCRIPTS Program shall maintain data to allow evaluation of the cost effectiveness of the program.
(B) Beginning with the 2005 regular session of the General Assembly, no later than thirty days before the convening of each regular session, the department bureau shall submit an annual report to the Governor, the Chairman of the House Ways and Means Committee, and the Chairman of the Senate Finance Committee summarizing enrollment, financial information, and any other information needed to evaluate the costs and benefits of the program.
Section 44-6-670. (A) The department Bureau for SCRIPTS Program may seek waivers of any federal laws, regulations, or rules necessary to implement this program.
(B) The department bureau may promulgate regulations necessary for the administration of this program.
Section 44-6-680. The program must be funded entirely from annual enrollment fees collected from program participants."
SECTION 1. Section 44-7-77 of the 1976 Code is amended to read:
"Section 44-7-77. The Department of Health and Environmental Control and the State Department Bureau of Social Services in the Department of Health and Human Services, Division of Human Services, in conjunction with the South Carolina Hospital Association, shall develop and implement a program to promote obtaining voluntary acknowledgments of paternity as soon after birth as possible and where possible before the release of the newborn from the hospital. A voluntary acknowledgment including those obtained through an in-hospital program shall contain the requirements of Section 20-7-956(A)(4) and the social security number, or the alien identification number assigned to a resident alien who does not have a social security number, of both parents, and must be signed by both parents. The signatures must be notarized. As part of its in-hospital voluntary acknowledgment of paternity program, a birthing hospital as part of the birth registration process, shall collect, where ascertainable, information which is or may be necessary for the establishment of the paternity of the child and for the establishment of child support. The information to be collected on the father or on the putative father if paternity has not been established includes, but is not limited to, the name of the father, his date of birth, home address, social security number, or the alien identification number assigned to a resident alien who does not have a social security number, and employer's name, and additionally for the putative father, the names and addresses of the putative father's parents."
SECTION 2. Section 44-7-84 of the 1976 Code is amended to read:
"Section 44-7-84. (A) In the annual appropriations act, the General Assembly shall establish the maximum number of Medicaid patient days for which the department is authorized to issue Medicaid nursing home permits. The State Department of Health and Human Services Division of Health Care Financing in the Department of Health and Human Services shall provide the number of Medicaid patient days available to the department within thirty days after the effective date of the annual appropriations act.
(B) Based on a method the department develops for determining the need for nursing home care for Medicaid patients in each area of the State, the department shall determine the distribution of Medicaid patient days for which Medicaid nursing home permits can be issued. Nursing homes holding a Medicaid nursing home permit must be allocated Medicaid days based on their current allocation and available funds. Requests for days must be submitted to the department no later than June fifteenth each year. The application must state the specific number of Medicaid patient days the nursing home will provide. If a nursing home requests fewer days than the previous year, those days first must be offered to the facilities within the same county currently holding a Medicaid nursing home permit. However, if Medicaid patient days remain available after being offered to those nursing homes currently holding a Medicaid patient days permit in that county, then existing nursing homes with a restricted Certificate of Need, within the same county, may apply for a Medicaid nursing home permit to receive the Medicaid patient days remaining available. Following the initial allocation of Medicaid patient days, any additional Medicaid patient days available must be credited to a statewide pool and must be available based on the percent of need indicated by the Community Long Term Care waiting list. If a nursing home has provided fewer Medicaid patient days than allowable under the Medicaid nursing home permit program, the department may issue a Medicaid nursing home permit for fewer days than requested in order to ensure that the nursing home will serve the minimum number of Medicaid patients. If a nursing home has its Medicaid patient days reduced, the freed days first must be offered to other facilities in the same county before being offered to other nursing homes in the State. In addition, a nursing home that fails to provide at least ten percent fewer days than the number stated in its permit is not eligible to receive additional Medicaid patient days the next year. The department shall analyze the performance of nursing homes that are under the permit minimum for a fiscal year, including utilization data from the State Department of Health and Human Services Division of Health Care Financing, anticipated back days, delayed payments, CLTC waiting list, and other factors considered significant by the department division. Based on this analysis, if the department determines that the nursing home remains out of compliance, the nursing home must be fined by the same percentages as provided for in Section 44-7-90 and is subject to having its Medicaid patient days reduced. A nursing home which terminates its Medicaid contract must not be penalized for not meeting the requirements of this section if the nursing home was in compliance with its permit at the time of the cancellation. However, if the maximum number of Medicaid patient days authorized by the General Assembly is decreased, the nursing home may be required to absorb a proportionate decrease in its Medicaid patient days' allocation."
SECTION 3. Section 44-7-90(A) of the 1976 Code is amended to read:
"(A) Based on reports from the State Department of Health and Human Services Division of Health Care Financing, the department shall determine each nursing home's compliance with its Medicaid nursing home permit. Violations of this article include:
(1) a nursing home exceeding by more than ten percent the number of Medicaid patient days stated in its permit;
(2) a nursing home failing to provide at least ten percent fewer days than the number stated in its permit;
(3) the provisions of any Medicaid patient days by a home without a Medicaid nursing home permit."
SECTION 4. Section 44-7-130(12) of the 1976 Code is amended to read:
"(12) 'Hospital' means a facility organized and administered to provide overnight medical or surgical care or nursing care of illness, injury, or infirmity and may provide obstetrical care, and in which all diagnoses, treatment, or care is administered by or under the direction of persons currently licensed to practice medicine, surgery, or osteopathy.
Hospital may include residential treatment facilities for children and adolescents in need of mental health treatment which are physically a part of a licensed psychiatric hospital. This definition does not include facilities which are licensed by the Department Bureau of Social Services in the Department of Health and Human Services, Division of Human Services."
SECTION 5. Section 44-7-210(F) of the 1976 Code is amended to read:
"(F) The department may shall not issue a Certificate of Need approval for a methadone treatment facility until licensure standards are promulgated by the department, in accordance with the Administrative Procedures Act, for these facilities. The department shall convene a study group to revise and propose licensure standards for methadone clinics. The study group shall consist of representatives of the department, the Department Bureau of Alcohol and Other Drug Abuse Services, methadone providers in South Carolina, and the Medical University of South Carolina. The licensure standards shall include standards for location of these facilities within the community. Methadone treatment facilities licensed as of January 1, 1997, must not be required to obtain a Certificate of Need pursuant to this section."
SECTION 6. Section 44-7-315 of the 1976 Code is amended to read:
"Section 44-7-315. Information received by the Division of Health Licensing of the department, through inspection or otherwise, in regard to a facility licensed by the department pursuant to this article or subject to inspection by the department including a nursing home, a community residential care facility, or an intermediate care facility for the mentally retarded or a group home operated by a county mental retardation board or the State Mental Retardation Department of Disabilities and Special Needs must be disclosed publicly upon written request to the department. The request must be specific as to the facility or home, dates, documents, and particular information requested. The department may shall not disclose the identity of individuals present in a facility licensed by the department pursuant to this article or subject to inspection by the department including a nursing home, a community residential care facility, an intermediate care facility for the mentally retarded, or a group home. When a report of deficiencies or violations regarding a facility licensed by the department pursuant to this article or subject to inspection by the department including a nursing home, a community residential care facility, an intermediate care facility for the mentally retarded, or a group home is present in the department's files when a request for information is received, the department shall inform the applicant that it has stipulated corrective action and the time it determines for completion of the action. The department also shall inform the applicant that information on the resolution of the corrective action order is expected to be available upon written request within fifteen days or less of the termination of time it determines for completion of the action. However, if information on the resolution is present in the files, it must be furnished to the applicant."
SECTION 7. Section 44-7-345 of the 1976 Code is amended to read:
"Section 44-7-345. Community residential care facilities licensed pursuant to this article which receive public funds, including funds appropriated in Part I of the appropriation act, directly or indirectly, including those instances where payment of an optional state supplement from the South Carolina Department Bureau of Social Services in the Department of Health and Human Services, Division of Human Services is made to a resident, their designated representative payee, or guardian, rather than directly to a facility, may shall not deny admission or services to an individual on the basis of race, color, national origin, qualified handicap, sex, or age."
SECTION 8. Section 44-7-360 of the 1976 Code is amended to read:
"Section 44-7-360. Community residential care facilities are required to furnish an item-by-item billing for all charges to the resident or the person paying the bill, upon request by the resident or person paying the bill. Items which remain unpaid are not required to be itemized again. A request for itemized billing remains in effect until further notification by the resident or person paying the bill. The provisions of this section do not apply to the contracted amount of a state agency. Any amount above the contract must be itemized accordingly. Residents receiving an optional supplement from the State Department Bureau of Social Services in the Department of Health and Human Services, Division of Human Services must not be charged an amount greater than that set by that department."
SECTION 9. Section 44-7-370 of the 1976 Code is amended to read:
"Section 44-7-370. (A) The South Carolina Department of Health and Environmental Control shall establish a Residential Care Committee to advise the department regarding licensing and inspection of community residential care facilities.
(1) The committee consists of the Long Term Care Director of the Office of Long Term Care Ombudsman Services in the Department of Health and Human Services, Division of Human Services, Bureau of Senior and Adult Protection Services, three operators of homes with ten beds or less, four operators of homes with eleven beds or more, and three members to represent the department bureau appointed by the commissioner bureau chief for terms of four years.
(2) The terms must be staggered and no member may serve more than two consecutive terms. Any person may submit names to the commissioner for consideration. The advisory committee shall meet at least once annually with representatives of the department to evaluate current licensing regulations and inspection practices. Members shall serve without compensation.
(B) The Department of Health and Environmental Control shall appoint a Renal Dialysis Advisory Council to advise the department regarding licensing and inspection of renal dialysis centers. The council must be consulted and have the opportunity to review all regulations promulgated by the board affecting renal dialysis prior to submission of the proposed regulations to the General Assembly.
(1) The council is composed of a minimum of fourteen persons, one member recommended by the Palmetto Chapter of the American Nephrology Nurses Association; one member recommended by the South Carolina Chapter of the National Association of Patients on Hemodialysis and Transplants; three physicians specializing in nephrology recommended by the South Carolina Renal Physicians Association; two administrators of facilities certified for dialysis treatment or kidney transplant services; one member recommended by the South Carolina Kidney Foundation; one member recommended by the South Carolina Hospital Association; one member recommended by the South Carolina Medical Association; one member of the general public; one member representing technicians working in renal dialysis facilities; one member recommended by the Council of Nephrology Social Workers; and one member recommended by the Council of Renal Nutritionists. The directors of dialysis programs at the Medical School of the University of South Carolina and the Medical University of South Carolina, or their designees, are ex officio members of the council.
(2) Members shall serve four-year terms and until their successors are appointed and qualify. No member of council shall serve more than two consecutive terms. The council shall meet as frequently as the board considers necessary, but not less than twice each year. Members shall serve without compensation."
SECTION 10. Section 44-31-610 of the 1976 Code is amended to read:
"Section 44-31-610. There is hereby created the Tuberculosis Control Advisory Committee to be appointed by the Governor, upon the recommendation of the Department of Health and Environmental Control.
The Committee committee shall consist of six five members who shall serve for terms of two years and until their successors are appointed and qualify. The present chairman of the South Carolina Sanatorium Board shall be appointed as an original member of the Committee.
The other five members shall consist of: two practicing physicians (one from the South Carolina Thoracic Society and one from the South Carolina Medical Association); one representative from the South Carolina Department Bureau of Social Services in the Department of Health and Human Services; one representative from the South Carolina Vocational Rehabilitation Department; and one representative from the South Carolina Tuberculosis Association.
The Committee committee shall advise the Department of Health and Environmental Control Bureau of Health Programs in all matters relating to the control, prevention, and treatment of tuberculosis and chronic respiratory diseases."
SECTION 11. The definition of 'Commission' in Section 44-53-110 of the 1976 Code is amended to read:
"'Commission Bureau' means the South Carolina Commission on Bureau of Alcohol and Drug Abuse."
SECTION 12. Section 44-53-310(b) of the 1976 Code is amended to read:
"(b) The department may place a registrant who violates this article on probation or levy a civil fine of not more than two thousand five hundred dollars, or both. Fines generated pursuant to this section must be remitted to the State Treasurer for deposit to the benefit of the Department Bureau of Mental Health, Department of Health and Human Services, Division of Behavioral Health Services to be used exclusively for the treatment and rehabilitation of drug addicts within the department's addiction center facilities."
SECTION 13. Section 44-53-450(a) of the 1976 Code is amended to read:
"(a) Whenever any person who has not previously been convicted of any offense under this article or any offense under any State or Federal statute relating to marihuana, or stimulant, depressant, or hallucinogenic drugs, pleads guilty to or is found guilty of possession of a controlled substance under Section 44-53-370 (c) and (d), except narcotic drugs classified in Schedule I (b) and (c) and narcotic drugs classified in Schedule II, the court, without entering a judgment of guilt and with the consent of the accused, may defer further proceedings and place him on probation upon terms and conditions as it requires, including the requirement that such person cooperate in a treatment and rehabilitation program of a State-supported facility or a facility approved by the Commission Bureau of Alcohol and Other Drug Abuse Services, if available. Upon violation of a term or condition, the court may enter an adjudication of guilt and proceed as otherwise provided. Upon fulfillment of the terms and conditions, the court shall discharge the person and dismiss the proceedings against him. Discharge and dismissal under this section shall be without court adjudication of guilt and is not a conviction for purposes of this section or for purposes of disqualifications or disabilities imposed by law upon conviction of a crime, including the additional penalties imposed for second or subsequent convictions. However, a nonpublic record shall be forwarded to and retained by the Department of Narcotic and Dangerous Drugs under the South Carolina Law Enforcement Division solely for the purpose of use by the courts in determining whether or not a person has committed a subsequent offense under this article. Discharge and dismissal under this section may occur only once with respect to any person."
SECTION 14. Section 44-53-480(a) of the 1976 Code is amended to read:
"(a) The South Carolina Law Enforcement Division shall establish within its Division a Department of Narcotics and Dangerous Drugs, which shall be administered by a director and shall be primarily responsible for the enforcement of all laws pertaining to illicit traffic in controlled and counterfeit substances. The Department of Narcotics and Dangerous Drugs, in discharging its responsibilities concerning illicit traffic in narcotics and dangerous substances and in suppressing the abuse of controlled substances, shall enforce the State plan formulated in cooperation with the Narcotics and Controlled Substance Section as such plan relates to illicit traffic in controlled and counterfeit substances.
As part of its duties the Department of Narcotics and Dangerous Drugs shall:
(1) Assist the Commission on Bureau of Alcohol and Other Drug Abuse Services in the exchange of information between itself and governmental and local law-enforcement officials concerning illicit traffic in and use and abuse of controlled substances.
(2) Assist the Commission Bureau of Alcohol and Other Drug Abuse Services in planning and coordinating training programs on law enforcement for controlled substances at the local and State level.
(3) Establish a centralized unit which shall accept, catalogue, file and collect statistics and make such information available for Federal, State and local law-enforcement purposes.
(4) Have the authority to execute and serve search warrants, arrest warrants, administrative inspection warrants, subpoenas, and summonses."
SECTION 15. Section 44-53-490 of the 1976 Code is amended to read:
"Section 44-53-490. The Department of Health and Environmental Control shall designate persons holding a degree in pharmacy to serve as drug inspectors. Such inspectors shall, from time to time, but no less than once every three years, inspect all practitioners and registrants who manufacture, dispense, or distribute controlled substances, including those persons exempt from registration but who are otherwise permitted to keep controlled substances for specific purposes. The drug inspector shall submit an annual report by the first day of each year to the department and a copy to the Commission on Bureau of Alcohol and Other Drug Abuse Services specifying the name of the practitioner or the registrant or such exempt persons inspected, the date of inspection and any other violations of this article. The department may employ other persons as agents and assistant inspectors to aid in the enforcement of those duties delegated to the department by this article."
SECTION 16. Section 44-53-500(b) of the 1976 Code is amended to read:
"(b) The Department of Health and Environmental Control is authorized to make administrative inspections of controlled premises in accordance with the following provisions:
(1) For the purposes of this article only, 'controlled premises' means:
(a) Places where persons registered or exempted from registration requirements under this article are required to keep records, and
(b) Places including factories, warehouses, establishments, and conveyances where persons registered or exempted from registration requirements under this article are permitted to hold, manufacture, compound, process, sell, deliver, or otherwise dispose of any controlled substance.
(2) When so authorized by an administrative inspection warrant issued pursuant to this section an officer or employee designated by the Commission on Bureau of Alcohol and Other Drug Abuse Services upon presenting the warrant and appropriate credentials to the owner, operator, or agent in charge, may enter controlled premises for the purpose of conducting an administrative inspection.
(3) When so authorized by an administrative inspection warrant, an officer or employee designated by the department may:
(a) Inspect and copy records required by this article to be kept;
(b) Inspect, within reasonable limits and in a reasonable manner, controlled premises and all pertinent equipment, finished and unfinished material, containers and labeling found therein, and, except as provided in subsection (b)(5) of this section, all other things therein including records, files, papers, processes, controls, and facilities bearing on violation of this article; and
(c) Inventory any stock of any controlled substance therein and obtain samples of any such substance.
(4) This section shall not be construed to prevent entries and administrative inspections (including seizures of property) without a warrant:
(a) With the consent of the owner, operator or agent in charge of the controlled premises;
(b) In situations presenting imminent danger to health or safety;
(c) In situations involving inspection of conveyances where there is reasonable cause to believe that the mobility of the conveyance makes it impracticable to obtain a warrant;
(d) In any other exceptional or emergency circumstance where time or opportunity to apply for a warrant is lacking; and
(e) In all other situations where a warrant is not constitutionally required.
(5) Except when the owner, operator, or agent in charge of the controlled premises so consents in writing, no inspection authorized by this section shall extend to:
(a) Financial data;
(b) Sales data other than shipment data;
(c) Pricing data;
(d) Personnel data; or
(e) Research data."
SECTION 17. Section 44-61-30(c) of the 1976 Code is amended to read:
"(c) An Emergency Medical Services Advisory Council must be established composed of representatives of the Department of Health and Environmental Control, the South Carolina Medical Association, the South Carolina Committee on Trauma, the South Carolina Hospital Association, the South Carolina Heart Association, Medical University of South Carolina, University of South Carolina School of Medicine, South Carolina College of Emergency Physicians, South Carolina Emergency Nurses Association, Emergency Management Division of the Office of the Adjutant General, South Carolina Emergency Medical Services Association, State Board for Technical and Comprehensive Education, Governor's Office of Highway Safety, Department of Health and Human Services (Division of Health Care Financing), four regional Emergency Medical Services councils, and one EMT first responder agency. Membership on the council must be by appointment by the board. Three members of the advisory council must be members of organized rescue squads operating in this State, three members shall represent the private emergency services systems, and three members shall represent the county emergency medical services systems."
SECTION 18. Section 44-63-60 of the 1976 Code is amended to read:
"Section 44-63-60. The State Registrar, upon application by those entitled pursuant to Section 44-63-80, 44-63-82, 44-63-84, or 44-63-86, shall furnish a certificate under the seal of the department showing data from the records of births, deaths, marriages, and divorces registered with the department or a certified copy under seal of such records. Federal, state, local, and other public or private agencies must be furnished copies or data for statistical, health, or legal purposes upon such terms or conditions as prescribed by the state registrar except that upon request the Department Bureau of Social Services in the Department of Health and Human Services, Division of Human Services or its designee must be provided at no charge with a copy or certified copy of a certificate for the purpose of establishing paternity or establishing, modifying, or enforcing a child support obligation."
SECTION 19. Section 44-63-84 of the 1976 Code is amended to read:
"Section 44-63-84. Copies of death certificates may be issued to members of the deceased's family or their respective legal representatives. Upon request, the Department Bureau of Social Services or its designee must be provided with copies or certified copies of death certificates for the purpose of establishing paternity or establishing, modifying, or enforcing a child support obligation. Others who demonstrate a direct and tangible interest may be issued copies when information is needed for the determination of a personal or property right. Other applicants may be provided with a statement that the death occurred, the date, and county of death. However, when fifty years have elapsed after the date of death, these records become public records and any person may obtain copies upon submission of an application containing sufficient information to locate the record. For each copy issued or search of the files made, the state registrar shall collect the same fee as is charged for the issuance of certified copies or a search of the files for other records in his possession, except that the Department Bureau of Social Services or its designee may shall not be charged this fee.
When fifty years have elapsed after the date of death, these records must be made available in photographic or other suitable format for public viewing."
SECTION 20. Section 44-63-86 of the 1976 Code is amended to read:
"Section 44-63-86. Copies of marriage certificates and reports of divorce registered with the Department of Health and Environmental Control must be issued to the parties married or divorced, their adult children, a present or former spouse of either party married or divorced, their respective legal representative, or upon request to the Department Bureau of Social Services or its designee for the purpose of establishing paternity or establishing, modifying, or enforcing a child support obligation. Other applicants may be provided with a statement that the marriage or divorce occurred, the date, and county of the event."
SECTION 21. Section 44-63-110 of the 1976 Code is amended to read:
"Section 44-63-110. For making, furnishing, or certifying any card, certificate, or certified copy of the record, for filing a record amendment according to the provisions of Section 44-63-60, 44-63-80, 44-63-90 or 44-63-100, or for searching the record, when no card, certificate, or certified copy is made, a fee in an amount as determined by the Board of the Department of Health and Environmental Control must be paid by the applicant, except that the Department Bureau of Social Services or its designee is not required to pay a fee when the information is needed for the purpose of establishing paternity or establishing, modifying, or enforcing a child support obligation. The amount of the fee established by the board may shall not exceed the cost of the services performed and to the extent possible must be charged on a uniform basis throughout the State. When verification of the facts contained in these records is needed for Veterans Administration purposes in connection with a claim, it must be furnished without charge to the Veterans Affairs Division of the Governor's Office or to a county veterans affairs officer upon request and upon the furnishing of satisfactory evidence that the request is for the purpose authorized in this chapter."
SECTION 22. Section 44-63-20 of the 1976 Code is amended to read:
"Section 44-36-20. (A) The School of Public Health shall appoint an advisory committee to assist in maintaining this registry which must include, but is not limited to, a representative of:
(1) South Carolina Alzheimer's Association chapters;
(2) American Association of Retired Persons, South Carolina Chapters;
(3) Clemson University;
(4) Department of Disabilities and Special Needs;
(5) Department of Health and Environmental Control;
(6) Department Bureau of Mental Health in the Division of Behavioral Health Services, Department of Health and Human Services;
(7) Department Bureau of Social Services in the Department of Health and Human Services, Division of Human Services;
(8) Division of Health Care Financing, Department of Health and Human Services;
(9) Medical University of South Carolina;
(10) National Association of Social Workers, South Carolina Chapter;
(11) South Carolina Adult Day Care Association;
(12) South Carolina Association of Area Agencies on Aging;
(13) South Carolina Association of Council on Aging Directors;
(14) South Carolina Association of Nonprofit Homes for the Aging;
(15) South Carolina Association of Residential Care Homes;
(16) South Carolina Health Care Association;
(17) South Carolina Home Care Association;
(18) South Carolina Hospital Association;
(19) South Carolina Medical Association;
(20) South Carolina Nurses' Association;
(21) Alzheimer's Disease and Related Disorders Resource Coordination Center, Office of the Governor, Division on Aging Office on Aging in the Department of Health and Human Services, Bureau of Senior and Adult Protection Services;
(22) University of South Carolina;
(23) South Carolina State University.
(B) The advisory committee shall assist the registry in:
(1) defining the population to be included in the registry including, but not limited to, establishing criteria for identifying patient subjects;
(2) developing procedures and forms for collecting, recording, analyzing, and disseminating data;
(3) developing protocols and procedures to be disseminated to and used by health care providers in identifying subjects for the registry;
(4) developing procedures for approving research projects or participation in research projects.
(C) Members of the advisory committee are not entitled to mileage, per diem, subsistence, or any other form of compensation."
SECTION 23. Section 44-36-50 of the 1976 Code is amended to read:
"Section 44-36-50. The registry shall submit an annual report to the Office on Aging, Alzheimer's Disease and Related Disorders Resource Coordination Center of the Governor, Division in the Department of Health and Human Services, Division of Human Services, Bureau of Senior and Adult Protection Services on Aging, Alzheimer's Disease and Related Disorders Resource Coordination Center, the Department of Health and Environmental Control, and the Budget and Control Board, Division of Research and Statistics, Health Statistics."
SECTION 24. Section 44-36-330 of the 1976 Code is amended to read:
"Section 44-36-330. (A) The Alzheimer's Disease and Related Disorders Resource Coordination Center must be supported by an advisory council appointed by the Governor including, but not limited to, representatives of:
(1) Alzheimer's Association Chapters;
(2) American Association of Retired Persons;
(3) Clemson University;
(4) Department of Disabilities and Special Needs;
(5) Department of Health and Environmental Control;
(6) Department Bureau of Mental Health in the Department of Health and Human Services, Division of Behavioral Health Services;
(7) Department Bureau of Social Services in the Department of Health and Human Services, Division of Human Services;
(8) Division of Health Care Financing, Department of Health and Human Services.;
(9) Medical University of South Carolina;
(10) National Association of Social Workers, South Carolina Chapter;
(11) South Carolina Adult Day Care Association;
(12) South Carolina Association of Area Agencies on Aging;
(13) South Carolina Association of Council on Aging Directors;
(14) South Carolina Association of Nonprofit Homes for the Aging;
(15) South Carolina Association of Residential Care Homes;
(16) South Carolina Health Care Association;
(17) South Carolina Home Care Association;
(18) South Carolina Hospital Association;
(19) South Carolina Medical Association;
(20) South Carolina Nurses' Association;
(21) Statewide Alzheimer's Disease and Related Disorders Registry;
(22) University of South Carolina;
(23) South Carolina State University.
(B) Members of the advisory council are not entitled to mileage, per diem, subsistence, or any other form of compensation."
SECTION 25. Section 44-37-40(G) of the 1976 Code is amended to read:
"(G) The department and the Department of Health and Human Services Division of Health Care Financing, Department of Health and Human Services shall establish procedures for providing reimbursement for expenses incurred by entities providing newborn hearing screenings under this section."
SECTION 26. Section 44-40-60 of the 1976 Code is amended to read:
"Section 44-40-60. With the cooperation of the Department of Health and Environmental Control and the Department of Veterans Affairs Division, Office of the Governor, the council:
(1) shall make an annual report to the General Assembly containing:
(a) a comprehensive review and summary analysis of the scientific literature on the effects of exposure to chemical agents, including Agent Orange;
(b) a summary of the activities undertaken to inform and assist veterans who may have been exposed to chemical agents, including Agent Orange;
(c) a description and interpretation of the results of any study undertaken pursuant to this chapter;
(d) other comments or recommendations the council considers appropriate.
(2) may hold hearings consistent with the purposes of this chapter.
To assist it in carrying out these functions, the council may contract for an evaluation of the performance of the Department of Health and Environmental Control and the Department Director of Veterans Affairs Division, Office of the Governor, in implementing this chapter and may contract for the compilation and editing of the annual report."
SECTION 27. Section 44-41-32 of the 1976 Code is amended to read:
"Section 44-41-32. Every minor has the right to petition the court for an order granting her the right to obtain an abortion without the consent required in Section 44-41-31(1). In seeking this relief the following procedures apply:
(1) The minor may prepare and file a petition in either the circuit or family court. The petition may be filed in the name of Jane Doe to protect the anonymity of the minor.
(2) The Office of Adoption and Birth Parent Services Division of in the Department of Social Services, Health and Human Services, Division of Human Services, Bureau of Social Services, upon request of the minor, must provide assistance to the minor in preparing and filing the petition. Preparation and filing of the petition must be completed within forty-eight hours after the request. The Department Bureau of Social Services shall promulgate regulations establishing the procedures to be followed in providing this assistance.
(3) Upon the filing of the petition, the court shall appoint a guardian ad litem for the minor, taking into consideration the preference of the minor. The minor may participate in court proceedings on her own behalf, but the court shall advise her that she has a right to court-appointed counsel and shall provide her with counsel upon her request.
(4) All proceedings pursuant to this section must be given precedence over other matters pending before the court.
(5) The court shall hold a hearing and rule on the merits of the petition within seventy-two hours of the filing of the petition. This time may be extended upon the request of the minor. The court shall consider the emotional development, maturity, intellect, and understanding of the minor; the nature and possible consequences of the abortion and of the alternatives to the abortion; and other evidence that the court may find useful in determining whether the minor should be granted the right on her own behalf to consent to the abortion or whether the abortion is in the best interest of the minor."
SECTION 28. Section 44-41-37 of the 1976 Code is amended to read:
"Section 44-41-37. A physician or other professional person or agency counseling or discussing with a minor the question of her obtaining an abortion shall fully inform her of the procedures she must follow under law to obtain an abortion without the consent required in Section 44-41-31(1).
The Office of Adoption and Birth Parent Services Division of in the Department of Health and Human Services, Division of Human Services, Bureau of Social Services, shall develop and distribute brochures to health and education professionals for use in counseling pregnant minors. This brochure shall include the following:
(1) how to access her local health department for prenatal care;
(2) how to access her local Adoption and Birth Parent Services Division Office of the Department Bureau of Social Services or any private not for profit adoption service;
(3) the parental consent requirement as outlined in this bill;
(4) the judicial by-pass procedure as referred in Sections 44-41-32, 44-41-33, and 44-41-34; and
(5) how to access her local mental health center for counseling services."
SECTION 29. Section 44-128-50 of the 1976 Code is amended to read:
"Section 44-128-50. (A) There is established the South Carolina Youth Smoking Prevention Advisory Commission to advise the department in the development, implementation, and evaluation of the State Youth Smoking Plan.
(B) Notwithstanding the provisions of Section 8-13-770, the membership of the advisory commission is as follows:
(1) two members appointed by the Speaker of the House of Representatives from the membership of the House of Representatives;
(2) two members appointed by the President Pro Tempore of the Senate from the membership of the Senate; and
(3) eleven members appointed by the Governor as follows:
(a) one representative of the Department of Health and Environmental Control;
(b) one representative of the Department Bureau of Alcohol and Other Drug Abuse Services in the Department of Health and Human Services, Division of Behavioral Health Services;
(c) three health professionals;
(d) two youths between the ages of twelve and eighteen; and
(e) five citizens of the State with knowledge, competence, experience, or interest in youth smoking prevention, or other relevant background including, but not limited to, youth education, public health, social science, and business expertise."
SECTION 30. Section 44-11-10 of the 1976 Code is amended to read:
"Section 44-11-10. The following facilities shall continue in existence and shall be maintained for the following purposes:
(1) those inpatient facilities as authorized by the Department Bureau of Mental Health in the Department of Health and Human Services, Division of Behavioral Health Services and funded by legislative appropriations, including facilities for the evaluation and treatment of mentally ill persons, and facilities for the evaluation and treatment of chemically dependent persons, and long-term care facilities; and
(2) the mental health clinics for the diagnosis, treatment, and prevention of mental illness."
SECTION 31. Section 44-11-30 of the 1976 Code is amended to read:
"Section 44-11-30. The Bureau of Long-term Care Facilities in the Department of Health and Human Services, Division of Behavioral Health Services, in mutual agreement with the authorities of the United States Veterans Administration, may establish South Carolina veterans homes to be located on grounds owned by the Department of Mental Health Bureau of Long-term Care Facilities. The purpose of these homes is to provide treatment for South Carolina veterans who are mentally ill or whose physical condition requires long-term nursing care. Admission requirements to these homes are the same as any other facility operated by the department except that the patients at these facilities must be South Carolina veterans. The South Carolina Mental Health Commission Bureau of Long-term Care Facilities is designated as the agency of the State to apply for and to accept gifts, grants, and other contributions from the federal government or from any other governmental unit for the operation and construction of South Carolina veterans homes. The South Carolina Mental Health Commission Bureau of Long-term Care Facilities shall consult with the Division of Veterans Affairs, Office of the Governor, concerning the policies, management, and operation of the South Carolina veterans homes."
SECTION 32. Section 44-11-60 of the 1976 Code is amended to read:
"Section 44-11-60. The Bureau of Mental Health Commission shall establish mental health clinics throughout the State and shall supervise them."
SECTION 33. Section 44-11-70 of the 1976 Code is amended to read:
"Section 44-11-70. The Bureau of Mental Health Commission and the Bureau of Long-term Care Facilities may authorize the superintendents to employ suitable persons to act as marshals to keep intruders off and prevent trespass upon state mental health facilities. The marshals employed, in so far as State state mental health facilities are concerned, shall be vested with all the powers and charged with all the duties of police officers generally. They may eject trespassers. They may without warrant arrest persons guilty of disorderly conduct or of trespass on State state mental health facilities and have them tried in any court of competent jurisdiction."
SECTION 34. Section 44-11-80 of the 1976 Code is amended to read:
"Section 44-11-80. The Bureau of Mental Health Commission and the Bureau of Long-term Care Facilities shall fix the amount of the salaries or emoluments of all officers and employees of State their respective state mental health facilities."
SECTION 35. Article 19, Chapter 13, Title 24 of the 1976 Code is amended to read:
Section 24-13-1910. There is established one or more centers for alcohol and drug rehabilitation under the jurisdiction of the Department of Corrections to treat and rehabilitate alcohol and drug offenders. The Department Bureau of Alcohol and Other Drug Abuse Services in the Department of Health and Human Services, Division of Behavioral Health Services has primary responsibility for the addictions treatment of the offenders, and the Department of Corrections has primary responsibility for the maintenance and security of the offenders. The Department of Corrections may construct one or more centers upon the necessary appropriation of funds by the General Assembly. The centers established or constructed as authorized by this section shall provide at least seven hundred fifty beds. The centers established under this section must be fully operational by January 1, 1997.
Section 24-13-1920. The Department Bureau of Alcohol and Other Drug Abuse Services shall establish a program to provide alcohol and drug abuse intervention, prevention, and treatment services for offenders sentenced to a center for alcohol and drug rehabilitation established pursuant to Section 24-13-1910. The Department Bureau of Alcohol and Other Drug Abuse Services shall provide staff and support necessary to administer the program. Funds for this program must be appropriated annually by the General Assembly.
Section 24-13-1930. A judge may suspend a sentence for a defendant convicted of a drug or alcohol offense for which imprisonment of more than ninety days may be imposed or as a revocation of probation and may place the offender in a center for alcohol and drug rehabilitation. The Department of Corrections, on the first day of each month, shall present to the general sessions court a report detailing the availability of bed space in the center for alcohol and drug rehabilitation.
Section 24-13-1940. For the Department of Corrections to establish and maintain a center for alcohol and drug rehabilitation, its director shall coordinate with the Department Bureau of Alcohol and Other Drug Abuse Services to:
(1) develop policies and procedures for the operation of the center for alcohol and drug rehabilitation;
(2) fund other management options advantageous to the State including, but not limited to, contracting with public or nonpublic entities for the management of a center for alcohol and drug rehabilitation;
(3) lease buildings;
(4) develop standards for alcohol and drug abuse counseling for offenders sentenced to a center for alcohol and drug rehabilitation;
(5) develop standards for disciplinary rules to be imposed on residents of a center for alcohol and drug rehabilitation.
Section 24-13-1950. Upon release from a center for alcohol and drug rehabilitation, the offender must be placed on probation for a term as ordered by the court. Failure to comply with program requirements may result in a request to the court to revoke the suspended sentence. No person is ineligible for this program by reason of gender."
SECTION 36. Chapter 49, Title 44 of the 1976 Code is amended to read:
Section 44-49-10. (A) There is established the Department Bureau of Alcohol and Other Drug Abuse Services in the Department of Health and Human Services, Division of Behavioral Health Services. The department bureau shall be vested with all the functions, powers, and duties, of the South Carolina Commission on Alcoholism and the South Carolina Commission on Alcohol and Drug Abuse and shall have full authority for formulating, coordinating, and administering the state plans for controlling narcotics and controlled substances and alcohol abuse.
(B) All functions, powers, and duties of the commissioner of the narcotics and controlled substances section of the State Planning and Grants Division (Division of Administration in the Office of the Governor) are hereby transferred to the department bureau, except those powers and duties related to the traffic of narcotics and controlled substances as defined in Section 44-53-130 which shall be vested in the State Law Enforcement Division.
(C) All rules and regulations promulgated by the commissioner of narcotics and controlled substances shall remain in effect until changed by the department.
(D) The department bureau is authorized to establish a block grant mechanism to provide such monies as may be appropriated by the Legislature for this purpose to each of the agencies designated under Section 61-12-20(a). The distribution of these monies must be on a per capita basis according to the most recent United States Census. The agencies designated under Section 61-12-20(a) must expend any funds received through this mechanism in accordance with the county plans required under Section 61-12-20(b).
(E) The department bureau is authorized to develop such rules and regulations not inconsistent with the provisions of this chapter as it may find to be reasonably appropriate for the government of the county plans called for in Section 61-12-20(b), and the financial and programmatic accountability of funds provided under this section and all other funds provided by the department bureau to agencies designated under Section 61-12-20(a).
Section 44-49-20. The Department Bureau of Alcohol and Other Drug Abuse Services shall be headed by a Director bureau chief appointed by the Governor, upon the advice and consent of the Senate Undersecretary of the Division of Behavioral Health Services. The director bureau chief is subject to removal by the Governor pursuant to the provisions of Section 1-3-240 undersecretary.
Section 44-49-40. (A) The department Bureau of Alcohol and Other Drug Abuse Services shall arrange for the exchange of information between governmental officials concerning the use and abuse of controlled substances.
(B) Results, information, and evidence received from the Department of Health and Environmental Control relating to the regulatory functions of this chapter and Article 3 of Chapter 53, including results of inspections conducted by such department, may be relied upon and acted upon by the department bureau in conformance with its administration and coordinating duties under this Chapter and Article 3 of Chapter 53.
(C)(1) The department bureau shall: Plan plan, coordinate, and cooperate in educational programs for schools, communities and general public designed to prevent and deter misuse and abuse of controlled substances;
(2) Promote better recognition of the problems of misuse and abuse of controlled substances within the regulated industry and among interested groups and organizations;
(3) Assist the regulated industry, interested groups and organizations in contributing to the reduction of misuse and abuse of controlled substances;
(4) Consult with interested groups and organizations to aid them in solving administrative and organizational problems;
(5) Evaluate procedures, projects, techniques, and controls conducted or proposed as part of educational programs on misuse and abuse of controlled substances;
(6) Disseminate the results of research on misuse and abuse of controlled substances to promote a better public understanding of what problems exist and what can be done to combat them;
(7) Assist in the education and training of state and local law enforcement officials in their efforts to control misuse and abuse of controlled substances;
(8) Encourage research on misuse and abuse of controlled substances;
(9) Cooperate in establishing methods to assess accurately the effects of controlled substances and to identify and characterize controlled substances with potential for abuse;
(10) Cooperate in making studies and in undertaking programs of research to
(a) Develop new or improved approaches, techniques, systems, equipment and devices to strengthen the enforcement of Sections 44-49-10, 44-49-40 and 44-49-50 and Article 3 of Chapter 53;
(b) Determine patterns of misuse and abuse of controlled substances and the social effects thereof; and
(c) Improve methods for preventing, predicting, understanding and dealing with the misuse and abuse of controlled substances.
(D) The department bureau may enter into contracts with public agencies, institutions of higher education, and private organizations or individuals for the purpose of conducting research, demonstrations, or special projects which bear directly on misuse and abuse of controlled substances.
(E) The department bureau may enter into contracts for educational and research activities without performance bonds.
(F) The department bureau is authorized to accept gifts, bequests, devises, contributions, and grants, public or private, including federal funds, or funds from any other source for use in furthering the purpose of the department bureau. The department bureau is authorized to administer the grants and contracts arising from the federal program entitled the Drug-Free Schools and Communities Act of 1986, P.L. 99-570.
Section 44-49-50. It shall be the duty of all departments, officers, agencies, and employees of the State to cooperate with the Department Bureau of Alcohol and Other Drug Abuse Services in carrying out its functions. The Attorney General shall furnish such legal services as are necessary to the department.
Section 44-49-60. The department Bureau of Alcohol and Other Drug Abuse Services shall appoint a supervisor of adult education for the prevention of alcoholism, who shall be responsible for activating and implementing an adequate alcoholic education program for the citizens of this State above high school age. The program shall be designed to prevent or reduce alcoholism in this State and to create a recognition and understanding of the problem.
In carrying out the provisions of this section the department bureau and the supervisor of adult education for the prevention of alcoholism may consult and work in conjunction with groups such as Alcoholics Anonymous, the Yale Center of Alcohol Studies of Yale University, the Research Council on Problems of Alcohol of the American Association for the Advancement of Science, the South Carolina Medical Association, the department Bureau of Mental Health, Department of Health and Human Services, Division of Behavioral Health Services, the Christian Action Council, the Committee on Alcoholism of the South Carolina Conference of Social Work and other groups or agencies that are able to assist in the study, prevention, treatment and rehabilitation of alcoholics and in a scientific educational program on the problems of alcohol.
Section 44-49-70. The department Bureau of Alcohol and Other Drug Abuse Services shall furnish the supervisor of adult education for the prevention of alcoholism adequate ways and means to accomplish an effective educational program for the prevention of alcoholism in this State.
Section 44-49-80. The department Bureau of Alcohol and Other Drug Abuse Services shall establish a program to provide alcohol and drug abuse intervention, prevention, and treatment services for the public schools of the State. The department bureau shall provide staff and support necessary to administer the program. Funds for this program must be annually appropriated by the General Assembly from the Education Improvement Act of 1984 Fund as it determines appropriate. The appropriated funds must be forwarded to the South Carolina Department of Alcohol and Other Drug Abuse Services bureau from the Education Improvement Act of 1984 Fund in the manner the State Treasurer shall direct."
SECTION 37. Section 56-5-2990 of the 1976 Code is amended to read:
"Section 56-5-2990. (A) The department shall suspend the driver's license of a person who is convicted, receives sentence upon a plea of guilty or of nolo contendere, or forfeits bail posted for a violation of Section 56-5-2930, 56-5-2933, or for the violation of another law or ordinance of this State or of a municipality of this State that prohibits a person from driving a motor vehicle while under the influence of intoxicating liquor, drugs, or narcotics for six months for the first conviction, plea of guilty or of nolo contendere, or forfeiture of bail; one year for the second conviction, plea of guilty or of nolo contendere, or forfeiture of bail; two years for the third conviction, plea of guilty or of nolo contendere, or forfeiture of bail; and a permanent revocation of the driver's license for the fourth or subsequent conviction, plea of guilty or of nolo contendere, or forfeiture of bail. Only those violations which occurred within ten years including and immediately preceding the date of the last violation shall constitute prior violations within the meaning of this section. However, if the third conviction occurs within five years from the date of the first offense, then the department shall suspend the driver's license for four years. A person whose license is revoked following conviction for a fourth offense as provided in this section is forever barred from being issued any license by the Department of Public Safety to operate a motor vehicle except as provided in Section 56-1-385.
(B) A person whose license is suspended under the provisions of this section, Section 56-1-286, or Section 56-5-2951 must be notified by the department of the suspension and of the requirement to enroll in and successfully complete an Alcohol and Drug Safety Action Program certified by the Department Bureau of Alcohol and Other Drug Abuse Services in the Department of Health and Human Services, Division of Behavioral Health Services. A person who must complete an Alcohol and Drug Safety Action Program as a condition of reinstatement of his driving privileges or a court-ordered drug program may use the route restricted or special restricted driver's license to attend the Alcohol and Drug Safety Action Program classes or court-ordered drug program in addition to the other permitted uses of a route restricted driver's license or a special restricted driver's license. An assessment of the extent and nature of the alcohol and drug abuse problem, if any, of the applicant must be prepared and a plan of education or treatment, or both, must be developed for the applicant. Entry into and successful completion of the services, if the services are necessary, recommended in the plan of education or treatment, or both, developed for the applicant is a mandatory requirement of the restoration of driving privileges to the applicant whose license is suspended pursuant to this section. The Alcohol and Drug Safety Action Program shall determine if the applicant has successfully completed the services. Alcohol and Drug Safety Action Programs shall meet at least once a month. The person whose license is suspended must attend the first Alcohol and Drug Safety Action Program available after the date of enrollment.
(C) The Department Bureau of Alcohol and Other Drug Abuse Services shall determine the cost of services provided by each certified Alcohol and Drug Safety Action Program. Each applicant shall bear the cost of services recommended in the applicant's plan of education or treatment. The cost may shall not exceed five hundred dollars for education services, two thousand dollars for treatment services, and two thousand five hundred dollars in total for all services. No applicant may be denied services due to an inability to pay. Inability to pay for services may shall not be used as a factor in determining if the applicant has successfully completed services. An applicant who is unable to pay for services shall perform fifty hours of community service as arranged by the Alcohol and Drug Safety Action Program, which may use the completion of this community service as a factor in determining if the applicant has successfully completed services. The Department Bureau of Alcohol and Other Drug Abuse Services will report annually to the House Ways and Means Committee and Senate Finance Committee on the number of first and multiple offenders completing the Alcohol and Drug Safety Action Program, the amount of fees collected and expenses incurred by each Alcohol and Drug Safety Action Program, and the number of community service hours performed in lieu of payment.
(D) If the applicant has not successfully completed the services as directed by the Alcohol and Drug Safety Action Program within one year of enrollment, a hearing must be provided by the Alcohol and Drug Safety Action Program whose decision is appealable to the Department Bureau of Alcohol and Other Drug Abuse Services. If the applicant is unsuccessful in the Alcohol and Drug Safety Action Program, the department may restore the privilege to drive a motor vehicle upon the recommendation of the Medical Advisory Board as utilized by the department if it determines public safety and welfare of the petitioner may shall not be endangered.
(E) The department and the Department Bureau of Alcohol and Other Drug Abuse Services shall develop procedures necessary for the communication of information pertaining to relicensing, or otherwise. These procedures must be consistent with the confidentiality laws of the State and the United States. If the drivers license of any person is suspended by authority of this section, no insurance company may refuse to issue insurance to cover the remaining members of his family, but the insurance company is not liable for any actions of the person whose license has been suspended or who has voluntarily turned his license in to the department.
(F) Except as provided for in Section 56-1-365(D) and (E), the driver's license suspension periods under this section begin on the date the person is convicted, receives sentence upon a plea of guilty or of nolo contendere, or forfeits bail posted for the violation of Section 56-5-2930, 56-5-2933, or for the violation of any other law of this State or ordinance of a county or municipality of this State that prohibits a person from operating a motor vehicle while under the influence of intoxicating liquor, drugs, or narcotics; however, a person is not prohibited from filing a notice of appeal and receiving a certificate which entitles him to operate a motor vehicle for a period of sixty days after the conviction, plea of guilty or nolo contendere, or bail forfeiture pursuant to Section 56-1-365(F)."
SECTION 38. Section 17-24-40(F) of the 1976 Code is amended to read:
"(F) If a person is committed to the supervision of the Department Bureau of Mental Health in the Department of Health and Human Services, Division of Behavioral Health Services pursuant to this section after having been found not guilty by reason of insanity of a violent crime, the person may shall not leave the facility or grounds to which he is committed at any time unless accompanied by an employee of the department who must be responsible for and in the physical presence of the person at all times. For purposes of this section, a violent crime includes those offenses described in Section 16-1-60 and the common law offense of assault and battery of a high and aggravated nature."
SECTION 39. Chapter 9, Title 44 of the 1976 Code is amended to read:
Section 44-9-10. There is hereby created the State Department Bureau of Mental Health in the Department of Health and Human Services, Division of Behavioral Health Services which shall have jurisdiction over all of the State's mental hospitals, clinics and centers, joint State and community sponsored mental health clinics and centers and facilities for the treatment and care of alcohol and drug addicts, including the authority to name each facility.
Section 44-9-20. All the powers and duties vested in the South Carolina Mental Health Commission immediately prior to March 26, 1964 are hereby transferred to and vested in the Department Bureau of Mental Health. All records, files and other papers belonging to the South Carolina Mental Health Commission shall be continued as part of the records and files of the Department Bureau of Mental Health.
Section 44-9-30. (A)(1) There is created the governing advisory board for the State Department Bureau of Mental Health known as the South Carolina Mental Health Commission Advisory Board. The commission advisory board consists of seven members appointed by the Governor, upon the advice and consent of the Senate, as follows:
(a) one member from each of the six congressional districts;
(b) one member from the State at large.
(2) The Governor shall consider consumer and family representation when appointing members.
(B) The members serve for terms of five years and until their successors are appointed and qualify. The terms of no more than two members may expire in one year. The Governor may remove a member pursuant to the provisions of Section 1-3-240(B). A vacancy must be filled by the Governor for the unexpired portion of the term.
(C) The commission shall determine advisory board shall advise the bureau regarding policies and promulgate regulations governing the operation of the Department bureau and the employment of professional and staff personnel.
(D) The members shall receive the same subsistence, mileage, and per diem provided by law for members of state boards, committees, and commissions.
Section 44-9-40. The Mental Health Commission Undersecretary of the Division of Behavioral Health Services in the Department of Health and Human Services, shall appoint and remove a State Director of Mental Health Bureau Chief, who is the chief executive of the State Department Bureau of Mental Health. Subject to the supervision and control of the Mental Health Commission Undersecretary of the Division of Behavioral Health Services in the Department of Health and Human Services, the state director Bureau Chief shall administer the policies and regulations established by the commission of the bureau. The director Bureau Chief must be a person of proven executive and administrative ability with appropriate education and substantial experience in the field of mental illness treatment. The director Bureau Chief must appoint and remove all other officers and employees of the Department Bureau of Mental Health, subject to the approval of the Mental Health Commission Undersecretary.
Section 44-9-50. The Department Bureau of Mental Health may be divided into such divisions as may be authorized by the Director of Mental Health and approved by the commission program areas. These divisions program areas may be headed by deputy commissioners directors, but any deputy commissioner director heading a medical division must be a medical doctor duly licensed in South Carolina. One of the divisions program areas shall be a Division on the Alcohol and Drug Addiction Program which shall have primary responsibility in the State for treatment of alcohol and drug addicts. One of the divisions program areas shall be a Division for the Long-Term Care Program which shall have primary responsibility for care and treatment of elderly persons who are mentally and physically handicapped to the extent that their needs are not met in other facilities either public or private.
Section 44-9-60. The Director Bureau Chief of the Department Bureau of Mental Health may appoint a superintendent of each hospital, with the approval of the Mental Health Commission. Each superintendent shall be knowledgeable in the treatment of the mentally ill and in hospital administration. The superintendent of each institution under the jurisdiction of the Department Bureau of Mental Health shall be responsible for the employment of all personnel at the institution, subject to the approval of the director of the department Bureau Chief of the Bureau. The director Bureau Chief may serve as superintendent of one or more hospitals or other mental health facilities.
Section 44-9-70. The State Department Bureau of Mental Health is hereby designated as the State's mental health authority for purposes of administering Federal funds allotted to South Carolina under the provisions of the National Mental Health Act, as amended. The State Department Bureau of Mental Health is further designated as the State agency authorized to administer minimum standards and requirements for mental health clinics as conditions for participation in Federal-State grants-in-aid under the provisions of the National Mental Health Act, as amended, and is authorized to promote and develop community mental health outpatient clinics. Provided, that However, nothing in this article shall be construed to prohibit the operation of outpatient mental health clinics by the South Carolina Medical College Hospital in Charleston. Provided, further, that nothing Nothing herein shall be construed to include any of the functions or responsibilities now granted the Department of Health and Environmental Control, or the administration of the State Hospital Construction Act (Hill-Burton Act), as provided in the 1976 Code of Laws and amendments thereto.
Section 44-9-80. Payments made to a mental health facility which are derived in whole or in part from Federal funds which become available after June 30, 1967, and which are provided with the stipulation that they be used to improve services to patients shall not be considered fees from paying patients under the terms of Act No. 1100 of 1964 but may be utilized by the State Department Bureau of Mental Health to improve South Carolina's comprehensive mental health program.
Section 44-9-90. The Commission Bureau of Mental Health shall have the following rights, powers and duties:
(1) It shall form a body corporate in deed and in law with all the powers incident to corporations;
(2) It shall cooperate with persons in charge of penal institutions in this State for the purpose of providing proper care and treatment for mental patients confined therein because of emergency;
(3) It shall inaugurate and maintain an appropriate mental health education and public relations program;
(4) It shall collect statistics bearing on mental illness, drug addiction, and alcoholism, as well as study the cause, pathology, and prevention of mental defects and diseases;
(5) It shall provide moral and vocational training and medical and surgical treatment which will tend to the mental and physical betterment of patients and which is designed to lessen the increase of mental illness, mental defectiveness, epilepsy, drug addiction and alcoholism; and
(6) It shall encourage the superintendents of institutions and their medical staffs in the investigation and study of these subjects and of mental hygiene in general; and
(7) It shall provide a statewide system for the delivery of mental health services to treat, care for, reduce and prevent mental illness and provide mental health services in the areas of mental defectiveness, epilepsy, drug addiction and alcoholism for citizens of this State, whether or not in an institution. The system shall include services to prevent or postpone the commitment or recommitment of citizens to mental health institutions.
Section 44-9-100. The commission Bureau of Mental Health may:
(1) prescribe the form of and information to be contained in applications, records, reports, and medical certificates provided for under this chapter, Chapter 11, Chapter 13, Article 1 of Chapter 15, Chapter 17, Chapter 22, Chapter 23, Chapter 24, Chapter 27, and Chapter 52;
(2) require reports from the superintendent of an institution relating to the admission, examination, diagnosis, discharge, or conditional discharge of a patient;
(3) investigate complaints made by a patient or by a person on behalf of a patient;
(4) adopt regulations not inconsistent with this chapter, Chapter 11, Chapter 13, Article 1 of Chapter 15, Chapter 17, Chapter 22, Chapter 23, Chapter 24, Chapter 27, and Chapter 52 as it may find to be reasonably necessary for the government of all institutions over which it has authority and of state mental health facilities and the proper and efficient institutionalization of the mentally ill, psychotic senile, drug addicted, or alcoholic;
(5) take appropriate action to initiate and develop relationships and agreements with state, local, federal, and private agencies, hospitals, and clinics as it considers necessary to increase and enhance the accessibility and delivery of emergency and all other types of mental health services.
Section 44-9-110. The Mental Health Commission may accept on behalf of the Department Bureau of Mental Health may accept on its own behalf or on behalf of any of its facilities or services, gifts, bequests, devises, grants, donations of money or real and personal property of whatever kind, but no such gift or grant shall be accepted upon the condition that it shall diminish an obligation due the Department bureau. The Commission bureau may refuse to accept any such gift or grant and the acceptance of any such gift or grant shall not incur any obligation on the part of the State. Any gift or grant given to a specific facility or service shall be used for that facility or service only, or to its successor. The Commission bureau may promulgate rules and regulations governing the disposition of such gifts and grants.
Section 44-9-120. With the approval of the Secretary of the Department of Health and Human Services, The Commission the Bureau of Mental Health shall submit an annual report to the Governor before the eleventh day of January of each year setting forth its activities, the financial affairs and the state and condition of the State mental health facilities and any other statistical information which is usually required of facilities of the type over which it has charge. The report shall include any recommendations which in the opinion of the Commission bureau will improve the mental health program services of the State. A copy of the report shall also be submitted to the General Assembly.
Section 44-9-160. Wherever in the 1976 Code reference is made to the State Hospital, it shall mean means a state hospital; wherever reference is made requiring the signature of the superintendent of any mental health facility, it shall mean means the superintendent or his designee; wherever reference is made to the Department of Mental Health it means the Bureau of Mental Health in the Department of Health and Human Services, Division of Behavioral Health Services; and wherever reference is made to the State Commissioner of Mental Health, it shall mean means the State Director Bureau Chief of the Department Bureau of Mental Health."
SECTION 40. Chapter 13, Title 44 of the 1976 Code is amended to read:
Section 44-13-10. Pending his removal to a State mental health facility an individual taken into custody or ordered to be admitted may be temporarily detained in his home, a licensed foster home or any other suitable facility under such reasonable conditions as the county governing body, supervisor or manager may fix, but he shall not, except because of and during an extreme emergency, be detained in a nonmedical establishment used for the detention of individuals charged with or convicted of penal offenses. The county governing body, supervisor or manager shall take such reasonable measures, including provision of medical care, as may be necessary to assure proper care of an individual temporarily detained under this section.
Section 44-13-20. Any individual, legally a resident of this State, ordered to be admitted to any mental health facility under the laws of any other state, may be admitted, upon satisfactory proof of residence, to care and treatment in any State mental health facility of this State. The orders of any court of competent jurisdiction of another state or of the District of Columbia authorizing admittance of such individual to a mental health facility shall have the same force and effect upon his transfer to this State as a lawful order of any court of competent jurisdiction in this State. A certified copy of such order shall be furnished the Department Bureau of Mental Health in the Department of Health and Human Services, Division of Behavioral Health Services prior to the issuance by the Department Bureau of Mental Health of any authorization of transfer of such patient. Jurisdiction in all further matters relating to such mentally ill person shall vest in the judge of probate of the county in which the mental health facility, to which such person is admitted, is located, during his confinement therein, or the judge of probate of the county in which he is legally resident.
Section 44-13-30. Unless he was admitted pursuant to the Interstate Compact on Mental Health as set out in Section 44-25-20 or a supplementary agreement thereto, if any person admitted to a State mental health facility is not a citizen of this State, the superintendent of the facility concerned shall immediately notify the Department Bureau of Mental Health, and the Department Bureau of Mental Health shall notify the mental health commission or other appropriate agency of the state of which the patient or trainee is a citizen. If the state of his citizenship fails to provide for his removal within a reasonable time, the Department Bureau of Mental Health shall cause him to be delivered to the officials authorized by law to care for similar persons pending their commitment to state institutions of the state of his citizenship. The cost of these proceedings and conveyance from this State shall be borne by this State under reciprocity agreements made by the Department Bureau of Mental Health with the mental health authorities of other states. In entering upon such reciprocal agreements with other states, the Department Bureau of Mental Health shall provide that the requirements necessary to gain residence in this State shall not be less than those required for the acquisition of residence in the other contracting state. The Department Bureau of Mental Health may, however, in cases of undue hardship waive the requirements of residence, for cause.
Section 44-13-40. If any person admitted to a State mental health facility is not a citizen of the United States, the superintendent of the facility concerned shall immediately notify the Department Bureau of Mental Health of the name of the person and all ascertainable information as to race, nativity, date of last arrival in the United States, the name of the vessel on which he arrived, the port at which he landed and the name of the transporting company. The Department Bureau of Mental Health shall transmit this information to the appropriate United States authorities and shall continue to provide care and treatment for the patient or trainee pending arrangements for his deportation.
Section 44-13-50. If a mentally ill patient from an out-of-State mental health facility is found to be in this State without permission and upon satisfactory identification of the patient and the request of such facility that the patient be returned, he may be taken into custody by proper public officials and transported directly to the out-of-State facility or may be detained in a State mental health facility until such time as transportation arrangements can be made or the patient's health will permit his return. The state requesting the return of the patient shall pay all costs of, and incidental to, the transportation and detention of the patient.
Section 44-13-60. The Department Bureau of Mental Health shall investigate the case of each patient or trainee in a State mental health facility who is simply mentally or physically infirm or who is a harmless mental defective or harmless epileptic. When, in the opinion of the Department Bureau of Mental Health, the family, guardian, trustee, committee or other person legally responsible for the person is financially able to provide for his care, it shall, when in the opinion of the Department Bureau of Mental Health this is advisable, transfer the patient or trainee to the custody of that person. If all persons legally responsible for the patient or trainee are financially unable to provide for his care, the Department Bureau of Mental Health shall, when practicable, transfer the custody of the person to the county health authorities of the county of which the patient or trainee was a resident prior to admittance.
Section 44-13-70. The judge of probate in each county shall keep an adequate supply of forms necessary for the admission or commitment of persons under this chapter, Chapter 9, Chapter 11, Article 1 of Chapter 15, Chapter 17, Chapter 23, Chapter 24, Chapter 27, and Chapter 52."
SECTION 41. Chapter 17, Title 44 of the 1976 Code is amended by adding:
"Section 44-17-305. For the purposes of this Chapter, 'Bureau of Mental Health' means the Bureau of Mental Health in the Department of Health and Human Services, Division of Behavioral Health Services."
SECTION 42. The fifth unnumbered paragraph of Section 44-17-410 of the 1976 Code is amended to read:
"If the report of the designated examiners is that the patient is not mentally ill to the extent that involuntary treatment is required and reasons have been set forth in the report, the court shall dismiss the petition and the patient must be discharged immediately by the facility unless the designated examiners report that the patient is a chemically dependent person in need of emergency commitment and that procedures have been initiated pursuant to Section 44-52-50. In which case, emergency commitment procedures must be complied with in accordance with Chapter 52, and the facility shall transfer the patient to an appropriate treatment facility as defined by Section 44-52-10, provided that confirmation has been obtained from the facility that a bed is available; transportation must be provided by the department Bureau of Mental Health."
SECTION 43. Sections 44-17-450 and 14-17-460 of the 1976 Code are amended to read:
"Section 44-17-450. The Department Bureau of Mental Health, in conjunction with its local mental health centers acting as the preadmission facilities, must develop and maintain a preadmission screening and evaluation service for all psychiatric emergencies at the local community level utilizing available local resources for mentally ill persons. The preadmission screening services must act as the public mental health system's entry point in order (1) to provide to the examining physician information about accessible crisis intervention, evaluation, and referral services in the community; (2) to offer to mentally ill persons clinically appropriate alternatives to inpatient care, if any; and when necessary (3) to provide a means for involuntary commitment.
Section 44-17-460. Prior to the emergency admission of any person to a psychiatric facility of the Department Bureau of Mental Health, the person must be examined by a licensed physician. The physician must inform the mental health center in the county where the person resides or where the examination takes place of the mental and physical treatment needs of the patient. The physician must consult with the center regarding the commitment/admission process and the available treatment options and alternatives in lieu of hospitalization at a state psychiatric facility.
The examining physician must complete a statement that he has consulted with the local mental health center prior to the admission of the person to a state psychiatric facility. If the physician does not consult with the center, he must state a clinical reason for his failure to do so. The statement must accompany the physician's certificate and written application for emergency commitment. The department, in its discretion, may refuse to admit a patient to its facility if the physician fails to complete the statement required by this section."
SECTION 44. Section 44-17-580(2) of the 1976 Code is amended to read:
"(2) there is a likelihood of serious harm to himself or others, it shall order in-patient or out-patient treatment at a mental health facility, public or private, designated or licensed by the D