SECTION 117 - X900 - GENERAL PROVISIONS

117.1. (GP: Revenues, Deposits Credited to General Fund) For the current fiscal year, except as hereinafter specifically provided, all general state revenues derived from taxation, licenses, fees, or from any other source whatsoever, and all institutional and departmental revenues or collections, including income from taxes, licenses, fees, the sale of commodities and services, and income derived from any other departmental or institutional source of activity, must be remitted to the State Treasurer at least once each week, when practical, and must be credited, unless otherwise directed by law, to the General Fund of the State. Each institution, department, or agency, in remitting such income to the State Treasurer, shall attach with each such remittance a report or statement, showing in detail the sources itemized according to standard budget classification from which such income was derived, and shall, at the same time, forward a copy of such report or statement to the Comptroller General and the Executive Budget Office. In order to facilitate the immediate deposit of collections, refunds of such collections by state institutions where properly approved by the authorities of same, may be made in accordance with directions from the State Comptroller General and State Treasurer. General fund appropriations herein made for the support of the public school system of the State must be greater than or equal to the revenues derived from the General Retail Sales Tax, the Soft Drinks Tax, and the states portion of the Alcoholic Liquors Tax and Cable Television Fees as forecasted in the general fund revenue estimate of the Board of Economic Advisors as accounted for in the Statement of Revenues of this act. Appropriations in this act for the support of the public school system shall include the following:

Department of Education;

State Board for Technical and Comprehensive Education;

Educational Television Commission;

Wil Lou Gray Opportunity School;

School for the Deaf and the Blind;

Governors School for Agriculture at John de la Howe;

Debt Service on Capital Improvement Bonds Applicable to Above Agencies;

Debt Service on School Bonds;

Other School Purposes. Nothing contained herein shall be construed as diminishing the educational funding requirements of this section.

117.2. (GP: Appropriations From Funds) Subject to the terms and conditions of this act, the sums of money set forth in this part, if so much is necessary, are appropriated from the General Fund of the State, the Education Improvement Act Fund, the Highways and Public Transportation Fund, and other applicable funds, to meet the ordinary expenses of the state government for Fiscal Year 2023-24, and for other purposes specifically designated.

117.3. (GP: Fiscal Year Definitions) For purposes of the appropriations made by this part, current fiscal year means the fiscal year beginning July 1, 2023, and ending June 30, 2024, and prior fiscal year means the fiscal year beginning July 1, 2022, and ending June 30, 2023.

117.4. (GP: Descriptive Proviso Titles) Descriptive proviso titles listed in this act are for purposes of identification only and are not to be considered part of the official text.

117.5. (GP: Judicial & Involuntary Commitment, Defense of Indigents) It is the responsibility of all agencies, departments and institutions of state government, to provide at no cost and as a part of the regular services of the agency, department or institutions such services as are necessary to carry out the provisions of Chapter 52, Title 44 (Involuntary Commitment), Article 7, Chapter 17, Title 44 of the 1976 Code (Judicial Commitment), Chapter 3, Title 17 of the 1976 Code (Defense of Indigents), and Article 1, Chapter 3, Title 16 of the 1976 Code (Death Penalty), as amended, upon request of the Judicial Department and/or the appropriate court. To this end, state agencies are directed to furnish to the Judicial Department a list of their employees who are competent to serve as court examiners. The Judicial Department shall forward a copy of this list to the appropriate courts, and the courts shall utilize the services of such state employees whenever feasible. State employees shall receive no additional compensation for performing such services. For the purpose of interpreting this section, employees of the Medical University of South Carolina and individuals serving an internship or residency as an academic requirement or employees who are not full-time state employees and who are not performing duties as state employees are not considered state employees.

117.6. (GP: Case Service Billing Payments Prior Year) Agencies appropriated case services funds who routinely receive prior year case service billings after the old fiscal year has been officially closed are authorized to pay these case service obligations with current funds. This authorization does not apply to billings on hand that have been through a timely agency payment approval process when the old fiscal year closes.

117.7. (GP: Fee Increases) (A) No state agency, department, board, committee, commission, or authority, may increase an existing fee for performing any duty, responsibility, or function unless the fee for performing the particular duty, responsibility, or function is authorized by statutory law and set by regulation except as provided in this paragraph.

(B) This paragraph does not apply to:

(1) state-supported governmental health care facilities;

(2) state-supported schools, colleges, and universities;

(3) educational, entertainment, recreational, cultural, and training programs;

(4) the State Board of Financial Institutions;

(5) sales by state agencies of goods or tangible products produced for or by these agencies;

(6) charges by state agencies for room and board provided on state-owned property;

(7) application fees for recreational activities sponsored by state agencies and conducted on a draw or lottery basis;

(8) court fees or fines levied in a judicial or adjudicatory proceeding;

(9) the South Carolina Public Service Authority or the South Carolina Ports Authority.

(C) This paragraph does not prohibit a state agency, department, board, committee, or commission from increasing fees for services provided to other state agencies, departments, boards, committees, commissions, political subdivisions, or fees for health care and laboratory services regardless of whether the fee is set by statute.

(D) Statutory law for purposes of this paragraph does not include regulations promulgated pursuant to the State Administrative Procedures Act.

117.8. (GP: State Institutions - Revenues & Income) The University of South Carolina, Clemson University, the Medical University of South Carolina (including the Medical University Hospital), The Citadel, Winthrop University, South Carolina State University, Francis Marion University, University of Charleston, Lander University, Coastal Carolina University, and the Wil Lou Gray Opportunity School shall remit all revenues and income, collected at the respective institutions, to the State Treasurer according to the terms of Proviso 117.1 of this act, but all such revenues or income so collected, except fees received as regular term tuition, matriculation, and registration, shall be carried in a special continuing account by the State Treasurer, to the credit of the respective institutions, and may be requisitioned by said institutions, in the manner prescribed in Section 11-3-185 of the 1976 Code, and expended to fulfill the purpose for which such fees or income were levied, but no part of such income shall be used for permanent improvements without the express written approval of the State Fiscal Accountability Authority and the Joint Legislative Capital Bond Review Committee; and it is further required that no such fee or income shall be charged in excess of the amount that is necessary to supply the service, or fulfill the purpose for which such fee or income was charged. Notwithstanding other provisions of this act, funds at state institutions of higher learning derived wholly from athletic or other student contests, from the activities of student organizations, and from the operations of canteens and bookstores, and from approved Private Practice plans at institutions and affiliated agencies may be retained at the institution and expended by the respective institutions only in accord with policies established by the institutions Board of Trustees. Such funds shall be audited annually by the State but the provisions of this act concerning unclassified personnel compensation, travel, equipment purchases and other purchasing regulations shall not apply to the use of these funds.

117.9. (GP: Transfers of Appropriations) Agencies and institutions shall be authorized to transfer appropriations within programs and within the agency with notification to the Executive Budget Office and Comptroller General. No such transfer may exceed twenty percent of the program budget. Upon request, details of such transfers may be provided to members of the General Assembly on an agency by agency basis. Transfers of appropriations from personal service accounts to other operating accounts or from other operating accounts to personal service accounts may be restricted to any established standard level set by the State Fiscal Accountability Authority upon formal approval by a majority of the members of the State Fiscal Accountability Authority.

117.10. (GP: Federal Funds - DHEC, DSS, DHHS - Disallowances) Amounts appropriated to the Department of Health and Environmental Control, Department of Social Services and Department of Health and Human Services may be expended to cover program operations of prior fiscal years where adjustment of such prior years are necessary under federal regulations or audit exceptions. All disallowances or notices of disallowances by any federal agency of any costs claimed by these agencies shall be submitted to the State Auditor, the Senate Finance Committee and the House Ways and Means Committee, within five days of receipt of such actions.

117.11. (GP: Fixed Student Fees) During the current fiscal year, student fees at the state institutions of higher learning shall be fixed by the respective Boards of Trustees as follows:

(1) Fees applicable to student housing, dining halls, student health service, parking facility, laundries and all other personal subsistence expenses shall be sufficient to fully cover the total direct operating and capital expenses of providing such facilities and services over their expected useful life except those operating or capital expenses related to the removal of asbestos.

(2) Student activity fees may be fixed at such rates as the respective Boards shall deem reasonable and necessary.

117.12. (GP: Tech Educ. Colleges Student Activity Fees) Notwithstanding any other provisions of this act, funds at technical education colleges derived wholly from the activities of student organizations and from the operations of canteens and bookstores may be retained by the college and expended only in accord with policies established by the respective colleges area commission and approved by the State Board for Technical and Comprehensive Education.

117.13. (GP: Discrimination Policy) It is the policy of the State of South Carolina to recruit, hire, train, and promote employees without discrimination because of race, color, sex, national origin, age, religion or physical disability. This policy is to apply to all levels and phases of personnel within state government, including but not limited to recruiting, hiring, compensation, benefits, promotions, transfers, layoffs, recalls from layoffs, and educational, social, or recreational programs. It is the policy of the State to take affirmative action to remove the disparate effects of past discrimination, if any, because of race, color, sex, national origin, age, religion, or physical disability.

Each state agency shall submit to the State Human Affairs Commission employment and filled vacancy data by race and sex by October thirty-first, of each year.

In accordance with Section 1-13-110 of the 1976 Code, as amended, the Human Affairs Commission shall submit a report on the status of state agencies Affirmative Action Plans and Programs to the General Assembly by February first each year. This report shall contain the total number of persons employed in each job group, by race and sex, at the end of the preceding reporting period, a breakdown by race and sex of those hired or promoted from within the agency during the reporting period, and an indication of whether affirmative action goals were achieved. For each job group referenced in the Human Affairs report, where the hiring of personnel does not reflect the percentage goals established in the agencys affirmative action plan for the year in question, the state agency shall submit a detailed explanation to the Human Affairs Commission by February fifteenth, explaining why goals were not achieved.

The Human Affairs Commission shall review the explanations and notify the Department of Administration of any agency not in satisfactory compliance with meeting its stated goals.

The Department of Administration shall notify any agency not in compliance that their request for additional appropriations for the current appropriation cycle, may not be processed until such time as the Department of Administration, after consultation with the Human Affairs Commission, is satisfied that the agency is making a good faith effort to comply with its affirmative action plan, and that the compliance must be accomplished within a reasonable length of time to be determined by the mission and circumstances of the agency. This requirement shall not affect additional appropriation requests for public assistance payments or aid to entities. This section does not apply to those agencies that have been exempted from the reporting requirements of the Human Affairs Commission.

117.14. (GP: FTE Management) In order to provide the necessary control over the number of employees, the Executive Budget Office is hereby directed to maintain close supervision over the number of state employees, and to require specifically the following:

(1) That no state agency exceed the total authorized number of full-time equivalent positions and those funded from state sources as provided in each section of this act except by majority vote of the State Fiscal Accountability Authority.

(2) That the Executive Budget Office shall maintain and make, as necessary, periodic adjustments thereto, an official record of the total number of authorized full-time equivalent positions by agency for state and total funding sources.

(a) That within thirty days of the passage of the Appropriation Act or by August first, whichever comes later, each agency of the State must have established on the Executive Budget Office records all positions authorized in the Act. Each agency may, upon notification to the Executive Budget Office, change the funding source of state FTE positions established on the Executive Budget Office records as necessary to expend federal and other sources of personal service funds to conserve or stay within the state appropriated personal service funds. No agency shall change funding sources that will cause the agency to exceed the authorized number of state or total full-time equivalent positions. Each agency may transfer FTEs between programs as needed to accomplish the agency mission.

(b) That by September thirtieth, the office shall prepare a FTE analysis, by agency, which shows the number of authorized, filled, and vacant positions by source of funds for the current and two previously completed fiscal years. The office shall provide a copy of each agencys FTE analysis to the Senate Finance and House Ways and Means Committees.

(3) That full-time equivalent (FTE) positions shall be determined under the following guidelines:

(a) The annual work hours for each FTE shall be the agencys full-time standard annual work hours.

(b) The state FTE shall be derived by multiplying the state percentage of budgeted funds for each position by the FTE for that position.

(c) All institutions of higher education shall use a value of 0.75 FTE for each position determined to be full-time faculty with a duration of nine months.

The FTE method of accounting shall be utilized for all authorized positions.

(4) That the number of positions authorized in this act shall be reduced in the following circumstances:

(a) Upon request by an agency.

(b) When anticipated federal funds are not made available.

(c) When the Executive Budget Office, through study or analysis, becomes aware of any unjustifiable excess of positions in any state agency.

(5) That no new permanent positions in state government shall be funded by appropriations in acts supplemental to this act but temporary positions may be so funded.

(6) That the provisions of this section shall not apply to personnel exempt from the State Classification and Compensation Plan under item I of Section 8-11-260 of the 1976 Code.

The Governor, in making his appropriation recommendations to the Ways and Means Committee, must provide that the level of personal service appropriation recommended for each agency is at least ninety-seven percent of the funds required to meet one hundred percent of the funds needed for the full-time equivalents positions recommended by the Governor (exclusive of new positions).

117.15. (GP: Allowance for Residences & Compensation Restrictions) That salaries paid to officers and employees of the State, including its several boards, commissions, and institutions shall be in full for all services rendered, and no perquisites of office or of employment shall be allowed in addition thereto, but such perquisites, commodities, services or other benefits shall be charged for at the prevailing local value and without the purpose or effect of increasing the compensation of said officer or employee. The charge for these items may be payroll deducted at the discretion of the Comptroller General or the chief financial officer at each agency maintaining its own payroll system. This shall not apply to the Governors Mansion, nor to guards at any of the states penal institutions and nurses and attendants at the Department of Disabilities and Special Needs, and registered nurses providing clinical care at the MUSC Medical Center, nor to the Superintendent and staff of the Governors School for Agriculture at John de la Howe, nor to the cottage parents and staff of Wil Lou Gray Opportunity School, nor to full-time or part-time staff who work after regular working hours in the SLED Communications Center or Maintenance Area, nor to adult staff at the Governors School for Science and Mathematics and the Governors School for Arts and Humanities who are required to stay on campus by the institution because of job requirements or program participation. Any state institution of higher learning may provide complimentary membership privileges to employees who work at their wellness centers. The presidents of those state institutions of higher learning authorized to provide on-campus residential facilities for students may be permitted to occupy residences on the grounds of such institutions without charge.

Any state institution of higher learning may provide a housing allowance to the president in lieu of a residential facility, the amount to be approved by the State Fiscal Accountability Authority.

That the following may be permitted to occupy residences owned by the respective departments without charge: the Farm Director, Farm Managers, and Specialists employed at the Wateree River Correctional Institution; the South Carolina State Commission of Forestry fire tower operators, forestry aides, and caretaker at central headquarters; the Department of Natural Resources Wildlife Management Area Personnel, Fish Hatchery Personnel, and Heritage Trust Personnel; Director of Wil Lou Gray Opportunity School; President of the School for the Deaf and the Blind; houseparents for the Commission for the Blind; South Carolina Department of Health and Environmental Control personnel at the State Park Health Facility and Camp Burnt Gin; Residence Life Coordinators at Lander University; Residence Life Directors, temporary and transition employees, student interns, and emergency personnel at Winthrop University; Farm Superintendent at Winthrop University; Residence Hall Directors at the College of Charleston; the Department of Disabilities and Special Needs physicians and other professionals at Whitten Center, Clemson University Off-Campus Agricultural Staff and Housing Area Coordinators; and TriCounty Technical Colleges Bridge to Clemson Resident and Area Directors; and housing maintenance night supervisors, residence life directors, temporary and transition employees, and emergency medical personnel occupying residences owned by the University of South Carolina. Except in the case of elected officials, the fair market rental value of any residence furnished to a state employee shall be reported by the state agency furnishing the residence to the Agency Head Salary Commission, and the Department of Administration by October first of each fiscal year.

All salaries paid by departments and institutions shall be in accord with a uniform classification and compensation plan, approved by the Department of Administration, applicable to all personnel of the State Government whose compensation is not specifically fixed in this act. Such plan shall include all employees regardless of the source of funds from which payment for personal service is drawn. The Department of Administration is authorized to approve temporary salary adjustments for classified and unclassified employees who perform temporary duties which are limited by time and/or funds. When approved, a temporary salary adjustment shall not be added to an employees base salary and shall end when the duties are completed and/or the funds expire. Academic personnel of the institutions of higher learning and other individual or group of positions that cannot practically be covered by the plan may be excluded therefrom but their compensations as approved by the Department of Administration shall, nevertheless, be subject to review by the State Fiscal Accountability Authority. Salary appropriations for employees fixed in this act shall be in full for all services rendered, and no supplements from other sources shall be permitted or approved by the State Fiscal Accountability Authority. With the exception of travel and subsistence, legislative study committees shall not compensate any person who is otherwise employed as a full-time state employee. Salaries of the heads of all agencies of the State Government shall be specifically fixed in this act and no salary shall be paid any agency head whose salary is not so fixed. As long as there is no impact on appropriated funds, state agencies and institutions shall be allowed to spend public funds and/or other funds for designated employee award programs which shall have written criteria approved by the agency governing board or commission. For purposes of this section, monetary awards, if any, shall not be considered a part of an employees base salary, a salary supplement, or a perquisite of employment. The names of all employees receiving monetary awards and the amounts received shall be reported annually to the Department of Administration.

In the case of lodging furnished by certain higher education institutions to employees, the prevailing local rate does not apply if the institution meets the exceptions for inadequate rent described in the current Internal Revenue Code Section 119(d)(2). To meet the exception, rental rates must equal the lesser of five percent of the appraised value of the qualified campus lodging, or the average of the rentals paid by individuals (other than employees or students of the educational institution) during the calendar year for lodging provided by the educational institution which is comparable to the qualified campus lodging provided to the employee, over the rent paid by the employee for the qualified campus lodging during the calendar year. The appraised value shall be determined as of the close of the calendar year in which the taxable year begins, or, in the case of a rental period not greater than one year, at any time during the calendar year in which the period begins.

117.16. (GP: Universities & Colleges - Allowance for Presidents) Presidents of the University of South Carolina, Clemson University, the Medical University of South Carolina, The Citadel, Winthrop University, South Carolina State University, Francis Marion University, University of Charleston, Coastal Carolina University and Lander University must not be paid a fixed allowance for personal expenses incurred in connection with the performance of their official duties. Reimbursements may be made to the presidents from funds available to their respective institutions for any personal expenses incurred provided that all requests for reimbursement are supported by properly documented vouchers processed through the normal accounting procedures of the institutions.

117.17. (GP: Replacement of Personal Property) The Department of Juvenile Justice, Department of Corrections, Department of Probation, Parole and Pardon Services, Department of Mental Health, Department of Disabilities and Special Needs, Continuum of Care, Department of Social Services and School for the Deaf and the Blind may replace the personal property of an employee which has been damaged or destroyed by a client while in custody of the agency. The replacement of personal property may be made only if the loss has resulted from actions by the employee deemed to be appropriate and in the line of duty by the agency head and if the damaged or destroyed item is found by the agency head to be reasonable in value, and necessary for the employee to carry out the functions and duties of his employment. Replacement of damaged or destroyed items shall not exceed $250 per item, per incident. Each agency must have guidelines to insure the reasonableness of the replacement payments.

117.18. (GP: Business Expense Reimbursement) Agency heads and deputy commissioners or deputy directors designated by agency heads may receive reimbursements for business expenses incurred while performing their official duties, provided that receipts are presented when seeking reimbursement and justification is submitted to document the time, place, and purpose of the expense as well as the names of the individuals involved. The Department of Administration shall promulgate regulations governing these expenses.

117.19. (GP: Per Diem) The per diem allowance of all boards, commissions and committees shall be at the rate of $50 per day. No full-time officer or employee of the State shall draw any per diem allowance for service on such boards, commissions, or committees.

117.20. (GP: Travel - Subsistence Expenses & Mileage) Travel and subsistence expenses, whether paid from state appropriated, federal, local or other funds, shall be allowed in accordance with the following provisions:

(A) Unless otherwise provided in paragraphs B through H of this section, all employees of the State of South Carolina or any agency thereof including employees and members of the governing bodies of each technical college while traveling on the business of the State shall, upon presentation of a paid receipt, be allowed reimbursement for actual expenses incurred for lodging, not to exceed the current maximum lodging rates, excluding taxes, established by the U.S. General Services Administration. The lodging reimbursement for employees of a school district must also conform to these rates when that employees travel reimbursement is paid by state funds that are transferred to the school district. Agencies may contract with lodging facilities to pay on behalf of an employee. Failure to maintain proper control of direct payments for lodging may result in the revocation of the agencys authority by the Comptroller General or the State Auditor. The employee shall also be reimbursed for the actual expenses incurred in the obtaining of meals except that such costs shall not exceed $35 per day within the State of South Carolina. For travel outside of South Carolina the maximum daily reimbursement for meals shall not exceed $50. Agencies may contract with food or dining facilities to pay for meals on behalf of employees in accordance with rules and regulations established by the Office of Comptroller General. It shall be the responsibility of the agency head to monitor the charges for lodging which might be claimed by his employees in order to determine that such charges are following maximum lodging rates as established by the U.S. General Services Administration. Any exceptions must have the written approval of the agency head, taking into consideration location, purpose of travel or other extenuating circumstances. The provisions of this item shall not apply to Section 42-3-40 of the 1976 Code, and when pertaining to institutions of higher learning, for travel paid with funds other than General Funds.

(B) That employees of the State, when traveling outside the United States, Canada, and Puerto Rico upon promotional business for the State of South Carolina shall be entitled to actual expenses for both food and lodging.

(C) The Governor, Lieutenant Governor, Secretary of State, Comptroller General, Attorney General, State Treasurer, Adjutant General, Superintendent of Education and the Commissioner of Agriculture shall be reimbursed actual expenses for subsistence.

(D) Non-legislative members of committees appointed pursuant to Acts and Resolutions of the General Assembly whose membership consists solely of members of the General Assembly or members of the General Assembly and other personnel who are not employees of the State of South Carolina shall be allowed subsistence expenses of $42 per day while traveling on official business, unless otherwise designated by law. Members of such committees may opt to receive actual expenses incurred for lodging and actual expenses incurred in the obtaining of meals in lieu of the allowable subsistence expense.

(E) Members of the state boards, commissions, or committees whose duties are not full-time and who are paid on a per diem basis, shall be allowed reimbursement for actual expenses incurred at the rates provided in paragraph A and I of this section while away from their places of residence on official business of the State. One person accompanying a handicapped member of a state board, commission, or committee on official business of the State shall be allowed the same reimbursement for actual expenses incurred at the rates provided in paragraph A through I of this section.

(F) No subsistence reimbursement shall be allowed to a Justice of the Supreme Court or Judge of the Court of Appeals while traveling in the county of his official residence. When traveling on official business of said court within fifty miles outside the county of his official residence, a Supreme Court Justice and a Judge of the Court of Appeals shall be allowed subsistence expenses in the amount of $42 per day plus such mileage allowance for travel as is provided for other employees of the State. When traveling on official business of said court fifty or more miles outside the county of his official residence, each Justice and Judge of the Court of Appeals shall be allowed subsistence expenses in the amount as provided in this act for members of the General Assembly plus such mileage allowance for travel as is provided for other employees of the State. The Chief Justice, or such other person as the Chief Justice designates, while attending the Conference of Chief Justices and one member of the Supreme Court while attending the National Convention of Appellate Court Judges, and three Circuit Judges while attending the National Convention of State Trial Judges shall be allowed actual subsistence and travel expenses.

Upon approval of the Chief Justice, Supreme Court Justices, Judges of the Court of Appeals, Circuit Judges, and Family Court Judges shall be reimbursed for actual expenses incurred for all other official business requiring out-of-state expenses at the rate provided in paragraph A of this section.

(G) No subsistence reimbursements are allowed to a Circuit Judge, a Family Court Judge, or an Administrative Law Judge while holding court within the county in which he resides. While holding court or on other official business outside the county, within fifty miles of his residence, a Circuit Court Judge, Family Court Judge, or an Administrative Law Judge is entitled to a subsistence allowance in the amount of $42 per day plus such mileage allowance for travel as is provided for other employees of the State. While holding court or on other official business at a location fifty miles or more from his residence, a Circuit Court, Family Court or Administrative Law Judge is entitled to a subsistence allowance in the amount as provided in this act for members of the General Assembly plus such mileage allowance for travel as is provided for other employees of the State.

(H) Any retired Justice, Circuit Court Judge or Family Court Judge or Master-in-Equity appointed by the Supreme Court to serve as a Special Circuit Judge, Family Court Judge, Appeals Court Judge, or Acting Associate Justice shall serve without pay but shall receive the same allowance for subsistence, expenses, and mileage as provided in Part I for Circuit Court Judges.

(I) No expense shall be allowed an employee either at his place of residence or at the official headquarters of the agency by which he is employed except as provided in paragraph E, of this section. When an employee is assigned to work a particular territory or district, and such territory or district and his official headquarters are in different localities or sections of the State, expenses may be allowed for the necessary travel to his official headquarters. The members of the Workers Compensation Commission may be reimbursed at the regular mileage rate of one round trip each week from their respective homes to Columbia. No subsistence reimbursement shall be allowed to a member of the Workers Compensation Commission while traveling in the county of his official residence. When traveling on official business of the commission outside the county of his official residence, a member of the Workers Compensation Commission shall be allowed subsistence expenses in the amount of $42 per day. When traveling on official business of the commission fifty or more miles outside the county of his official residence, each member shall be allowed a subsistence allowance in the amount as provided in this act for members of the General Assembly. When out-of-state, members of the Workers Compensation Commission and the members of the Appellate Panel of the Department of Employment and Workforce may claim the established amount of per diem, as stated in the General Appropriation Act, or actual expenses as deemed reasonable by the Comptroller General. The members of the Appellate Panel of the Department of Employment and Workforce may be reimbursed at the regular mileage rate when the member is on official business fifty miles or more outside of Columbia. The members of the Appellate Panel of the Department of Employment and Workforce shall be allowed subsistence allowance in the amount as provided in this act for members of the General Assembly when the member is on official business fifty miles or more outside of Columbia.

(J) When an employee of the State shall use his or her personal automobile in traveling on necessary official business, a charge to equal the standard business mileage rate as established by the Internal Revenue Service will be allowed for the use of such automobile and the employee shall bear the expense of supplies and upkeep thereof. The standard business mileage rate used in this calculation shall be the current rate established by the Internal Revenue Service. Whenever state provided motor pool vehicles are reasonably available and their use is practical and an employee of the State shall request for his own benefit to use his or her personal vehicle in traveling on necessary official business, a charge of four cents per mile less than the standard business mileage rate as established by the Internal Revenue Service will be allocated for the use of such vehicle and the employee shall bear the expense of supplies and upkeep thereof. The standard business mileage rate used in this calculation shall be the current rate established by the Internal Revenue Service. When such travel is by a state-owned automobile, the State shall bear the expense of supplies and upkeep thereof but no mileage will be allowed. Agencies and employees are directed to use state fueling facilities to the maximum extent possible, when such use is cost beneficial to the State. When using commercial fueling facilities, operators of State-owned vehicles are directed to use self-service pumps. In traveling on the business of the State, employees are required to use the most economical mode of transportation, due consideration being given to urgency, schedules and like factors.

Mileage between an employees home and his/her place of employment is not subject to reimbursement. However, when an employee leaves on a business trip directly from his/her home, and does not go by the employees headquarters, the employee shall be eligible for reimbursement for actual mileage beginning at his/her residence.

(K) That a state agency may advance travel and subsistence expense monies to employees of that agency for the financing of ordinary and necessary travel required in the conducting of the business of the agency. The Office of Comptroller General is directed to develop and publish rules and regulations pertaining to the advancing of travel expenses and no state agency shall make such advances except under the rules and regulations as published. All advances for travel and subsistence monies shall be repaid to the agency within thirty days after the end of the trip or by July fifteenth, whichever comes first.

(L) That the state institutions of higher learning are authorized to reimburse reasonable relocation expenses for new employees when such reimbursements are considered by the agency head to be essential to successful recruitment of professionally competent staff members.

(M) The Office of Comptroller General is authorized to promulgate and publish rules and regulations governing travel and subsistence payments.

(N) No state funds may be used to purchase first class airline tickets.

117.21. (GP: Organizations Receiving State Appropriations Report). Each state agency receiving funds that are a direct appropriation to a non-profit organization, prior to disbursing the funds, shall require from each recipient organization a plan of how the state funds will be spent and how the expenditures will provide a public benefit. The Executive Budget Office, Department of Administration shall provide each state agency with a standard form for collecting the information required. After receiving the funds, non-profit organizations shall provide quarterly spending updates to the respective state agency. After all state funds have been expended, each organization shall provide an accounting of how the funds were spent, including an accounting of funds provided to subgrantees and affiliated non-profits. State agencies receiving funds pursuant to this provision shall report the information collected to the Executive Budget Office, the Chairman of the Senate Finance Committee, and the Chairman of the House Ways and Means Committee by June 30th. No funds in this act shall be disbursed to organizations or purposes which practice discrimination against persons by virtue of race, creed, color or national origin.

117.22. (GP: State-Owned Aircraft - Flight Logs) Each agency having in its custody one or more aircraft shall maintain a continuing log on all flights, which in order to promote accountability and transparency shall be open for public inspection and shall also be posted online. Any and all aircraft owned or operated by agencies of the State Government shall be used only for official business. The Division of Aeronautics and other agencies owning and operating aircraft may furnish transportation to the Governor, Constitutional Officers, members of the General Assembly, members of state boards, commissions, and agencies and their invitees for official business only; no member of the General Assembly, no member of a state board, commission, or committee, and no state official shall use any state-owned or operated aircraft unless the member or official files within twenty-four hours after the completion of the flight with the agency that provided the flight a sworn statement certifying and describing the official nature of his trip; and no member of the General Assembly, no member of a state board, commission or committee, and no state official shall be furnished air transportation by a state agency unless such agency prepares and maintains in its files a sworn statement from the highest ranking official of the agency or its designee certifying that the members or state officials trip was in conjunction with the official business of the agency. Official business shall not include routine transportation to and from meetings of the General Assembly or committee meetings for which mileage is authorized. Official business also does not include attending a press conference, bill signing, or political function.

All logs shall be signed by the parties using the flight and the signatures shall be maintained as part of the permanent record of any agency. All passengers shall be listed on the flight log by their legal name; passengers flying with an appropriate official of SLED or the Department of Commerce whose confidentiality must, in the opinion of SLED or the department, be protected shall be listed in writing on the flight log as Confidential Passenger SLED or the Department of Commerce (strike one) and the appropriate official of SLED or the department shall certify to the agency operating the aircraft the necessity for such confidentiality. The Division of Aeronautics shall post its flight logs on its website within one working day of completion of trips.

Violation of the above provisions of this section is prima facie evidence of a violation of Section 8-13-700(A) of the 1976 Code and shall subject a violating member of the General Assembly to the ethics procedure of his appropriate house and shall subject a violating member of a state board, commission or committee, or a state official to the applicable ethics procedure relating to them as provided by law. The above provisions do not apply to state-owned or operated aircraft when used by the Medical University of South Carolina, nor to aircraft of the athletic department or the educational foundations of any state-supported institution of higher education, nor to law enforcement officers when flying on state-owned aircraft in pursuit of fugitives, missing persons, or felons or for investigation of gang, drug, or other violent crimes.

Aircraft owned by agencies of state government shall not be leased to individuals for their personal use.

117.23. (GP: Carry Forward) Each agency is authorized to carry forward unspent general fund appropriations from the prior fiscal year into the current fiscal year, up to a maximum of ten percent of its original general fund appropriations less any appropriation reductions for the current fiscal year. Agencies shall not withhold services in order to carry forward general funds.

This provision shall be suspended if necessary to avoid a fiscal year-end general fund deficit. For purposes of this proviso, the amount of the general fund deficit shall be determined after first applying the Capital Reserve Fund provisions in Section 11-11-320(D) of the 1976 Code, and before any transfers from the General Reserve. The amount of general funds needed to avoid a year-end deficit shall be reduced proportionately from each agencys carry forward amount.

Any funds that are carried forward as a result of this provision are not considered part of the base of appropriations for any succeeding years.

117.24. (GP: TEFRA-Tax Equity and Fiscal Responsibility Act) It is the intent of the General Assembly that the State Medicaid Plan be amended to provide benefits for disabled children as allowed by the Tax Equity and Fiscal Responsibility Act (TEFRA) option. State agencies, including but not limited to, the Department of Social Services - the Continuum of Care, the Department of Health and Environmental Control, the Department of Mental Health, the Department of Disabilities and Special Needs, and the Department of Health and Human Services shall collectively review and identify existing state appropriations within their respective budgets that can be used as state match to serve these children. Such funds shall be used effective January 1, 1995 to implement TEFRA option benefits. Agencies providing services under the provisions of this paragraph must not spend less in the current fiscal year than expended in the previous fiscal year.

117.25. (GP: Prison Industries) All agencies funded in this act, when procuring goods and services, shall first consider contracting for services or purchasing goods and services through the Department of Corrections Prison Industries Program. The Department of Corrections shall furnish, upon request, to all agencies a catalogue of goods and services provided by Prison Industries. The department is hereby directed to develop and market a catalogue of Prison Industries products for nationwide circulation.

117.26. (GP: Travel Report) Annually on November first, the Comptroller General shall issue a report on travel expenditures for the prior fiscal year which shall be distributed to the Senate Finance Committee, the House Ways and Means Committee, and the Statehouse Press Room. The Comptroller General may use up to $500 of general fund appropriations for the purpose of providing copies to the media or the public upon request. The report must contain a listing for every agency receiving an appropriation in the annual General Appropriations Act. The listing must show at a minimum the top ten percent of employees for whom travel expenses and registration fees were paid within each agency, not to exceed twenty-five employees per agency. Agencies should include position titles for each of the top twenty-five travelers for each agency. Expenditures must include state, federal and other sources of funds. Expenditures for in-state and out-of-state registration fees (fees to attend conferences, teleconferences, workshops, or seminars for training on a per person basis) must be shown as a separate subtotal within the grand total for the individual employees and the agency as a whole. The list for each agency must be in rank order with the largest expenditure first and the name of the employee must be shown with each amount. Agencies should include a brief summary of the type of travel the agency incurs. The Comptroller General may provide additional information as deemed appropriate. The Comptroller General shall provide no exceptions to this report in that the information contained is not considered confidential or restricted for economic development purposes. However, further disclosure of detailed information shall be restricted as provided for by law.

117.27. (GP: School Technology Initiative) From the funds appropriated/authorized for the K-12 technology initiative, the Department of Education, in consultation with the Department of Administration, the State Library, the Educational Television Commission, and a representative from the Education Oversight Committee, shall administer the K-12 technology initiative funds. These funds are intended to provide technology, encourage effective use of technology in K-12 public schools throughout the state, conduct cost/benefit analyses of the various technologies, and should, to the maximum extent possible, involve public-private sector collaborative efforts. Funds may also be used to establish pilot projects for new technologies with selected school districts as part of the evaluation process. K-12 technology initiative funds shall be retained and carried forward to be used for the same purpose.

117.28. (GP: State-Operated Day Care Facilities Fees) Any state agency receiving funding in this act and any higher education institution, including four-year institutions, two-year institutions, and technical colleges, that operates an early childhood development center or day care facility shall charge, at a minimum, fees that are comparable to those charged by private day care facilities in the local community. The institution or agency shall not restrict enrollment in the center solely to the children of faculty, staff, and students of the institution; nor shall fees be set at a lower level for faculty, staff, or students of the institution or agency.

117.29. (GP: Base Budget Analysis) Agencies annual accountability reports for the prior fiscal year, as required in Section 1-1-810, must be accessible to the Governor, Senate Finance Committee, House Ways and Means Committee, and to the public on or before September fifteenth, for the purpose of a zero-base budget analysis and in order to ensure that the Agency Head Salary Commission has the accountability reports for use in a timely manner. Accountability Report guidelines shall require agencies to identify key program area descriptions and expenditures and link these to key financial and performance results measures. The Executive Budget Office is directed to develop a process for training agency leaders on the annual agency accountability report and its use in financial, organizational, and accountability improvement. Until performance-based funding is fully implemented and reported annually, the state supported colleges, universities and technical schools shall report in accordance with Section 59-101-350.

117.30. (GP: Collection on Dishonored Payments) In lieu of any other provision of law, any state agency may collect a service charge as provided in Section 34-11-70 to cover the costs associated with the processing and collection of dishonored instruments or electronic payments where any amount is not paid by the drawee due to insufficient funds on deposit with the bank or the person upon which it was drawn when presented, or the instrument has an incorrect or insufficient signature on it. Such funds shall be retained and expended by the agency in accordance with this purpose and any unused amount shall carry forward to the following fiscal year.

117.31. (GP: State DNA Database) Funds collected by the South Carolina Department of Corrections, the Department of Probation, Parole and Pardon, and Department of Juvenile Justice to process DNA samples must be remitted to the State Law Enforcement Division to offset the expenses incurred to operate the State DNA Database program. SLED may retain, expend, and carry forward these funds. Any carry forward funds resulting from the DNA Database program must be used solely to operate the DNA Database program.

117.32. (GP: Voluntary Separation Incentive Program) State agencies may implement, in consultation with the Department of Administration, a program to realign resources to include provisions for a separation incentive payment for employees which may include the employer portion of health and dental benefits not to exceed one year. Employees participating in such program shall be considered to have voluntarily quit their employment without good cause and be subject to the provisions of Section 41-35-120(1) of the South Carolina Employment Security Law. Any program developed under this provision will involve voluntary participation from employees and will be funded within existing appropriations. The program must be approved by the agency head and the Director of the Human Resources Division based on ability to demonstrate recurring cost savings for realignment and/or permanent downsizing. State agencies shall report the prior years results to the Department of Administration by August fifteenth, of the current fiscal year. The Department of Administration, upon request, shall report to the Senate Finance Committee and the House Ways and Means Committee on these results.

117.33. (GP: Debt Collection Reports) Each state agency shall provide to the Chairmen of the Senate Finance and House of Representatives Ways and Means Committees and the Inspector General a report detailing the amount of its outstanding debt and all methods it has used to collect that debt. This report is due by the last day of February for the previous calendar year. For purposes of this provision, outstanding debt means a sum remaining due and owed to a state agency by a nongovernmental entity for more than sixty calendar days.

117.34. (GP: State-Funded Libraries - Web Filters) (A) A library receiving state funds, directly, indirectly, by grant, or otherwise, other than a library at an institution of higher learning, that has computers available for use by the public or students, or both, must equip these computers with software incorporating web-filtering technology designed to eliminate or reduce the ability of the computer to access sites displaying pornographic pictures or text. However, up to ten percent, and at least one, of the librarys computers must be unfiltered. Each librarys governing officials shall determine the physical location of any unfiltered computer(s). The library also must have a written policy providing sanctions against a person who instructs or demonstrates to another person how to bypass this web-filtering technology.

(B) State funds intended for a library not in compliance with subsection (A) must be reduced by fifty percent. Funds resulting from this reduction must be distributed among other libraries that are in compliance with subsection (A).

117.35. (GP: Tobacco Settlement Funds Carry Forward) State agencies are hereby authorized to retain and carry forward any unexpended Tobacco Settlement Agreement funds from the prior fiscal year into the current fiscal year and to expend such funds for the same purpose.

117.36. (GP: Use Tax Exemption) For the current fiscal year there is exempt from the use tax imposed pursuant to Chapter 36, Title 12 of the 1976 Code the sales price of tangible personal property purchased for use in private primary and secondary schools, including kindergartens and early childhood education programs, which are exempt from income taxes pursuant to Section 501(c)(3) of the Internal Revenue Code. For the purposes of this item, the Internal Revenue Code means Internal Revenue Code as described in Section 12-6-40 of the 1976 Code. This exemption applies for sales occurring after 1995. No refund is due any taxpayer of use tax paid on sales exempted by this paragraph.

117.37. (GP: Personal Property Tax Relief Fund) If the Personal Property Tax Exemption Sales Tax is imposed in a county and a sales tax rate of two percent of gross proceeds of sales is insufficient to offset the property tax not collected, sufficient amounts must be credited to the Trust Fund for Tax Relief established pursuant to Section 11-11-150 of the 1976 Code to provide the reimbursement to offset such a shortfall in the manner provided in Section 4-10-540(A) of the 1976 Code.

117.38. (GP: COG Annual Report) Each Council of Government shall submit a report to the Senate Finance Committee and the House Ways and Means Committee by December first each year describing how the funds which they received from the State in the prior fiscal year were expended.

117.39. (GP: South Carolina Recycling Initiative) To protect the public health and safety, protect and preserve the environment of this State, and to recover resources which have the potential for usefulness in the most environmentally safe, economically feasible and cost effective manner, state agencies shall purchase recycled iron and steel unless the item cannot be acquired competitively at a reasonable price.

117.40. (GP: Life and Palmetto Fellows Scholarships Waiver Exemption) Any provision in permanent law or in Part IB, Section 117 of this act, except that which is specified for LIFE and Palmetto Fellows Scholarships, that would require general fund appropriations other than what is specified in Part IA of this act is waived for the current fiscal year.

117.41. (GP: Sole Source Procurements) The State Fiscal Accountability Authority shall evaluate and determine whether the written determinations, explanations, and basis for sole source procurements, pursuant to South Carolina Code Section 11-35-1560, and emergency procurements, pursuant to South Carolina Code Section 11-35-1570, are legitimate and valid reasons for awarding noncompetitive contracts.

117.42. (GP: Parking Fees) State agencies shall not impose additional parking fees or increases in current fees for state employees during the current fiscal year. This provision does not apply to any college or university.

117.43. (GP: Facility Rental Fee) The Governors School for the Arts and Humanities, Governors School for Science and Mathematics, Wil Lou Gray Opportunity School, and the Governors School for Agriculture at John de la Howe are authorized to charge, collect, expend and carry forward fees charged for facility and equipment rental and registration.

117.44. (GP: Insurance Claims) Any insurance reimbursement to an agency may be used to offset expenses related to the claim. These funds may be retained, expended, and carried forward.

117.45. (GP: Organizational Charts) All agencies, departments and institutions of state government shall furnish to the Human Resources Division (1) a current personnel organizational chart annually no later than September first of the current fiscal year, or upon the request of the division and (2) notification of any change to the agencys organizational structure which impacts an employees grievance rights within thirty days of such change. The organizational chart shall be in a form prescribed by the Human Resources Division showing all authorized positions, class title, class code, position number and indications as to whether such positions are filled or vacant. In addition, the organizational chart shall clearly identify those employees who are exempt from the State Employee Grievance Procedure Act.

117.46. (GP: Agencies Affected by Restructuring) Upon restructuring of state agencies by the General Assembly the Department of Administration is directed to work with affected State agencies in order to phase-in operations of restructured organizations during the current fiscal year. Restructured organizations should be operating entirely under the revised structure no later than December thirty-first, of the current fiscal year, unless otherwise directed by law. The department is further directed to work with the affected agencies in order to identify and facilitate the transfer of any portion of their operations, including transfer of funds during the current fiscal year, which is affected by the restructured organization adopted by the General Assembly, but which has not already been accomplished herein. Until sufficient changes can be made to the States accounting system and the appointment of appropriate agency heads, the Comptroller General and the State Treasurer shall allow those agencies affected by restructuring to continue processing documents within the account structure existing on June thirtieth, of the prior fiscal year. Restructured agencies shall make all the necessary accounting adjustments to complete the transition to the new account structure as soon as possible, but no later than December thirty-first, of the current fiscal year, unless otherwise directed by law. The Executive Budget Office is directed to prepare the subsequent detail budget to conform Part IA and corresponding provisos in this act to any restructuring changes that are ratified.

117.47. (GP: Agency Administrative Support Collaboration) It is the intent of the General Assembly that state agencies continue to actively pursue cost savings measures through collaborative efforts and where feasible may combine administrative support functions with other agencies in order to maximize efficiency and effectiveness.

117.48. (GP: Assessment Audit / Crime Victim Funds) If the State Auditor finds that any county treasurer, municipal treasurer, county clerk of court, magistrate, or municipal court has not properly allocated revenue generated from court fines, fines, and assessments to the crime victim funds or has not properly expended crime victim funds, pursuant to Sections 14-1-206(B) and (D), 14-1-207(B) and (D), 14-1-208(B) and (D), and 14-1-211(B) of the 1976 Code, the State Auditor shall notify the State Department of Crime Victim Compensation. The State Department of Crime Victim Compensation is authorized to conduct an audit which shall include both a programmatic review and financial audit of any entity or nonprofit organization receiving victim assistance funding based on the referrals from the State Auditor or complaints of a specific nature received by the State Department of Crime Victim Compensation to ensure that crime victim funds are expended in accordance with the law. Guidelines for the expenditure of these funds shall be developed by the Victim Services Coordinating Council. The Victim Services Coordinating Council shall develop these guidelines to ensure any expenditure which meets the parameters of Article 15, Chapter 3, Title 16 is an allowable expenditure. Any local entity or nonprofit organization that receives funding from revenue generated from crime victim funds is required to submit their budget for the expenditure of these funds to the State Department of Crime Victim Compensation within thirty days of the budgets approval by the governing body of the entity or nonprofit organization. Failure to comply with this provision shall cause the State Department of Crime Victim Compensation to initiate a programmatic review and a financial audit of the entitys or nonprofit organizations expenditures of victim assistance funds. Additionally, the Department of Crime Victim Compensation will place the name of the noncompliant entity or nonprofit organization on their website where it shall remain until such time as they are in compliance with the terms of this proviso. Any entity or nonprofit organization receiving victim assistance funding must cooperate and provide expenditure/program data requested by the State Department of Crime Victim Compensation. If the State Department of Crime Victim Compensation finds an error, the entity or nonprofit organization has ninety days to rectify the error. An error constitutes an entity or nonprofit organization spending victim assistance funding on unauthorized items as determined by the State Department of Crime Victim Compensation. If the entity or nonprofit organization fails to cooperate with the programmatic review and financial audit or to rectify the error within ninety days, the State Department of Crime Victim Compensation shall assess and collect a penalty in the amount of the unauthorized expenditure plus $1,500 against the entity or nonprofit organization for improper expenditures. This penalty plus $1,500 must be paid within thirty days of the notification by the State Department of Crime Victim Compensation to the entity or nonprofit organization that they are in noncompliance with the provisions of this proviso. All penalties received by the State Department of Crime Victim Compensation shall be credited to the General Fund of the State. If the penalty is not received by the State Department of Crime Victim Compensation within thirty days of the notification, the political subdivision will deduct the amount of the penalty from the entity or nonprofit organizations subsequent fiscal year appropriation.

117.49. (GP: H.L. Hunley Museum Location) The General Assembly approves the Patriots Point Development Authority as the permanent site of the H.L. Hunley Museum. This approval is contingent upon the negotiation and execution of necessary contracts between the State of South Carolina and the Patriots Point Development Authority. The Hunley Commission is directed to expend funds from its account to negotiate and execute contracts on behalf of the State of South Carolina.

117.50. (GP: Secure Juvenile Confinement) The Attorney General shall review the interpretation of the current policies of the Department of Public Safety and the Department of Corrections regarding secure juvenile confinement that the departments indicate may jeopardize federal grant funds. The departments may not implement any changes to the current policies regarding secure juvenile confinement until the Attorney General considers the departments interpretation of the federal Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention Act in regard to the secure holding of juveniles for more than six hours in adult detention facilities that also serve as forty-eight-hour juvenile holdover facilities. The Attorney General will determine if the departments interpretation is fair and equitable and how the local governments and the Department of Juvenile Justice would be impacted, to include any financial considerations.

117.51. (GP: ISCEDC Funding Transfer) The departments of Mental Health, Disabilities and Special Needs, and Juvenile Justice are directed to transfer a total of $1,199,456 in funds to the Department of Social Services for the support of the Interagency System for Caring for Emotionally Disturbed Children. Funding transfers shall be in the following amounts: Department of Mental Health - $595,000, Department of Disabilities and Special Needs - $379,456, and Department of Juvenile Justice - $225,000. The transfer of funds shall be accomplished by September thirtieth of the current fiscal year.

117.52. (GP: Employee Bonuses) State agencies and institutions are allowed to spend state, federal, and other sources of revenue to provide selected employees lump sum bonuses, not to exceed three thousand dollars per year, based on objective guidelines established by the Department of Administration. Payment of these bonuses is not a part of the employees base salary and is not earnable compensation for purposes of employee and employer contributions to respective retirement systems. The employing agency must report this information on or before August thirty-first of each year and must include the total amount and source of the bonus received by the employee during the preceding fiscal year (July first through June thirtieth). The Human Resources Division of the Department of Administration shall formulate policies and procedures to ensure compliance with the reporting provisions of this proviso. Copies of the reports shall be made available to the Chairman of the Senate Finance Committee and the Chairman of the House Ways and Means Committee, upon request.

117.53. (GP: FEMA Flexibility) Any appropriation designated as the state share for a federally declared disaster may be carried forward and used for the same purpose by the Emergency Management Division of the Adjutant Generals Office in the event of additional federally declared disasters. Unallocated funds from established state accounts may be used as the state share in any federally declared disaster. These funds may also be used during a Governors state of emergency to augment existing state appropriations of the South Carolina Emergency Management Division (SCEMD). When these funds are used during a Governors state of emergency, the allocation of those funds following the event will be determined by the Governor based on the recommendation of the Adjutant General and the Director of the South Carolina Emergency Management Division.

In the event there is a federally declared disaster and state match funds are unavailable, the State Fiscal Accountability Authority may borrow from any internal account or accounts necessary to maximize federal matching funds through the Emergency Management Division. Any such borrowing must be reported to the General Assembly within five days. Funds borrowed from accounts shall be replenished by the General Assembly as soon as practicable.

117.54. (GP: Respiratory Syncytial Virus Prescription Sales and Use Tax Exemption) The effective date of the exemption from sales and use tax of prescription medicines used to prevent respiratory syncytial virus shall be January 1, 1999. No refund of sales and use taxes may be claimed as a result of this provision.

117.55. (GP: Year-End Financial Statements - Penalties) Agencies, institutions, and other reporting entities required to submit annual audited financial statements for inclusion in the States Annual Comprehensive Financial Report must submit final audited financial statements to the Comptroller General not later than October first for those with fiscal year-end June thirtieth. The South Carolina Retirement Systems, Insurance Benefits, and Other Post-Employment Benefits Trust Funds administered by the South Carolina Public Employee Benefit Authority must submit their final audited financial statements no later than October fifteenth. For institutions and reporting entities with fiscal year-ends other than June thirtieth, final audited financial statements must be submitted to the Comptroller General within 120 days of that fiscal year-end. The Comptroller General shall provide a written report of each agency, institution, or other reporting entity not in compliance with this provision to the State Fiscal Accountability Authority by November thirtieth.

117.56. (GP: Purchase Card Incentive Rebates) In addition to the Purchase Card Rebate deposited in the general fund, any incentive rebate premium received by an agency from the Purchase Card Program may be retained and used by the agency to support its operations.

117.57. (GP: Sex Offender Monitoring and Supervision) The funds appropriated to the Department of Probation, Parole and Pardon Services in Part IA, Section 66, Program II.A.2. for the Sex Offender Monitoring Program and to the Department of Juvenile Justice in Part IA, Section 67, Program III.A. Special Item: Sex Offender Monitoring are to be used and expended only for GPS monitoring programs of the departments. In cases of limited funds, monitoring of Jessies Law offenders shall take precedence over all other GPS programs of the departments. Funds appropriated for this program may not be used for any other purpose or transferred to any other program. Unexpended funds appropriated for Sex Offender Monitoring may be carried forward and used for the same purpose. The departments are directed to submit a report to the General Assembly by January fifteenth each year accounting for the expenditure of the funds including any carry-forward funding; the total costs and per-day costs for equipment, supervision, and monitoring; the total number of staff assigned to the activity and the average agent caseloads; the amount of funds collected from sex offenders for both intensive supervision and electronic monitoring; and the anticipated fiscal needs for the upcoming fiscal year. The report shall also include, but not be limited to, data regarding the number of offenders sentenced to electronic monitoring, including the number sentenced for life; the number of alert notifications received, investigated, and prosecuted; and the number of offenders returned to prison as a result of electronic monitoring violations.

117.58. (GP: Viscosupplementation Therapies Sales and Use Tax Exemption) For the current fiscal year only, sales and use taxes on viscosupplementation therapies shall be suspended. No refund or forgiveness of tax may be claimed as a result of this provision.

117.59. (GP: CID & PCC Agency Head Salaries) All hiring salaries and salary increases for the agency heads of the Commission on Indigent Defense and the Prosecution Coordination Commission shall be subject to all provisions related to agency heads covered by the Agency Head Salary Commission.

117.60. (GP: Prosecutors and Defenders Public Service Incentive Program) The Office of Attorney General, the Commission on Prosecution Coordination, and the Commission on Indigent Defense shall develop and implement a Prosecutors and Defenders Public Service Incentive Program for attorneys employed by the Office of Attorney General, the Commission on Prosecution Coordination, the Commission on Indigent Defense, a Circuit Solicitors Office or a Circuit Public Defenders Office.

After more than three years of continuous service as a full-time attorney with any of these entities, qualifying attorneys may be reimbursed up to $1,000 for payments made in the prior calendar year on outstanding law school loans. Reimbursements for law school loan payments may be increased by up to $1,000 for each additional year of continuous service; however, such reimbursements shall not exceed $5,000 in any year. The amount of law school loan payment reimbursement in any calendar year shall not exceed the amount of principal and interest paid on the loan in the prior calendar year. Reimbursements under the program may continue until all outstanding law school loans are satisfied; however, such reimbursements shall not exceed $40,000 per qualifying attorney. Reimbursements shall be adjusted if necessary so as not to exceed appropriations for the program.

The Prosecutors and Defenders Public Service Incentive Program must be administered by the Commission on Prosecution Coordination, which shall pay for the cost of administration within the funds appropriated.

The Office of Attorney General, the Commission on Prosecution Coordination, and the Commission on Indigent Defense shall each compile a report that includes, but is not limited to, the number of applicants and the impact of the program on attracting and retaining attorneys. The Commission on Prosecution Coordination shall also compile a report that includes, but is not limited to, the cost of administering the program as well as the amount of reimbursements per agency or entity. Such reports shall be submitted to the Senate Finance Committee and the House Ways and Means Committee by April first.

Unexpended program funds from the prior fiscal year may be carried forward into the current fiscal year to be used for the same purpose.

117.61. (GP: Attorney Dues) Agencies and offices of the State of South Carolina that employ attorneys are authorized, if they so decide, to use other appropriated funds, including General Fund carry forward funds, to pay the costs of mandatory dues owed to the South Carolina Bar Association.

117.62. (GP: Critical Employee Recruitment and Retention) State agencies are allowed to spend state, federal, and other sources of revenue to provide lump sum bonuses to aid in recruiting and retaining workers in critical needs jobs which provide services that directly impact the health, safety, and welfare of the public. The employee bonus amount shall be approved by the State Human Resources Director based on State Human Resources guidelines, and shall not exceed $10,000 per year. Payment of these bonuses is not a part of the employees base salary and is not earnable compensation for purposes of employee and employer contributions to respective retirement systems. These bonuses shall, however, be considered earnings for determining if an employee who has returned to work after retirement is subject to the earning limitation imposed in either Section 9-1-1790(A)(1) or Section 9-11-(4)(a)(i).

These agencies may also provide paid educational leave for any employee in a FTE position deemed critical by the Department of Administration to attend class while enrolled in degree programs that are related to the agencys mission. All such leave is at the agency heads discretion.

These agencies may enter into an agreement with individuals employed in critical needs positions to repay them for their outstanding student loans associated with completion of a relevant degree. Agencies may pay these employees up to twenty percent or $7,500, whichever is less, of their outstanding student loan each year over a five-year period. Payments will be made directly to the employee at the end of each year of employment. The agency will be responsible for verifying the principal balance of the employees student loan prior to issuing payments.

Agencies are also authorized to allow tuition reimbursement from a maximum of ten credit hours per semester; allow probationary employees to participate in tuition programs; and provide tuition prepayment instead of tuition reimbursement for employees willing to pursue a degree in a healthcare program. An agency may pay up to fifty percent of an employees tuition through tuition prepayment. The remaining tuition could be reimbursed to the employee after successful completion of the class.

The Department of Administration shall approve of the designation of critical needs positions applicable to this provision using guidelines that include, but are not limited to: 1) the difficulty recruiting for the positions as reflected by data such as the vacancy rate maintained, the average time to fill, the lack of sufficient qualified applicants, and other objective factors; 2) the difficulty retaining employees in the positions as shown by turnover data; 3) justification by the state agency that the position is critical to the core mission of the agency and directly impacts the health, safety and welfare of the public; and 4) assurances from the state agency that there are sufficient existing funds available to pay for items under this provision.

Healthcare employees in approved critical needs positions working on a practicum or required clinical experience towards completion of a healthcare degree may be allowed to complete these requirements at their state agency or another state agency at the discretion of the agency head. This field placement at another state agency may be considered work time for participating employees.

State agencies must report to the Department of Administration by August 31st of each year any expenditure under this provision. The Department of Administration shall compile a report of the responses and submit them to the Chairman of the Senate Finance Committee and the Chairman of the House Ways and Means Committee by October 1st of each year.

117.63. (GP: Governors Budget Certification) The annual Executive Budget proposed by the Governor must be certified by the Director of the Revenue and Fiscal Affairs Office or his designee in the same manner as the House Ways and Means and Senate Finance Committee versions of the budget bill are certified.

117.64. (GP: Voluntary Furlough) Agency heads may institute a voluntary employee furlough program of not more than ninety days per fiscal year. During this voluntary furlough, the state employees shall be entitled to participate in the same state benefits as otherwise available to them except for receiving their salaries. As to those benefits which require employer and employee contributions, the state agencies, institutions and departments will be responsible for making both employer and employee contributions if coverage would otherwise be interrupted; and as to those benefits which require only employee contributions, the employee remains solely responsible for making those contributions. In the event an agencys reduction is due solely to the General Assembly transferring or deleting a program, this provision does not apply.

117.65. (GP: Governors Security Detail) The State Law Enforcement Division, the Department of Public Safety, and the Department of Natural Resources shall provide a security detail to the Governor in a manner agreed to by the State Law Enforcement Division, the Department of Public Safety, the Department of Natural Resources, and the Office of Governor. Reimbursement to the State Law Enforcement Division, the Department of Public Safety, and the Department of Natural Resources to offset the cost of the security detail for the Governor shall be made in an amount agreed to by the State Law Enforcement Division, the Department of Public Safety, the Department of Natural Resources, and the Office of Governor from funds appropriated to the Office of Governor for this purpose. Law enforcement officers assigned to security detail for the Governor shall only perform services related to security and shall not provide any unrelated service during the assignment.

117.66. (GP: Reduction in Force Antidiscrimination) In the event of a reduction in force implemented by a state agency or institution, the state agency or institution must comply with Title VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1964 or any other applicable federal or state antidiscrimination laws.

117.67. DELETED

117.68. (GP: Printed Report Requirements) (A) For the current fiscal year, state supported institutions of higher learning shall not be required to submit printed reports mandated by Sections 2-47-40, 2-47-50, and 59-103-110 of the 1976 Code, and shall instead only submit the documents electronically.

Submission of the plans or reports required by Sections 59-101-350, 59-103-30, 59-103-45(4), and 59-103-160(D) shall be waived for the current fiscal year, except institutions of higher learning must continue to report student pass rates on professional examinations, and data elements otherwise required for the Commission on Higher Education Management Information System. The commission, in consultation with institutions, shall take further action to reduce data reporting burdens as possible.

(B) For the current fiscal year, the Department of Agriculture shall not be required to submit printed reports mandated by Section 46-49-10 of the 1976 Code. The department shall provide these reports electronically and shall use any monetary savings for K5-12 agricultural education programs.

(C) For the current fiscal year, the Department of Health and Human Services shall not be required to provide printed copies of the Medicaid Annual Report required pursuant to Section 44-6-80 of the 1976 Code and shall instead only submit the documents electronically.

(D) For the current fiscal year, the Department of Transportation shall not be required to submit printed reports or publications mandated by Sections 1-11-58, 2-47-55, and 58-17-1450 of the 1976 Code.

The Department of Transportation may combine their Annual Report and Mass Transit Report into their Annual Accountability Report.

117.69. (GP: IMD Operations) The Department of Health and Human Services shall produce an annual report on Medicaid-funded out-of-home placements and associated expenditures which shall be provided to the Chairman of the Senate Finance Committee, Chairman of the House Ways and Means Committee, and the Governor no later than November first each year.

117.70. (GP: Fines and Fees Report) In order to promote accountability and transparency, each state agency must provide and release to the public via the agencys website, a report of all aggregate amounts of fines and fees that were charged and collected by that state agency in the prior fiscal year. The report shall include, but not be limited to: (1) the code section, regulation, or proviso that authorized the fines and fees to be charged, collected, or received; (2) the amount of the fine or fee; (3) the amount received by source; (4) the purpose for which the funds were expended by the agency; (5) the amount of funds transferred to the general fund, if applicable, and the authority by which the transfer took place; and (6) the amount of funds transferred to another entity, if applicable, and the authority by which the transfer took place, as well as the name of the entity to which the funds were transferred. The report must be posted online by September first. Additionally, the report must be delivered to the Chairman of the Senate Finance Committee and the Chairman of the House Ways and Means Committee by September first. Funds appropriated to and/or authorized for use by each state agency shall be used to accomplish this directive.

117.71. (GP: Mandatory Furlough) In a fiscal year in which the general funds appropriated for a state agency are less than the general funds appropriated for that agency in the prior fiscal year, or whenever the General Assembly or the Executive Budget Office implements a midyear across-the-board budget reduction, and agency heads institute a mandatory employee furlough program, in determining which employees must participate in the program, agency heads should give consideration to furloughs for contract employees, post-TERI employees, and TERI employees before other employees. During this mandatory furlough, the state employees shall be entitled to participate in the same state benefits as otherwise available to them except for receiving their salaries. As to those benefits which require employer and employee contributions, the state agencies, institutions, and departments will be responsible for making both employer and employee contributions if coverage would otherwise be interrupted; and as to those benefits which require only employee contributions, the employee remains solely responsible for making those contributions. In the event an agencys reduction is due solely to the General Assembly transferring or deleting a program, this provision does not apply.

117.72. (GP: Reduction In Force) In a fiscal year in which the general funds appropriated for a state agency are less than the general funds appropriated for that agency in the prior fiscal year, or whenever the General Assembly or the Executive Budget Office implements a midyear across-the-board budget reduction, and agency heads must make reductions in force, agency heads should give consideration to reductions of contract employees, post-TERI employees, and TERI employees before other employees. In the event an agencys reduction is due solely to the General Assembly transferring or deleting a program, this provision does not apply.

117.73. (GP: Cost Savings When Filling Vacancies Created by Retirements) During the current fiscal year, whenever classified FTEs become vacant because of employee retirements, it is the intent of the General Assembly that state agencies should realize personnel costs savings of at least twenty-five percent in the aggregate when managing these vacant positions. Prior to filling a classified FTE which has become vacant because of a retirement, an agency must review and determine the appropriate salary for the position as well as determine whether the agency can manage without filling the position or by delay in filling the position. Prior to filling the vacant FTE, agencies must follow all laws and regulations concerning posting and competitive solicitation and consideration of applicants. No agency shall enter into any agreement with any employee that violates the terms of this proviso.

117.74. (GP: Information Technology for Health Care) From the funds appropriated and authorized to the Department of Health and Human Services, the department shall advance the use of health information technology and health information exchange to improve quality and efficiency of health care by creating the capability of moving clinical information among different health care information systems.

The department shall procure, contract, and/or otherwise enter into agreements that it deems to be in furtherance of the recommendations of the Health Information Exchange Strategy Development Committee established pursuant to Act 94 of 2021 or other initiative it deems appropriate to facilitate the useful exchange of health information. Such initiatives may include allowing health care providers to appropriately access and securely share patient medical information, collecting statewide data on critical assets and workforce capacities, and implementing a Medicaid encounter notification system. Any systems should focus on providing connectivity to health care providers while minimizing administrative burden and allowing health care providers to maintain existing electronic health systems. The department shall incorporate measures to ensure that the confidentiality, integrity, and availability of patient data is always safeguarded and protected in accordance with state and federal laws. The department shall coordinate its efforts with the Department of Health and Environmental Control and other stakeholders the department deems appropriate.

117.75. (GP: Broadband Spectrum Lease) The General Assembly must approve any exercise of the Middle Band Segment Channel recapture provisions contained in the Educational Broadband Service Spectrum Lease Agreements if the exercise of the recapture provisions would result in a decrease in payments received by the State. The Educational Television Commission assumes management and administration of the lease and receives lease payments directly. The Educational Television Commission shall retain and expend funds received pursuant to the lease for agency operations. The commission shall be authorized to carry forward unexpended funds from the prior fiscal year into the current fiscal year. In the event of a default by the current lease holder, the Educational Television Commission is authorized to use contingent funds up until such time as a new lease can be negotiated by the State and the Educational Television Commission.

117.76. (GP: Reduction in Compensation) For the current fiscal year, no state agency or political subdivision of this state may decrease the compensation of an employee, including dismissal, suspension, or demotion, solely because the employee gave sworn testimony regarding alleged wrongdoing to a standing committee, subcommittee of a standing committee, or study committee of the Senate or the House of Representatives. This proviso shall apply regardless of when the alleged wrongdoing occurred.

117.77. (GP: Deficit Monitoring) It is the responsibility of each state agency, department, and institution to operate within the limits of its authorized appropriations. All agencies, departments, and institutions are to budget, allocate and manage its authorized appropriations in a way to avoid an operating deficit for the fiscal year.

If at the end of each quarterly deficit monitoring review by the Executive Budget Office, it is determined by either the Executive Budget Office or a state agency, department, or institution that the likelihood of a deficit for the current fiscal year exists, the state agency shall notify the General Assembly within fifteen days of this determination and shall further request the Executive Budget Office to work with it to develop a plan to avoid the deficit. Within fifteen days of the deficit avoidance plan being completed, the Executive Budget Office shall either request the General Assembly to recognize the deficit if it determines the deficit avoidance plan will not be sufficient to avoid a deficit or notify the General Assembly of how the deficit will be avoided based on the deficit avoidance plan if the Executive Budget Office determines the plan will be sufficient to avoid a deficit.

Upon notification from the Executive Budget Office that an agency will run a deficit and requesting that it be recognized, the General Assembly, by joint resolution, may make a finding that the cause of, or likelihood of, a deficit is unavoidable due to factors which are outside the control of the state agency, department, or institution, and recognize the deficit. Any legislation to recognize a deficit must be in a separate joint resolution enacted for the sole purpose of recognizing the deficit of a particular state agency, department, or institution. A deficit may only be recognized by an affirmative vote of each branch of the General Assembly.

If the General Assembly recognizes the deficit, then the actual deficit at the close of the fiscal year must be reduced as necessary from surplus revenues or surplus funds available at the close of the fiscal year in which the deficit occurs and from funds available in the General Reserve Fund and the Capital Reserve Fund, as required by the Constitution of this State.

Once a deficit has been recognized by the General Assembly, the state agency, department, or institution shall limit travel and conference attendance to that which is deemed essential by the director of the agency, department, or institution. In addition, the General Assembly, when recognizing a deficit may direct that any pay increases and purchases of equipment and vehicles must be approved by the Executive Budget Office.

117.78. (GP: Commuting Costs) State government employees who use a permanently assigned agency or state-owned vehicle to commute from their permanently assigned work location to and from the employees home must reimburse the agency in which they are employed for commuting use in accordance with IRS regulations based on guidance from the Office of Comptroller General which must use the Cents per mile Rule, unless they are exempted from such reimbursement by applicable IRS regulations. These permanently assigned vehicles must be clearly marked as a state or agency vehicle through the use of permanent state-government license plates and either state or agency seal decals unless the vehicle is used primarily in undercover operations. This requirement does not apply to a vehicle used by an employee for the purpose of a special travel assignment, for active certified law enforcement officers authorized to carry firearms, execute warrants, and make arrests, for Constitutional Officers, or for Department of Transportation employees on call for emergency maintenance.

117.79. (GP: Bank Account Transparency and Accountability) Each state agency, except state institutions of higher learning, which has composite reservoir bank accounts or any other accounts containing public funds which are not included in the Comptroller Generals South Carolina Enterprise Information System shall prepare a report for each account disclosing every transaction of the account in the prior fiscal year. The report shall be submitted to the State Fiscal Accountability Authority by October first of each fiscal year. The report shall include the name(s) and title(s) of each person authorized to sign checks or make withdrawals from each account, the name and title of each person responsible for reconciling each account, the beginning and year-end balance of funds in each account, and data related to both deposits and expenditures of each account. The report shall include, but not be limited to, the date, amount, and source of each deposit transaction and the date, name of the payee, the transaction amount, and a description of the goods or services purchased for each expenditure transaction. To facilitate review, the State Fiscal Accountability Authority shall prescribe a common format for the report which agencies must use. In order to promote accountability and transparency, a link to the report shall be posted on the Comptroller Generals website as well as the agencys homepage.

When the State Auditor conducts or contracts for an audit of a state agency, accounts of the agency subject to this proviso must be included as part of the review.

If an agency determines that the release of the information required in this provision would be detrimental to the state or the agency, the agency may petition the State Fiscal Accountability Authority to grant the agency an exemption from the reporting requirements for the detrimental portion. The meeting to determine whether an exemption should be granted shall be closed. However, the exemption may only be granted upon a majority vote of the State Fiscal Accountability Authority in a public meeting.

117.80. (GP: Websites) All agencies, departments, and institutions of state government shall be responsible for providing on its Internet website a link to the Internet website of any agency, other than the individual agency, department, or institution, that posts on its Internet website that agency, department, or institutions monthly state procurement card statements or monthly reports containing all or substantially all the same information contained in the monthly state procurement card statements. The link must be to the specific webpage or section on the website of the agency where the state procurement card information for the state agency, department, or institution can be found. The information posted may not contain the state procurement card number. Any information that is expressly prohibited from public disclosure by federal or state law or regulation must be redacted from any posting required by this section.

117.81. (GP: Regulations) For the current fiscal year, if a state agency proposes a regulation that levies or increases a fee, fine, or that otherwise generates revenues, the title to the Joint Resolution which proposes the regulation must indicate that a fee, fine, or revenue source is being proposed.

117.82. (GP: Joint Childrens Committee) For the current fiscal year, the Department of Revenue is directed to reduce the rate of interest paid on eligible refunds by one percentage point. Of the revenue resulting from this reduction, $475,000 shall be transferred to the Senate for the Joint Citizens and Legislative Committee on Children to provide the report, research, and other operating expenses as directed in Section 63-1-50 of the 1976 Code. Funds transferred to the University of South Carolina for the Joint Citizens and Legislative Committee on Children shall be maintained in a separate and distinct account. A detailed report of all expenditures shall be made to the Executive Budget Office within thirty days of the close each fiscal quarter, and the Executive Budget Office shall distribute this information to the Chairman of the Senate Finance Committee and the Chairman of the House Ways and Means Committee. The remaining revenue resulting from this reduction shall be transferred to the Department of Juvenile Justice to be used for mentoring or alternatives to incarceration programs. Unexpended funds authorized by this provision may be retained and carried forward by the Senate or the Department of Juvenile Justice, respectively, and used for the same purposes. The rate of reduction authorized in this provision shall be in addition to the reduction authorized in Proviso 41.2.

117.83. (GP: Civil Conspiracy Defense Costs) For the current fiscal year, for any claim that has not reached a judgment, if a state or local government employee or former state or local government employee (government employee) is personally sued for civil conspiracy based in part upon a personnel or employment action or decision regarding an employee, the court must, prior to trial, make a final determination whether the action or decision giving rise to the suit was made by the government employee within the scope of their official duty. If the court finds that the government employee was acting outside the scope of the employees official duties, the government shall not thereafter expend any funds to pay or defend the claim. If the court finds the government employee was acting within the scope of their official duties, the employee is immune from suit, liability, and damages with respect to the civil conspiracy claim. The government may only expend funds to defend the claim if the determination is that the employee was acting within the scope of their official duties. Nothing in this proviso prevents an insurance provider from defending and paying, respectively, any claims that the provider has contractually agreed to defend and pay.

117.84. (GP: Recovery Audits) The State Fiscal Accountability Authority shall contract with one or more firms to conduct recovery audits of payments made by all state agencies to vendors for goods and services. The audits must be designed to detect, document, and recover overpayments and erroneous payments to the vendors and to recommend improved financial and operational practices and procedures. A state agency shall pay, from recovered monies received, the recovery audit firm responsible for obtaining for the agency a reimbursement or payment from a vendor a negotiated fee not to exceed twenty percent of the funds recovered by that firm.

Unless otherwise restricted by law, funds recovered, less the cost of recovery, shall be remitted to a special fund subject to appropriation by the General Assembly. Agencies may recover costs that are documented to be directly related to implementation of this provision.

Recovery audits apply only to payments made more than one hundred eighty days prior to the date the audit is initiated and shall cover at least three complete fiscal years.

All information provided under a contract must be treated as confidential by the recovery audit firm. A violation of this provision shall result in the forfeiture by the firm of all compensation under the contract and to the same sanctions and penalties that would apply to that disclosure.

Each state agency shall participate in this recovery audit program and shall cooperate and provide the recovery audit firm with all information necessary for the audit in a timely manner. All vendors that provide goods or services to a state agency shall cooperate with the recovery audit firm in its audit.

A state agency shall expend or return to the federal government any federal money that is recovered through a recovery audit conducted under this provision. Payments to the recovery audit firm from the federal share of recovered funds shall be solely from the federal portion as allowed by the federal agency.

In addition to performing the recovery audits, the recovery audit firm may conduct an analysis of contracts and pricing structures, as determined and directed by the Executive Director of the State Fiscal Accountability Authority or her or his designee, to identify and recommend future cost-savings and improved state agency financial operations going forward. A state agency shall pay the recovery audit firm responsible for obtaining the agency actual cost-savings a fee as authorized by the contract with the recovery audit firm.

The recovery audit firm shall provide reports to the State Fiscal Accountability Authority detailing its findings, the causes for the overpayments and erroneous payments, future cost-savings opportunities and its recommendations for strengthening state operations and/or state contracts to prevent improper payments in the future.

For purposes of this proviso, the term vendor or vendors includes, but is not limited to, sellers, suppliers, service providers, other providers, contractors and third party administrators; the term overpayments and erroneous payments includes, but is not limited to, overpayments, duplicate payments, erroneous payments, and rebates, discounts and credits not received; and the term state agency or state agencies includes all state agencies, boards, commissions, institutions and institutions of higher education.

The State Fiscal Accountability Authority shall provide copies, including electronic form copies, of final reports received from a firm under contract to: the Governor; the Chairman of the Senate Finance Committee; the Chairman of the House Ways and Means Committee; and the state auditors office. Not later than January first of each year, the board shall issue a report to the General Assembly summarizing the contents of all reports received under this provision during the prior fiscal year.

117.85. (GP: Means Test) All agencies providing Healthcare Services are directed to identify standards and criteria for means testing on all programs provided, where allowed by Federal guidelines. Once a consistent criteria has been established within an agency, they shall implement their respective plans. Each agency shall report all criteria and fiscal data to the Chairman of the Senate Finance Committee and to the Chairman of the House Ways and Means Committee no later than January first.

117.86. (GP: Agency Reduction Management) The General Assembly encourages state agencies, in the event agencies are assessed a base reduction, to endeavor to realize savings through: (1) payroll management, including, but not limited to, furloughs, reductions in employee compensation, and instituting a hiring freeze; (2) eliminate administrative overhead cost that does not directly impact the agencys mission; and as a final option (3) reductions to programmatic funding.

117.87. (GP: WIOA Service Advertising) For the current fiscal year, the Workforce Development Boards may promote outreach for their services via billboard, bus placard, newspapers, or radio in all workforce development areas. This outreach may not be limited to e-mail, online, or other internet-based outreach, publicity, or other promotions. Workforce development boards must adhere to all state procurement policies and procedures when utilizing outreach for the services provided by the Workforce Innovation and Opportunity Act.

117.88. (GP: WIOA Training Marketability Evaluation) (A) For the current fiscal year, the Department of Employment and Workforce shall submit a report that demonstrates how funds were expended in the prior fiscal year to provide marketable work skills training. The report shall include, but not be limited to the total number of local training recipients, a description of the training area in which each recipient participated, and the number and percentage of participants in each training area that, upon completion of training, have become employed in the field in which they were trained. The report shall be submitted to the Chairman of the Senate Finance Committee, the Chairman of the Senate Labor, Commerce and Industry Committee, the Chairman of the House Ways and Means Committee, and the Chairman of the House Labor, Commerce and Industry Committee on or before December sixteenth.

(B) Also, the report must specifically describe any restructuring or realignment of agency functions, and any changes in staffing levels or service. The report must detail information on employees terminated, hired, re-hired, reassigned, or reclassified by program area and location. Further, the report must describe efforts made by the agency to reassign or retrain employees who were terminated for positions for which the department hired new employees.

117.89. (GP: Victims Assistance Transfer) The Department of Corrections shall transfer $20,500 each month to the Office of Attorney General for distribution through the State Victims Assistance Program.

117.90. (GP: DOC & PPP Potential Consolidation Plan) From the funds appropriated to the Department of Corrections and the Department of Probation, Parole and Pardon Services, the directors of the departments may collaborate and develop a plan to consolidate the functions of the departments.

117.91. (GP: USC Greenville Medical School) It is the intent of the General Assembly that during the current fiscal year, no general funds shall be appropriated for the new medical school at the University of South Carolina in Greenville. In addition, no state funds may be transferred from state earmarked or restricted funds held by the University of South Carolina to the medical school except for grants, contributions, contractual payments, and tuition and required fees for students attending the new medical school at the University of South Carolina in Greenville that are specifically designated for the medical school at the University of South Carolina in Greenville.

117.92. (GP: BabyNet Quarterly Reports) The School for the Deaf and Blind, the Department of Disabilities and Special Needs, the Department of Health and Human Services, and the Department of Mental Health shall each provide on a common template, a quarterly report to the Chairman of the House Ways and Means Committee and the Chairman of Senate Finance outlining all programs provided by them for BabyNet; all federal funds received and expended on BabyNet and all state funds expended on BabyNet. Each entity and agency shall report on its share of the states ongoing maintenance of effort as defined by the US Department of Education under IDEA Part C.

117.93. (GP: Single Audit Schedule of Federal Expenditures) To ensure timely completion of the of the Statewide Single Audit, state agencies which do not receive a separate audit of federal expenditures, must submit to the Office of the State Auditor a schedule of federal program expenditures in a format prescribed by the Office of the State Auditor, no later than August fifteenth of each year.

117.94. (GP: Prohibits Local Government Fund Public Funded Lobbyists) All local governmental entities including, but not limited to, counties, municipalities, and associations are prohibited from using taxpayer funds received from the Local Government Fund to compensate employees for lobbying activities engaged in on behalf of such governmental entity.

117.95. (GP: Prohibit Use of State Aircraft for Athletic Recruitment) Institutions of higher learning may use the state aircraft operated by the Division of Aeronautics for the purpose of athletic recruiting, provided that they reimburse the Division of Aeronautics for all flight hours on an at cost basis, using non-general funds.

To ensure availability of the aircraft for purposes of official state business, the State Law Enforcement Division, the Department of Commerce, the Office of the Governor, the House of Representatives, and the Senate shall have first right of refusal in the event of scheduling conflicts with athletic recruiting flights.

117.96. (GP: Recreational Activities) Two counties that receive an allocation from the Local Government Fund may enter into a Memorandum of Understanding in order to provide recreational activities and projects that benefit the citizens of both counties.

117.97. (GP: Technology and Remediation) The funds appropriated to the Department of Administration for the Division of Information Security shall be used to develop and implement a statewide information security program. A portion of the nonrecurring funds may be used for enterprise technology and remediation, and distributed to state agencies to address the States most serious information security vulnerabilities as determined by the Division of Information Security and the Division of Technology Operations. Funds appropriated for Enterprise Technology and Remediation shall be excluded from the Department of Administrations base budget calculation of any across-the-board agency base reduction mandated by the Executive Budget Office or the General Assembly. Unexpended Enterprise Technology and Remediation funds may be carried forward from the prior fiscal year and used for the same purpose.

117.98. (GP: Data Breach Notification) (A) An agency of this State owning or licensing computerized data or other data that includes personal identifying information shall disclose any breach of the security of the system following discovery or notification of the breach in the security of the data to any resident of this State whose personal identifying information was, or is reasonably believed to have been, acquired by an unauthorized person. In determining whether information has been acquired, or is reasonably believed to have been acquired, by an unauthorized person or a person without valid authorization, the agency may consider the following factors, among others:

(1) indications that the information is in the physical possession and control of an unauthorized person, such as a lost or stolen computer or other device containing information;

(2) indications that the information has been viewed, downloaded, or copied; or

(3) indications that the information was used by an unauthorized person, such as fraudulent accounts opened or instances of reported identity theft.

(B) An agency maintaining computerized data or other data that includes personal identifying information that the agency does not own shall notify the owner or licensee of the information of a breach of the security of the data immediately following discovery, if the personal identifying information was, or is reasonably believed to have been, acquired by an unauthorized person.

(C) The disclosure requirements of subsections (A) and (B) must be made in the most expedient time possible and without unreasonable delay; however, the notification required by this section may be delayed if a law enforcement agency determines that the notification impedes a criminal investigation and must be made after the law enforcement agency determines that it no longer compromises the investigation. A delay in notification shall not exceed seventy-two hours after discovery, unless the agency requests and the attorney general grants, in writing, additional delays of up to seventy-two hours each upon a determination that such notification impedes a criminal investigation.

(D) For purposes of this section:

(1) Agency means any agency, department, board, commission, committee, or institution of higher learning of the State or a political subdivision of it.

(2) Breach of the security of the system means unauthorized access to and acquisition of computerized data that was not rendered unusable through encryption, redaction, or other methods that compromise the security, confidentiality, or integrity of personal identifying information maintained by the agency, when illegal use of the information has occurred or is reasonably likely to occur or use of the information creates a material risk of harm to the consumer. Good faith acquisition of personal identifying information by an employee or agent of the agency for the purposes of the agency is not a breach of the security of the system if the personal identifying information is not used or subject to further unauthorized disclosure.

(3) Consumer reporting agency means any person which, for monetary fees, dues, or on a cooperative nonprofit basis, regularly engages in whole or in part in the practice of assembling or evaluating consumer credit information or other information on consumers for the purpose of furnishing consumer reports to third parties, and which uses any means or facility of interstate commerce for the purpose of preparing or furnishing consumer reports. A list of consumer reporting agencies shall be compiled by the Department of Consumer Affairs and furnished upon request to the agency required to make a notification under this section.

(4) Personal identifying information means the first name or first initial and last name in combination with and linked to any one or more of the following data elements that relate to a resident of this State, when the data elements are neither encrypted nor redacted or when the data elements are encrypted with an encryption key and the encryption key that has also been acquired:

(a) social security number;

(b) drivers license number or state identification card number issued instead of a drivers license;

(c) financial account number, or credit card or debit card number in combination with any required security code, access code, or password that would permit access to a residents financial account; or

(d) other numbers or information which may be used to access a persons financial accounts or numbers or information issued by a governmental or regulatory entity that uniquely will identify an individual.

The term does not include information that is lawfully obtained from publicly available information, or from federal, state, or local government records lawfully made available to the general public.

(E) The notice required by this section may be provided by:

(1) written notice;

(2) electronic notice, if the agencys primary method of communication with the individual is by electronic means, the person to whom notice is required has expressly consented to receiving said notice in electronic form, or is consistent with the provisions regarding electronic records and signatures set forth in Section 7001 of Title 15 USC and Chapter 6, Title 26 of the 1976 Code;

(3) telephonic notice; or

(4) substitute notice, if the agency demonstrates that the cost of providing notice exceeds two hundred fifty thousand dollars or that the affected class of subject persons to be notified exceeds five hundred thousand or the agency has insufficient contact information. Substitute notice consists of:

(a) e-mail notice when the agency has an e-mail address for the subject persons;

(b) conspicuous posting of the notice on the agencys website page, if the agency maintains one; or

(c) notification to major statewide media.

Regardless of the method by which notice is provided, such notice shall include contact information for the agency making the notification and a description of the categories of information that were, or are reasonably believed to have been, acquired by a person without valid authorization, including specification of which of the elements of personal information and private information were, or are reasonably believed to have been, so acquired.

(F) A resident of this State who is injured by a violation of this section, in addition to and cumulative of all other rights and remedies available at law, may:

(1) institute a civil action to recover damages;

(2) seek an injunction to enforce compliance; and

(3) recover attorneys fees and court costs, if successful.

(G) An agency that knowingly and willfully violates this section is subject to an administrative fine up to one thousand dollars for each resident whose information was accessible by reason of the breach, the amount to be decided by the Department of Consumer Affairs.

(H) If the agency provides notice to more than one thousand persons at one time pursuant to this section, the agency shall notify, without unreasonable delay, the Consumer Protection Division of the Department of Consumer Affairs and all consumer reporting agencies that compile and maintain files on a nationwide basis, as defined in 15 USC Section 1681a(p), of the timing, distribution, and content of the notice.

117.99. DELETED

117.100 (GP: Remittance of Court Fee and Fine Money) County and city treasurers are required to remit to the State Treasurer set percentages of revenues generated by assessments imposed by 14-1-206(A), 14-1-207(A), 14-1-208(A). This remittance is required on a monthly basis by the 15th day of each month.

Should a county and/or city treasurer fail to make the required remittance, the SC Criminal Justice Academy shall cease providing services to all law enforcement officers of all law enforcement agencies encompassed within the political subdivision if they have failed to make remittance for two consecutive months in a fiscal year. The finance director shall certify by July first, under oath, that the county and/or city has remitted all funds or the SC Criminal Justice Academy shall withhold services until such time as remittance is made.

117.101. (GP: Detailed Expenditure/Revenue Reports PCC/CID) The Prosecution Coordination Commission and the Commission on Indigent Defense shall provide detailed expenditure reports and associated revenue streams for each individual circuit, revenue streams shall include, but not be limited to, state funds, local funds, Federal funds, and also nongovernmental sources of funds, by no later than September first, on the prior fiscal year, to the appropriate commission. The commissions shall than provide the Chairman of the House Ways and Means Committee and Chairman of the Senate Finance Committee with a combined report by September fifteenth of the current fiscal year.

117.102. (GP: South Carolina Welcome Centers) The Department of Parks, Recreation and Tourism and the Department of Transportation shall maintain a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) that provides that the Department of Parks, Recreation and Tourism shall control operations of all South Carolina Welcome Centers. The MOU shall include replacement, renovation and maintenance of the facilities, daily operations, and grounds maintenance and upkeep and shall clearly define responsibility for additional portions of Welcome Centers to include paving and sidewalks. The Department of Transportation shall transfer to the Department of Parks, Recreation and Tourism the amount stated in the Memorandum of Understanding less any state funds appropriated by the General Assembly for the same purpose. The Department of Parks, Recreation and Tourism assumes responsibility for this amount and the timing of the transfer of these funds shall be defined as part of the MOU. The funds transferred to the Department of Parks, Recreation and Tourism shall be placed in a separate and distinct fund and these funds shall be carried forward from the prior fiscal year into the current fiscal year and be expended for the same purposes.

117.103. (GP: Continuation of Teen Pregnancy Prevention Project Accountability) Qualifying organizations applying for General Funds provided as a special item in this act and titled Continuation of Teen Pregnancy Prevention must include in its application a proposed annual budget and agreement to provide quarterly reports to the grantor state agency detailing the expenditure of funds and the projects accomplishments which shall include:

(1) Financial:

(a) Personnel costs, including employer contributions, by position for each of the following areas: administration, training, and education, as well as for other positions as identified;

(b) Operational costs identified in the application;

(c) One-time costs over $500 for such items as supplies;

Administration costs may not exceed ten percent of the total project budget. For purposes of this provision, Administration is defined as expenses other than educational.

(2) Description of program and curriculum to be used;

(3) Description of training;

(4) Schedule and brief description of project activities for each quarter;

(5) Participation reports on the following:

(a) Number of persons who participated;

(b) Total number of hours provided;

(c) Number of train the trainer events;

(d) Other data regarding the activities of the project;

(6) Description of the project evaluation to be used;

(7) Copy of latest completed independent financial audit and agencys response to any audit exceptions;

(8) Qualifications of project personnel;

(9) Best Practices to be used; and

(10) Evidence Based Curriculum.

An organization awarded a grant must provide these quarterly reports to the grantor state agency within fifteen days of the end of each quarter. Grantees failing to submit reports with thirty days of the end of each quarter shall have their grant terminated.

Unexpended funds for Continuation of Teen Pregnancy Prevention projects under the Department of Social Services or under the Department of Health and Environmental Control shall be carried forward for the purpose of fulfilling the departments contractual agreement.

117.104. (GP: Information Technology and Information Security Plans) (A) By August first of the current fiscal year, all state agencies must submit an information technology plan and an information security plan to the Department of Administration. State agencies must submit updates to their plans if there are changes following initial submission. Changes that would necessitate an updated plan include, but are not limited to, changes in response to technological advancements, changes in legislation, regulation or compliance requirements, newly identified funding sources, or new issues relating to information technology management or business requirements.

The information technology plans required by this section shall be in the form and level of detail required by the department and shall include at least: (1) the information technology objectives of the state agency; (2) an inventory of the state agencys information technology; (3) any performance measures used by the state agency for implementing its information technology objectives; (4) how the state agencys development of information technology coordinates with other governmental entities; (5) the state agencys budget plans for information technology for the coming fiscal year which must include: (a) all fixed, recurring information technology costs, regardless of funding sources; (b) new information technology expenditures for services, hardware upgrades/replacements and software purchases, regardless of funding sources; (c) new information technology projects, regardless of funding sources; and (d) FTE counts, temporary personnel counts, and salary information and position descriptions for all information technology personnel, regardless of funding sources; and (6) the state agencys need for appropriations for information technology.

The information security plans required by this section shall be in the form and level of detail required by the division and shall include at least: (1) the information security objectives of the state agency; (2) an inventory of the state agencys information security technology; (3) a profile of the state agencys compliance with security policies established by the division; (4) a profile of the state agencys sensitive data and a description of applicable state and federal privacy requirements; (5) a profile of risk management and other measures taken by the state agency to protect its data from unauthorized access and disclosure; (6) the state agencys budget plans for information security for the coming fiscal year which must include: (a) all fixed, recurring information security technology costs, regardless of funding sources; (b) new information security expenditures for services hardware upgrades/replacements and software purchases, regardless of funding sources; (c) new information security projects, regardless of funding sources; and (d) FTE counts, temporary personnel counts, and salary information and position descriptions for all information security personnel, regardless of funding sources; and (7) the state agencys need for appropriations for information security.

(B) The director of the Department of Administration should seek advice from private and public sector resources on the efficient use of information technology and best practices.

(C) The Judicial Department, Legislative Department, public institutions of higher learning, technical colleges, political subdivisions and quasi-governmental bodies are specifically exempt from the requirements as provided in this proviso.

117.105. (GP: SCOIS Transfer) For the current fiscal year, the South Carolina Occupational Information System, its authority and responsibilities, to include the collections of user fees that must be used to operate the program, shall continue to be transferred from the Department of Employment and Workforce to the Department of Education.

117.106. (GP: Child Fatality Review) The agencies specified shall implement the following recommendations contained in the Legislative Audit Councils October 2014 report A Review of Child Welfare Services at the Department of Social Services:

(1) Annually, the Department of Social Services and the State Child Fatality Advisory Committee shall jointly report statistics on child deaths from maltreatment and the number of those with prior Department of Social Services involvement;

(2) The Department of Social Services and the State Child Fatality Advisory Committee shall use their child fatality review findings to make recommendations to revise Department of Social Services policy or practice where appropriate;

(3) The Department of Social Services shall ensure that it includes child fatality statistics from all relevant sources when reporting to the National Child Abuse and Neglect Data System. These sources shall include, but not be limited to, law enforcement agencies and the Department of Health and Environmental Control;

(4) The State Law Enforcement Division and the Department of Health and Environmental Control shall establish a system for cross checking child fatalities in the state to ensure that all fatalities are being properly reported to the State Law Enforcement Division;

(5) The State Law Enforcement Division and the State Child Fatality Advisory Committee shall review the training provided to coroners on the reporting of child fatalities to ensure that information is provided on which fatalities are to be reported and what procedure is to be followed for reporting the fatalities;

(6) The Department of Public Safety shall report statistics on all child fatalities to the State Child Fatality Advisory Committee; and

(7) The State Child Fatality Advisory Committee shall evaluate the feasibility of adopting the Child Death Review Case Reporting System developed by the National Center for the Review and Prevention of Child Deaths and shall submit a report on their findings to the General Assembly by December 1, 2016.

Pursuant to Section 63-11-1930(E) of the 1976 Code, the director of each agency specified in this provision shall ensure that sufficient staff and administrative support is provided to the State Child Fatality Advisory Committee to accomplish the requirements of this provision.

117.107. (GP: Refugee Resettlement Program) No state funds shall be expended to assist in the United States Refugee Resettlement Program unless the county council of the county where the resettlement is to occur approves the relocation.

117.108. (GP: Family Planning Funds) (A) Notwithstanding any other law, federal family planning funds and state family planning funds shall be awarded to eligible individuals, organizations, or entities applying to be family planning contractors in the following order of descending priority:

(1) public entities that provide family planning services, including state, county, and local community health clinics and federally qualified health centers;

(2) nonpublic entities that provide comprehensive primary and preventive health services, as described in 42 U.S.C. 254b(b)(1)(A), in addition to family planning services; and

(3) nonpublic entities that provide family planning services but do not provide comprehensive primary and preventive health services.

(B) Family planning funds must be distributed in compliance with federal law to ensure distribution in a manner that does not severely limit or eliminate access to family planning services in any region of the State.

(C) Any department, agency, board, commission, office, or other instrumentality of the State that distributes family planning funds shall submit an annual report to the General Assembly listing any family planning contractors that fall under item (A)(3), and the amount of federal or state family planning funds they received. The report shall provide a detailed explanation of how it was determined that there were an insufficient number of eligible individuals, organizations, or entities in items (A)(1) and (A)(2) to prevent a significant reduction in family planning services in each region of the State where (A)(3) contractors are located.

117.109. (GP: Statewide Strategic Information Technology Plan Implementation) To ensure the uniform implementation of the Statewide Strategic Information Technology Plan developed pursuant to the Restructuring Act of 2014 and designed to improve the States ability to provide reliable, secure, cost-efficient, and innovative information technology services and infrastructure, state agencies are directed as follows:

(1) Agencies shall use the shared services from the Department of Administration, Division of Technology Operations as those services become available and in a sequence to be determined by the division. Agencies shall coordinate with the division to accomplish a strategic transition to the shared services environment. Shared services include, but are not limited to, mainframe services, application hosting, servers, storage, network services, desktop services, and disaster recovery services. The State Chief Information Officer may grant an exception, to be revisited on a periodic basis, if the division determines that it cannot immediately satisfy the technical or security capabilities required to support the agency in question;

(2) With regard to information technology governance, standards, and enterprise architecture, agencies shall comply with the rules, standards, plans, policies, and directives of the Division of Technology Operations;

(3) With regard to information technology governance, standards, and enterprise architecture, agencies shall participate and comply with decisions determined by the information technology governance advisory groups.

(4) With regard to the annual Appropriations Act budget submission, agencies shall submit all information technology budget requests to the Executive Budget Office and the Division of Technology Operations. The Executive Budget Office and the Division of Technology Operations shall jointly review the budget requests and recommend for funding consideration only those proposals that fit into the overall Statewide Strategic Information Technology Plan.

(5) With the consultation and approval of the Division of Technology Operations, agencies must create an information technology plan for purchases that exceed $50,000 to ensure compliance with the Statewide Strategic Information Technology Plan and the standards defined by the division.

(6) Agencies shall develop a three-year strategic plan for information technology, updated annually, for the Division of Technology Operations, that shall be approved by the Chief Information Officer, that sets forth: (a) operational and project priorities; (b) budget summaries; (c) planned projects and procurements; (d) staffing plans; (e) security initiatives; and (f) risks, issues, and concerns with the agencys information technology.

(7) Agencies shall enter information technology costs into the South Carolina Enterprise Information System (SCEIS) as directed by the Division of Technology Operations and SCEIS.

The Department of Administration shall provide a report to the Chairman of the Senate Finance Committee and the Chairman of the House Ways and Means Committee regarding agency compliance no later than December thirty-first of each calendar year.

The Legislative Branch, the Judicial Branch, public institutions of higher learning, technical colleges, political subdivisions and quasi-governmental bodies are specifically exempt from the requirements as provided in this provision.

117.110. (GP: Sentencing Reform Oversight Committee Reauthorization) There is established for the current fiscal year the South Carolina Sentencing Reform Oversight Committee. The oversight committee shall be composed of eleven members, two of whom shall be members of the Senate, both appointed by the Chair of the Senate Judiciary Committee and one being the Chair of the Senate Judiciary Committee or his designee; two of whom shall be members of the Senate, one appointed by the President of the Senate and one appointed by the Chairman of the Senate Finance Committee; two of whom shall be members of the House of Representatives, both appointed by the Chair of the House Judiciary Committee and one being the Chair of the House Judiciary Committee or his designee; two of whom shall be members of the House of Representatives, one appointed by the Speaker of the House and one appointed by the Chairman of the House Ways and Means Committee; one of whom shall be appointed by the Chair of the Senate Judiciary Committee from the general public at large; one of whom shall be appointed by the Chair of the House Judiciary Committee from the general public at large; and one of whom shall be appointed by the Governor. Provided, however, that in making appointments to the oversight committee, race, gender, and other demographic factors should be considered to assure nondiscrimination, inclusion, and representation to the greatest extent of all segments of the population of the State. The members of the general public appointed by the chairs of the House and Senate Judiciary Committees must be representative of all citizens of this State and must not be members of the General Assembly.

The oversight committee must meet as soon as practicable after appointment and organize itself by electing one of its members as chair and such other officers as the oversight committee may consider necessary. Thereafter, the oversight committee must meet at the call of the chair or by a majority of the members. A quorum consists of seven members.

The oversight committee shall have the following powers and duties:

(1) to review the implementation of the recommendations made in the Sentencing Reform Commission report of February 2010, including, but not limited to:

(a) the plan required from the Department of Probation, Parole and Pardon Services on the parole board training and other goals identified in Section 24-21-10;

(b) the report from the Department of Probation, Parole and Pardon Services on its goals and the development of assessment tools consistent with evidence-based practices;

(c) the report from the Office of Pretrial Intervention Coordinator in the Commission on Prosecution Coordination on diversion programs required by the provisions of Article 11, Chapter 22, Title 17; and

(d) the report from the Department of Probation, Parole and Pardon Services on:

(i) the number and percentage of individuals placed on administrative sanctions and the number and percentage of individuals who have earned compliance credits; and

(ii) the number and percentage of probationers and parolees whose supervision has been revoked for violations of conditions or for convictions of new offenses;

(2) to request data similar to the information contained in the report required by Section 17-22-1120 from private organizations for which programs are operated through a court and that divert individuals from prosecution, incarceration, or confinement, such as diversion from incarceration for failure to pay child support, and for which programs are sanctioned by, coordinated with, or funded by federal, state, or local governmental agencies;

(3)(a) to calculate:

(i) any state expenditures that have been avoided by reductions in the revocation rate as calculated by the Department of Probation, Parole and Pardon Services and reported under Sections 24-21-450 and 24-21-680; and

(ii) any state expenditures that have been avoided by reductions in the new felony offense conviction rate as calculated by the Department of Probation, Parole and Pardon Services and reported under Sections 24-21-450 and 24-21-680;

(b) to develop rules and regulations for calculating the savings in item (3)(a), which shall account at a minimum for the variable costs averted, such as food and medical expenses, and also to consider fixed expenditures that are avoided if larger numbers of potential inmates are avoided;

(c) on or before December first, to report the calculations made pursuant to item (3)(a) to the President of the Senate, the Speaker of the House of Representatives, the Chief Justice of the South Carolina Supreme Court, and the Governor. The report also shall recommend whether or not to appropriate up to thirty-five percent of any state expenditures that are avoided as calculated in item (3)(a) to the Department of Probation, Parole and Pardon Services. With respect to the recommended appropriations in this item (c), none of the calculated savings shall be recommended for appropriation for that fiscal year if there is an increase in the percentage of individuals supervised by the Department of Probation, Parole and Pardon Services who are convicted of a new felony offense as calculated in subitem (3)(a)(ii);

(d) any funds appropriated during this fiscal year pursuant to the recommendations in item (c) shall be used to supplement, not replace, any other state appropriations to the Department of Probation, Parole and Pardon Services;

(e) funds received through appropriations pursuant to this item shall be used by the Department of Probation, Parole and Pardon Services for the following purposes:

(i) implementation of evidence-based practices;

(ii) increasing the availability of risk reduction programs and interventions, including substance abuse treatment programs, for supervised individuals; or

(iii) grants to nonprofit victim services organizations to partner with the Department of Probation, Parole and Pardon Services and courts to assist victims and increase the amount of restitution collected from offenders;

(4) to submit to the General Assembly, on an annual basis, the oversight committees evaluation of the implementation of the recommendations of the Sentencing Reform Commission report of February 2010;

(5) to make reports and recommendations to the General Assembly on matters relating to the powers and duties set forth in this section, including recommendations on transfers of funding based on the success or failure of implementation of the recommendations; and

(6) to undertake such additional studies or evaluations as the oversight committee considers necessary to provide sentencing reform information and analysis.

The oversight committee members are entitled to such mileage, subsistence, and per diem as authorized by law for members of boards, committees, and commissions while in the performance of the duties for which appointed. These expenses shall be paid from the general fund of the State on warrants duly signed by the chair of the oversight committee and payable by the authorities from which a member is appointed.

The oversight committee is encouraged to apply for and may expend grants, gifts, or federal funds it receives from other sources to carry out its duties and responsibilities.

The oversight committee must use clerical and professional employees of the General Assembly for its staff, who must be made available to the oversight committee.

The oversight committee may employ or retain other professional staff, upon the determination of the necessity for other staff by the oversight committee.

The oversight committee may employ consultants to assist in the evaluations and, when necessary, the implementation of the recommendations of the Sentencing Reform Commission report of February 2010.

117.111. (GP: State Employee Leave Donation) In the event of a medical emergency, a state employee may make a written request to the employing agency that a specified number of hours of his accrued annual and/or sick leave be transferred from his annual and/or sick leave account to a specific leave recipient rather than to a leave pool account, subject to the approval of the agency director. An employee with less than fifteen days in his sick leave account may not transfer any sick leave to the recipient, and an employee with more than fifteen days in his sick leave account may transfer sick leave to the recipient if he retains a minimum of fifteen days in his own sick leave account. Once leave of an employee has been transferred to the recipient, it may not be restored or returned to the leave donor. For purposes of this provision, a medical emergency is defined under IRS Revenue Ruling 90-29 as a medical condition of the employee or a family member that will require the prolonged absence of the employee from duty and will result in a substantial loss of income to the employee because the employee will have exhausted all paid leave available apart from the leave-sharing plan.

117.112. (GP: State Engineer) The State Engineer is an office located within the State Fiscal Accountability Authority, all references to the contrary notwithstanding.

117.113. (GP: Retail Facilities Revitalization Act Repeal Suspension) The repeal of Chapter 34, Title 6 of the 1976 Code as specified in Act 285 of 2006 as to sites for which written notification of election of mode of credit has been provided to the Department of Revenue prior to July 1, 2016 and for which a building permit has been issued prior to July 1, 2016, is suspended for Fiscal Year 2023-24.

117.114. (GP: Funds Exempt from Budget Reduction Calculations) The funds designated in F310, Section 107, Capital Reserve Fund, funds designated in V040, Section 112, Debt service, funds designated in X220, Section 113, Aid to Subdivisions - State Treasurer for the Local Government Fund, and funds designated in X500, Section 115, Tax Relief Trust Fund shall be excluded from the calculation of any across-the-board base reduction mandated by the Department of Administration, Executive Budget Office or the General Assembly and shall not be subject to any such reduction.

117.115. (GP: South Carolina Telemedicine Network) From the funds appropriated to the Medical University of South Carolina for the MUSC Hospital Authority for Telemedicine and the funds appropriated and authorized for the Department of Health and Human Services, the agencies must continue the development of the South Carolina Statewide Telemedicine Network. The South Carolina Telehealth Alliance shall submit a proposal to the MUSC Hospital Authority and the Department of Health and Human Services to determine which hospitals, clinics, schools or other entities are best suited for Telemedicine partnerships.

(A) The Department of Health and Human Services shall develop or continue a program to leverage the use of teaching hospitals to provide rural physician coverage by expanding the use of Telemedicine, to include new applications such as School Based Telehealth, and Tele-ICU. The department shall also amend its policy related to reimbursement for telemedicine to add Act 301 Behavioral Health Centers as a referring site for covered telemedicine services.

(B) During the current fiscal year the Department of Health and Human Services shall contract with the MUSC Hospital Authority in the amount of $5,000,000 to lead the development and operation of a statewide, open access South Carolina Telemedicine Network. At the request of the department, MUSC shall provide the department with all information and materials necessary to seek federal medical assistance for this contract. The MUSC Hospital Authority shall contract with each Regional Support Hub to ensure funding and support of strategic plans submitted by the Regional Support Hubs and approved by both the MUSC Hospital Authority and the Department of Health and Human Services. Institutions and other entities participating in the network must be afforded the opportunity to meaningfully participate in the development of any annual refining to the initiatives strategic plan. Working with the department, the MUSC Hospital Authority shall collaborate with Palmetto Care Connections to pursue this goal. No less than $1,000,000 of these funds shall be allocated toward support of Palmetto Care Connections and other hospitals in South Carolina. The MUSC Hospital Authority must provide the department with quarterly reports regarding the funds allocation and progress of telemedicine transformation efforts and networks. These reports must include an itemization of the ultimate recipients of these funds, whether vendors, grantees, specific participating institutions, or the Medical University of South Carolina, and must distinguish between funds allocation to the university as a participating institution as opposed to those retained and used by the university in its capacity as the administering entity for the network.

(C) The Department of Health and Human Services shall continue to identify and implement telehealth benefits and policies that are evidence-based, cost efficient, and aligned with the needs of the Medicaid population. The department must also continue to review the temporary telephonic and telehealth flexibilities it has adopted to address the COVID-19 public health emergency and make permanent those that are suitable for inclusion in the Medicaid benefit. No later than October 1, the department shall submit a report to the Governor, the Chairman of the Senate Finance Committee, and the Chairman of the House Ways and Means Committee on policy and benefit changes it has introduced in the furtherance of this goal and as part of its ongoing effort to improve the sustainability of telehealth services.

117.116. (GP: Prohibited Funding for Aborted Fetus Research) Notwithstanding any other provision of this act, general funds appropriated in this act may not be used to purchase fetal tissue obtained from an abortion to perform scientific or laboratory research or other kinds of investigation conducted on fetal tissue.

117.117. (GP: SCRS & PORS Trust Fund) Unless otherwise provided in Paragraphs A through D of this provision, the funds appropriated to the Public Employee Benefit Authority (PEBA) for the South Carolina Retirement System Trust Fund and the Police Officers Retirement System Trust Fund in Part IA, Section 108 of this act shall be credited toward the contributions due from participating employers in SCRS and PORS for Fiscal Year 2023-24. Each employers credit shall be determined at the same rate as calculated by PEBA for the pension funding allocation credit for Fiscal Year 2017-18. A participating employer shall not receive a credit that exceeds the employer contributions due from the employer.

(A) From the funds available for allocation pursuant to this provision, no credits shall be issued for covered employees of special purpose districts, joint authorities, or non-profit corporations; however, this provision does not apply to the South Carolina State Ports Authority and the South Carolina Public Service Authority.

(B) From the funds available for allocation pursuant to this provision, no credits shall be issued for covered employees of hospitals; however this provision does not apply to the Medical University Hospital Authority.

(C) From the funds available for allocation pursuant to this provision, no credits shall be issued for covered employees of participating associations or service organizations as defined in Section 9-1-10(11)(e) of the 1976 Code.

(D) From the funds available for allocation pursuant to this provision, no credits shall be issued for state employees who are funded with federal funds. The Public Employee Benefits Authority shall collaborate with the Department of Administration, Executive Budget Office and the Revenue and Fiscal Affairs Office to determine the amount of credit exclusion for federally-funded employees of state agencies.

117.118. (GP: Retirement System Assets and Custodial Banking Relationship Transfer) In order to facilitate the transfer of custodianship of the assets of the Retirement System to the Public Employee Benefit Authority and governance of the custodial banking relationship to the Retirement System Investment Commission, all portions of contracts, agreements, and exemptions from the Consolidated Procurement Code providing for and relating to custodial banking, general banking, accounting, or any other ancillary services are transferred to, and devolved upon, the Public Employee Benefit Authority and the Retirement System Investment Commission in accordance with the authority transferred to the respective agency.

117.119. (GP: Opioid Abuse Prevention and Treatment Plan) From the funds appropriated and authorized to the Department of Alcohol and Other Drug Abuse Services and the Department of Health and Human Services in the current fiscal year, the agencies shall establish a coalition of state agencies, providers and other related entities to combat the opioid epidemic in a collaborative manner and ensure that appropriate services and treatments are made available statewide. This initiative should include efforts to coordinate funding for the provision of treatment with an assessment of current programs and funding levels, to enhance available prevention, treatment and recovery services; expand provider capacity; and enable workforce development for substance use disorder services. General Funds appropriated to any state agency for Opioid Abuse Prevention and Treatment may be carried forward and expended for the same purpose.

(A) The Department of Alcohol and Other Drug Abuse Services, the State Law Enforcement Division, and the Department of Health and Human Services shall establish an advisory board with representation from both agencies, to provide both oversight and administrative direction to the coalition. The advisory board may also include representation from the Department of Health and Environmental Control, the Department of Mental Health, the Medical University of South Carolina, the University of South Carolinas School of Medicine, the Department of Labor Licensing and Regulation, the Department of Corrections, state and local law enforcement agencies, the judicial branch, the South Carolina Hospital Association, the South Carolina Medical Association, the South Carolina Primary Health Care Association, Behavioral Health Centers and other related entities. The advisory board must consider recommendations made in the 2018 report by the South Carolina House of Representatives Opioid Abuse Prevention Study Committee, as well as any recommendations made by the South Carolina Behavioral Health Coalition related to substance use disorders and create a plan to ensure implementation of appropriate recommendations.

(B) The Department of Health and Human Services may leverage any and all available federal funds to implement enhanced treatment services and resources for this coalition.

(C) In consultation with the Department of Alcohol and Other Drug Abuse Services and the Medical University of South Carolina Hospital Authority, the Department of Health and Human Services shall review and evaluate outcomes data from the program for MAT services for prescription opioid dependency and addiction established by Act 97 of 2017 and expanded by Act 264 of 2018. Based on the success rate and ability to continue expansion of this model, the department may provide funding not to exceed $2,500,000 to continue and expand the program to additional providers that are necessary to ensure greater impact in geographical areas of critical need. All medications proven to be effective in treating opioid addiction shall be considered as viable options on a case by case basis to ensure the greatest level of success for individuals in the program.

(D) The Department of Alcohol and Other Drug Abuse Services and the Department of Health and Human Services shall assist the Department of Health and Environmental Control with any funding required to implement necessary programmatic enhancements to the Prescription Monitoring Program. The departments must consider changes to strengthen risk assessments and patient support tools, as well as the potential integration of Electronic Health Record systems. To the extent possible, the program must be expanded to include the administration of naloxone and other opioid overdose antidotes.

(E) In order to provide comprehensive treatment, from the point of incarceration, to individuals charged with criminal offenses who suffer from any substance use disorder that is treatable with medication, the Department of Alcohol and Other Drug Abuse Services must solicit potential cooperation from law enforcement, the states solicitors, Magistrate Courts and Circuit Courts, to establish a diversion program in at least one judicial circuit. This program shall provide both behavioral and medical treatment, consultations with peer support specialists, and continued supervision of participants who are released, which may include electronic monitoring.

(F) The Department of Alcohol and Other Drug Abuse Services and the Department of Health and Human Services shall also coordinate with at least one four-year college or university and one two-year technical college with on-campus dormitories to establish pilot programs for Collegiate Recovery Programs to target intervention and the retention of students. These programs must offer academic support in designated spaces that provide for group meetings, clinical support, technology access, and academic advising, to assist students in recovery.

117.120. (GP: SCEIS Data Entry Compliance) The Department of Administration shall develop and issue written SCEIS data entry standards and guidelines for agency compliance. To ensure uniform compliance with these standards and guidelines, state agencies shall comply with all SCEIS data entry rules, standards, plans, policies, directives, and guidelines established by the Department of Administration.

The Department of Administration shall provide a report to the Chairman of the Senate Finance Committee and the Chairman of the House Ways and Means Committee regarding agency compliance no later than December thirty-first of each calendar year.

117.121. (GP: Statewide Real Estate Plan Implementation) Pursuant to legislative intent expressed in Proviso 118.2 (Titling of Real Property) of this act to establish a comprehensive central real property and office facility management process to plan for the needs of state government agencies; and to achieve maximum efficiency and economy in the use of state-owned, state-leased, and commercial leased facilities, all state agencies are directed as follows:

(1) In the current occupation of state-owned and commercial facilities or prior to incurring an obligation to expend funds through entering or renewing a lease for state-owned or commercial facilities, state agencies shall work in conjunction with the Department of Administration to achieve uniform space standards in state-owned, state-leased, and commercial leased facilities resulting over time in an overall target density of 210 square feet per person unless otherwise approved by the department.

(2) Prior to entering or renewing any contract for leasing real property, state agencies shall comply with the Department of Administrations site selection criteria for state-owned, state-leased, or commercial leased space,

(3) State agencies shall record into the South Carolina Enterprise Information System (SCEIS) all maintenance and operations expenditures for state-owned and state-leased facilities in the manner prescribed by the Department of Administration.

(4) State agencies shall provide to the Department of Administration a list of all contracts related to facilities management, maintenance, and support, and shall not renew or enter into any new contracts related to facilities management, maintenance or support without prior approval from the Department of Administration.

(5) Under guidance and direction of the Department of Administration, state agencies shall annually report on and submit plans to address ongoing and deferred maintenance for all state-owned real property.

(6) State agencies shall annually update and submit an inventory of state-owned facilities and land to the Department of Administration by June 30 of each fiscal year in the manner prescribed by the department. Each submission shall include a portfolio assessment with recommendations for any dispositions.

The Legislative Branch, the Judicial Branch, public institutions of higher learning, technical colleges, political subdivisions and quasi-governmental bodies are generally exempt from the requirements of this proviso; provided, however, that public institutions of higher learning and technical colleges shall be subject to the provisions of paragraph (6) in its entirety, and the provisions of paragraph (1) with respect to any facility or portion thereof used for administrative and office space.

The Department of Administration shall provide a report to the Chairman of the Senate Finance Committee and the Chairman of the House Ways and Means Committee regarding compliance with this proviso no later than December 31 of each calendar year, beginning December 31, 2018.

117.122. (GP: Statewide Administrative Services) The Department of Administration may provide consolidated administrative services to all agencies to promote cost savings, process integrity and other efficiencies, and to reduce duplication, overlap and redundancies, or any combination thereof and to provide for consistency in transactions and processes and to advance a statewide approach to agency administration. Consolidated administrative services may include, but are not limited to: 1) financial and accounting support, such as accounts payable and receivable processing, procurement processing, journal entry processing and financial reporting assistance; 2) human resources administrative support, such as transaction processing and reporting, payroll processing, and human resources training; and 3) budget support, such as budget transaction processing and budget reporting assistance.

Agencies that receive twenty million dollars or less in total appropriations in the current fiscal year shall consult with the Department of Administration to determine whether the use of consolidated administrative services offered by the department would be beneficial to the agency. The Legislative Branch, the Judicial Branch, public institutions of higher learning and technical colleges shall be exempt from the requirements of this provision.

The Department of Administration shall provide a report to the Chairman of the Senate Finance Committee and the Chairman of the House Ways and Means Committee regarding agency utilization of administrative services offered by the department no later than December 31 of the current fiscal year.

117.123. (GP: Mobile Device Protection Plan) With funds appropriated and authorized in the current fiscal year, the Department of Administration in the current fiscal year, shall implement updated policies for protecting mobile devices including, but not limited to, cellular phones, tablets and laptops. The department must also consider the potential consolidation of existing protection plans as established by other state agencies, to ensure an effective and efficient statewide approach to a protection plan that covers all state owned devices.

(A) The following factors shall be considered by the department as it reviews options for providing this protection, and to the extent possible, the following components must be included in the updated plan:

(1) protective cases and screens available for all devices;

(2) multi-year underwritten insurance coverage for both the device and the protective case;

(3) zero deductible if possible to ensure cost savings to the department;

(4) multiple claims per device should be allowable;

(5) replacement policy if devices cannot be repaired;

(6) local pickup and delivery service for efficient repair and replacement where possible; and

(7) chain of custody notifications with real time progress and repair status updates.

(B) Upon development of these policies and to follow the new mobile device purchasing policy for state agencies, the State Fiscal Accountability Authority must establish a statewide contract for protecting all state-owned, mobile devices that can be included in one combined contract.

(C) The State Fiscal Accountability Authority must ensure that any contract developed for this purpose is awarded utilizing a competitive approach in accordance with the South Carolina Procurement Code.

117.124. (PSA: Board Meeting Coverage) The South Carolina Public Service Authority must provide live-streamed coverage whenever practicable of all meetings of the Board of Directors to ensure transparency and access for the public. The board meetings shall be recorded and archived and made available on the South Carolina Public Service Authoritys website. If a meeting cannot be live-streamed, then the authority must make transcripts available on the authoritys website within three business days.

117.125. (GP: Criminal History Investigations) (A) State agencies, state institutions and political subdivisions of the state are authorized, as necessary to comply with internal revenue service Publication 1075, including amendments thereto and publications replacing Publication 1075, to obtain state and national criminal history background checks and investigations performed by the State Law Enforcement Division and the Federal Bureau of Investigation on all employees and contractors with access to federal tax information. The State Law Enforcement Division is authorized to conduct fingerprint-based state and national background checks for state agencies, state institutions and political subdivisions of the state which have access to federal tax information in order to comply with Publication 1075.

(B) An employee or contractor of a state agency, state institution and political subdivision of the state with access to or that uses federal tax information must:

(1) agree to a national background check and the release of all investigative records to the state agency, state institution or political subdivision of the state for the purpose of verifying criminal history information for non-criminal justice purposes; and

(2) supply a fingerprint sample and submit to a state criminal history background check and investigation to be conducted by the State Law Enforcement Division, and then submit to a national criminal history background check to be conducted by the Federal Bureau of Investigation.

(C) Except as otherwise provided in this section, a state agency, state institution or political subdivision of the state shall pay any costs incurred to conduct background checks and investigations requested by the state agency. The state agency, state institution or political subdivision of the state may require a person or entity contracting with the agency to pay the costs associated with the background investigations for all employees of the contractor. The requirement may be a condition of the contract with the agency, state institution or political subdivision of the state.

(D) Each state agency, state institution or political subdivision of the state required to conduct background checks and investigations pursuant to this provision shall establish written policies concerning the implementation and use of the background checks and investigations conducted pursuant to this provision.

117.126. (GP: Medical Marijuana Research) With funds provided in this fiscal year, the University of South Carolina College of Pharmacy and the Medical University of South Carolina are authorized, to the extent permitted by and in accordance with federal laws and regulations, to undertake the following actions: acquire pharmaceutical grade marijuana, marijuana extracts, semi-pure isolates, and purified compounds, including, but not limited to, THC, CBD, CBO, cannabinol, and cannabigerol for use in research and clinical trials to develop potential therapeutic agents for epilepsy, Dravets Syndrome, chronic pain, cancer, reduction of nausea, and vomiting induced by chemotherapy, glaucoma, obesity, multiple sclerosis, drug abuse, inflammation, and autoimmune disorders, including encephalomyelitis.

The University of South Carolina and the Medical University of the South Carolina are further authorized to form collaborations, agreements, and partnerships with other public and private entities in order to conduct this research and clinical trials, to the extent permitted by and in accordance with federal laws and regulations, as well as to pursue both public and private funding. Further, the University of South Carolina and the Medical University of South Carolina are directed to provide to the members of the South Carolina General Assembly, on or before the first day of the 2024 legislative session, with a written summary of the actions they have undertaken pursuant to this proviso and the material findings, if any, resulting from such activities.

117.127. (GP: Immigration Compliance Report) From the funds appropriated to the South Carolina Law Enforcement Division (SLED), the agency shall publish the Immigration Compliance Report (ICR). SLED may conduct investigations necessary to ensure the accuracy of information provided by counties and municipal governments within the ICR. Every agency of this State, and political subdivisions thereof, shall provide documentation that SLED considers necessary for the publication of the ICR. The ICR shall contain a list of county and municipal governments that SLED has certified to be compliant with Sections 17-13-170(E) and 23-3-1100 of the 1976 Code as well as compliance with any federal laws related to the presence of an unlawful person in the United States in the previous fiscal year. The ICR must be provided to the General Assembly, the Governor, and the State Treasurer by December thirty-first of the current fiscal year.

The State Treasurer shall withhold any remaining disbursement from the Local Government Fund to any county or municipality that is not certified as compliant in the ICR; however, this requirement may not be imposed until the first publication of the ICR.

117.128. (GP: School Resource Officer Critical Needs) Any Class 1 law enforcement officer who retired under the Police Officers Retirement System on or before December 31, 2017, may return to employment with a public school district as a critical needs School Resource Officer without affecting the monthly retirement allowance that they are receiving from the Police Officers Retirement System. The Law Enforcement Training Council must develop guidelines and curriculum for these officers to be recertified and must not require recertification through basic training for those that have been inactive for a year or more.

117.129. (GP: Secure Area Duty Officers Program) The Office of Adjutant General, the State Law Enforcement Division, and other law enforcement authorities are authorized to conduct security-related activities as prescribed by the Governor in Executive Order 2015-18. Activities carried out under this program shall be considered state or federal training for purposes of Section 15-78-60(19) of the 1976 Code and the agency and its personnel shall be exempt from liability as described therein. State agencies involved in the Secure Area Duty Officers Program (SADOP) may expend state and federal funds in support of the program.

117.130. (GP: Magistrates Compensation) Notwithstanding Proviso 117.144 (Employee Compensation), in the current fiscal year, the salary for each magistrate must be calculated using the same schedule and same circuit judge salary, at a minimum, as was in effect in Fiscal Year 2018-19.

117.131. (GP: New Savannah Bluff Lock and Dam) The Department of Health and Environmental Control is prohibited from using any appropriated funds to process and approve any license, permit, authorization, or certification related to the New Savannah Bluff Lock and Dam inconsistent with the States policy and the General Assemblys intent of maintaining the existing water quality and navigability conditions of that portion of the Savannah River in and around the New Savannah Bluff Lock and Dam. Consistency may occur by including conditions on any proposed project for the maintenance of the New Savannah Bluff Lock and Dam pool at elevation 114.5 NAVD88 for the preservation of adequate and sufficient water quality, navigation, water supply, and recreational activities.

117.132. (GP: Diverse Student Recruitment and Retention) Institutions of higher learning shall utilize a portion of the funds appropriated to or authorized for the institution to develop enrollment and retention programs to promote diversity in their student population, to include African Americans, Hispanics and other underrepresented minorities. Institutions are directed to report the effectiveness of these enrollment and retention programs to the Commission on Higher Education for inclusion in their annual report.

117.133. (GP: Offshore Oil) For the current fiscal year, no funds appropriated or authorized to the Department of Health and Environmental Control, or to local governmental entities, including but not limited to counties, municipalities and special purpose districts, may be expended to approve a plan, permit, license application or other authorization for:

(1) the construction or use of infrastructure for which the principal purpose is to facilitate the transportation of unrefined or unprocessed oil or gas into the territorial waters of South Carolina, or onto the lands of South Carolina, from offshore oil and gas production platforms and related infrastructure in the Atlantic Ocean;

(2) activities for which the principal purpose is the exploration, development, or production of unrefined or unprocessed oil or gas from within the territorial waters of South Carolina; or

(3) activities for which the principal purpose is the exploration, development, or production of unrefined or unprocessed oil or gas in the Atlantic Ocean.

For purposes of this proviso:

(1) Development means the design, planning, permitting, licensing, authorization or construction of infrastructure for which the principal purpose is the production of oil or gas.

(2) Exploration means any activity for which the principal purpose is to define, characterize, test for or evaluate oil or gas resources for possible commercial development or production.

(3) Production means any activity for which the principal purpose is to engage in, monitor, or conduct operations or maintenance related to the active extraction of unrefined or unprocessed oil or gas.

(4) Territorial waters of South Carolina means waters located within the state of South Carolina and waters of the Atlantic Ocean extending out to three nautical miles from the mean low-water mark of South Carolinas naturally occurring coastline.

117.134. (GP: PSA Contracts for Contributions) In the current fiscal year, the South Carolina Public Service Authority may not enter into any new contracts for contributions to the Executive Defined Benefit Plan or the Executive Retention Defined Contribution Plan.

117.135. (GP: Transfer Student Credits) The Commission on Higher Education shall continue to work with the State Board for Technical and Comprehensive Education and the public institutions of higher learning to develop policies, to implement the recommendations of the South Carolina Transfer Task Forces Transfer and Articulation Action Plan. Implementation of the provisions shall be effective no later than April 30,2024. The Commission shall report on the implementation of these policies to the Chairmen of the Senate Finance Committee, House Ways and Means Committee, Senate Education Committee, and House Education and Public Works Committee by April 30, 2024.

117.136. (GP: Permanent Improvement Projects) For the current fiscal year, permanent improvement projects, as defined in Title 2, Chapter 47 of the 1976 Code, where the cost is at least one million dollars but not greater than five million dollars for public research universities and not greater than two million dollars for all other public institutions of higher learning shall be exempt from the requirements of Section 2-47-50, except that a project shall not be considered approved without an institutions governing board having first voted to approve the project in a public session. Institutions shall provide a report of projects approved by their governing boards pursuant to this provision to the Chairman of the Commission on Higher Education, the Joint Bond Review Committee, and the State Fiscal Accountability Authority by November 15th of the current fiscal year.

117.137. (GP: Fixed Rate Compensation) The South Carolina public higher education institutions are authorized to compensate nonpermanent, non-FTE adjunct, temporary, or part-time instructors/faculty on a fixed rate basis. These individuals shall provide classroom and related instructional activities on an as needed basis depending on student enrollment per semester or academic term. Institutions may pay exempt or non-exempt employees as defined by the Fair Labor Standards Act only when they are needed to work. Adjunct, temporary, or part-time instructors/faculty employed in this category are non-covered employees who may exceed twelve months, but are not eligible for State benefits except for the option of contributing to the State Retirement System or Health Care Plan if eligible under the Affordable Care Act guidelines.

117.138. (GP: Sickle Cell Disease) From the funds appropriated to the Department of Health and Human Services, the department shall transfer $2,000,000 to the Medical University of South Carolina Hospital Authority to develop a comprehensive approach to advancing the awareness, detection, treatment, and scientific knowledge of sickle cell disease and trait within South Carolina. The Medical University of South Carolina Hospital Authority shall be authorized to partner with independent research entities to advance curative therapies for sickle cell disease and trait and shall be authorized to endow one or more nationally leading academic research centers with a research chair named the Rena N. Grant Endowed Chair for Hematology in furtherance of this goal. Additionally, to improve the quality of care provided to sickle cell patients, the authority shall perform statewide cultural competency training in all hospitals, including urgent care centers, in this State using its preexisting training model in order to educate and increase the awareness of health care professionals that are most likely to treat sickle cell patients on the symptoms and stigma associated with sickle cell disease and trait, especially pain relief.

For purposes of this proviso:

(1) Health care professional has the meaning as in Section 44-66-20 of the 1976 Code.

(2) 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.

In developing and implementing the South Carolina Statewide Telemedicine Network, the department and the authority shall include the goals set forth in this provision to bring better care to individuals with sickle cell disease or trait.

The Department of Health and Human Services shall be authorized to pursue a Health Services Initiative through the Childrens Health Insurance Program for the purposes of improving child and maternal health when either or both exhibit the sickle cell disease or trait, and improve outreach, access to crisis stabilization, and coping resources for children with sickle cell disease.

By January fifteenth of the current fiscal year, the department and the authority shall each submit a report to the Chairman of the Senate Finance Committee, the Chairman of the House Ways and Means Committee, and the Governor outlining their progress on these initiatives.

117.139. (GP: Statewide Strategic Personnel Budgeting) (A) To encourage consistency in human resources compensation decisions, support data driven decisions regarding expenditure of funds for personnel in state government, and improve the states ability to recruit and retain top talent, all state agencies are directed as follows:

With regard to the annual Appropriations Act budget plan submission, agencies shall submit all human resources and personnel related budget requests to the Department of Administrations Executive Budget Office and Division of State Human Resources on or before September 1 of the current fiscal year. The Executive Budget Office and the Division of State Human Resources shall jointly review the budget requests and make recommendations for funding consideration. These funding recommendations shall be submitted to the Governor, the Chairman of the House Ways and Means Committee, and the Chairman of the Senate Finance Committee.

Agencies shall comply with all human resources rules, regulations, standards, plans, policies, and directives of the Division of State Human Resources.

(B) The Judicial Department, Legislative Department, political subdivisions, and quasi-governmental bodies are exempt from the requirements of this provision.

117.140. (GP: COVID-19 Proof of Vaccination Restriction - Institutions) For the current fiscal year, state-supported institutions of higher learning that directly or indirectly receive funds appropriated or authorized through the general appropriations act shall be restricted from requiring proof of COVID-19 vaccination for any student as a condition of enrollment, attendance at on campus instruction, or residence on campus. In instances of off-campus learning events for which third party program providers require proof of vaccination, the third party requirements shall apply.

117.141. (GP: Agribusiness Processor) For the current fiscal year, local and state sales tax collection for material handling and construction materials on agribusiness facilities that invest at least $100 million in the state are exempt.

117.142. (GP: Federal Gun Law) For the current fiscal year, no law enforcement agency that receives state or local funds shall enforce a federal law, regulation, statute, executive order, or procedure related to firearms put into effect after January 1, 2021, if any such federal action requires the seizure of a firearm, firearm part, or firearm component solely because of its classification or type of weapon.

117.143. (GP: National Guard College Assistance Program) For the current fiscal year, a member of the SC National Guard may qualify for college assistance program grants for more than one hundred thirty semester hours or related quarter hours. Additionally, service members may receive a total of twenty-two thousand dollars in total grants to cover one hundred percent of college tuition and fees for the academic year. Service members shall be required to meet all other requirements.

117.144. (GP: Employee Compensation) The amounts appropriated to F300-Statewide Employee Benefits for Employee Pay Increases must be allocated by the Department of Administration, Executive Budget Office to the various state agencies to provide for employee pay increases in accordance with the following plan:

(1) With respect to classified and non-judge judicial classified employees, effective on the first pay date that occurs on or after July first of the current fiscal year, the compensation of all classified employees shall be increased by $2,500 for FTEs making $50,000 and under and five percent for FTEs making over $50,000.

(2) With respect to unclassified and non-judge judicial unclassified employees or unclassified executive compensation system employees not elsewhere covered in this act, effective on the first pay date that occurs on or after July first of the current fiscal year the compensation of all unclassified employees shall be increased by $2,500 for FTEs making $50,000 and under and five percent for FTEs making over $50,000. Any employee subject to the provisions of this paragraph shall not be eligible for compensation increases provided in paragraphs 1, 3, 4, 5, or 6.

(3) With respect to unclassified employees of institutions of higher education and technical colleges eligible in this item, institutions and technical colleges are authorized to allot the total funds for compensation increases among individual employees without uniformity. The funds provided for compensation increases for any employee subject to the provisions of this item are based on an annual average $2,500 for FTEs making $50,000 and under and five percent for FTEs making over $50,000 increase and may be based on performance.

(4) Effective on the first pay date that occurs on or after July first of the current fiscal year, agency heads not covered by the Agency Head Salary Commission, shall receive an annualized base pay increase of $2,500 for FTEs making $50,000 and under and five percent for FTEs making over $50,000.

(5) With respect to Transformation Coaches at the Department of Education, compensation shall be increased by $2,500 for Transformation Coaches making $50,000 and under and five percent for Transformation Coaches making over $50,000.

(6) With respect to local health care providers, compensation increases shall be five percent effective on the first pay date that occurs on or after July first of the current fiscal year. School Bus Driver salary and fringe funding to school districts shall be increased by five percent.

(7) Effective on the first pay date that occurs on or after July first of the current fiscal year, the Chief Justice and other judicial officers shall receive an annualized base pay increase of $2,500 for FTEs making $50,000 and under and five percent for FTEs making over $50,000.

(8) Effective on the first pay date that occurs on or after July first of the current fiscal year, county auditors and county treasurers shall receive an annualized base pay increase of five percent.

For Fiscal Year 2023-24, the Executive Budget Office is directed to review Executive Branch agencies to determine whether their budgets warrant another fund authorization increase due to the $2,500 for FTEs making $50,000 and under and five percent for FTEs making over $50,000 compensation increase for all full-time employees. If so warranted, the Executive Budget Office shall work with the Office of the Comptroller General to increase such authorization for the affected agencies.

The Department of Administration shall allocate associated compensation increases for retirement employer contributions based on the retirement rate of the retirement system in which individual employees participate.

The Executive Director of the State Fiscal Accountability Authority is authorized to use excess appropriations for the current fiscal year designated for statewide employer contributions for other statewide purposes. At the discretion of the Executive Director of the State Fiscal Accountability Authority, such action may be considered a permanent transfer into the receiving agencys base budget.

Funds appropriated in Part IA, F300, Section 106, Statewide Employee Benefits may be carried forward from the prior fiscal year into the current fiscal year.

117.145. (GP: Fetal Remains) No funds appropriated or authorized by this act may be used by the States public colleges or universities to purchase fetal remains resulting from an abortion for the purpose of research or experimentation. The States public colleges and universities are further prohibited from accepting donated fetal remains resulting from an abortion for the purpose of research or experimentation. A public college or university that purchases or accepts donated fetal remains in violation of this proviso shall return to the General Fund an amount equal to ten percent of the funds appropriated to the college or university under Part 1A of this act.

117.146. (GP: Behavioral Health Capacity) (A) The Department of Health and Human Services, in coordination with the Department of Mental Health , the Department of Health and Environmental Control, the Department of Alcohol and Other Drug Abuse Services, and all other relevant agencies shall examine and analyze the existing statewide system for the delivery of Medicaid and non-Medicaid behavioral health services to assess the systems effectiveness in:

(1) providing a range and supply of treatment options and settings that are appropriate to meet the varying needs of individual patients;

(2) being responsive to changes in federal law, regulation, or policy that improve access to care and/or associated reimbursement, particularly where related to the treatment of patients in Institutions for Mental Disease (IMDs);

(3) being economical in its approach, so as to obtain the greatest value possible for each state taxpayer dollar; and

(4) ensuring that the statewide system for the delivery of behavioral health services complies with the requirements of Section 44-9-90(7) of the 1976 Code.

(B) With the support of the Department of Mental Health, the Department of Health and Human Services shall undertake an effort to assess existing gaps in coverage for or the supply of inpatient psychiatric care, crisis stabilization, and other inpatient or outpatient behavioral health services. Based upon this assessment, the Department of Health and Human Services shall establish, or with the full cooperation of any other requested state agency, request the establishment of coverage and reimbursement policies that it deems necessary to address existing deficiencies and bring about a more comprehensive and effective continuum of behavioral health care in South Carolina. Priorities for this effort may be piloted on a regional basis and shall include, but not be limited to:

(1) increasing the number of beds available to provide inpatient psychiatric care, with emphasis on communities with the greatest current need, and using the appropriate combination of new construction, augmentation or reconfiguration of existing facilities, or contracting with psychiatric or acute care hospitals to obtain short-term capacity;

(2) establishing crisis stabilization beds and services to provide needed short-term medication, counseling, and other support in previously unserved areas of the State, working toward the goal of having such services available within a 90-minute drive of each South Carolinian, and with coverage and reimbursement being funded through Medicaid for its beneficiaries or through the Department of Mental Health for indigent care, regardless of the provider of these services;

(3) formalizing and expanding the coverage of claims-based mobile crisis stabilization services that offer rapid and intensive interventions intended to stabilize individuals at the sites of behavioral health crises;

(4) developing one or more regional dedicated psychiatric emergency departments, operating twenty-four hours per day, seven days per week to effectively evaluate and triage patients experiencing acute behavioral health emergencies;

(5) developing effective referral and discharge strategies and engaging with existing community providers to ensure that sufficient outpatient services, case management services, and standards of care are in place;

(6) leveraging and building upon existing telehealth capacity to support and extend outpatient services; and

(7) promoting the development of in-state treatment options for specific behavioral health conditions for which patients are routinely placed out-of-state due to an insufficiency of treatment options or settings in South Carolina.

(C) The Executive Director of the Public Employee Benefit Authority shall be encouraged to consult with the Director of the Department of Health and Human Services to make appropriate coverage and reimbursement policy changes to ensure proper access to behavioral health services for covered beneficiaries.

(D) The Data Oversight Council, established pursuant to Section 44-6-170 of the 1976 Code, shall undertake whatever rulemaking is necessary to ensure that the data on the utilization of crisis stabilization units are collected in a manner generally consistent with the requirements for general acute care hospitals and specialized hospitals, so that the effectiveness of these services may be properly evaluated. The Data Oversight Council, Department of Health and Environmental Control, and any other state agency shall, upon the request of and in the format specified by the Department of Health and Human Services, furnish information on behavioral health service demand, utilization, or financing needed to facilitate the implementation of this provision.

(E) With the support of the Director of the Department of Mental Health, the Director of the Department of Alcohol and Other Drug Abuse Services, and any other identified agency head, the Director of the Department of Health and Human Services shall evaluate opportunities to improve and/or coordinate treatment capacity for individuals diagnosed with substance use disorder and/or serious mental illness including, but not limited to, options established pursuant to Sections 1115, 1915(l), and/or 1947 of the Social Security Act or made available to states by the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services through State Medicaid Director Letters 17-003, 18-011, or 19-0003.

(F) In consultation with the Department of Juvenile Justice and the Department of Mental Health, the Department of Health and Human Services shall ensure that access to no eject, no reject services is restored for children and adolescents requiring care in a private residential treatment facility.

(G) To ensure that individuals requiring behavioral health services are protected from unexpected or excessive billings, the Department of Mental Health shall examine ways to convert state-funded or DSH-funded indigent care to a sustainable reimbursement model that improves access to behavioral health treatment while potentially reducing uncompensated care levels and the departments reliance on state funds. In the current fiscal year, the department shall report to the Chairmen of the Senate Finance Committee and the House Ways and Means Committee on the results of this examination and the actions taken to address any findings. The department also shall:

(1) contract for an exhaustive independent review of its entire revenue cycle, to eliminate inefficiencies and improve business processes, ensure that bills are produced on a timely and accurate basis, and assess and maximize the proportion of the time during which the departments clinicians and providers are rendering chargeable treatment services to the States citizens; and

(2) ensure its immediate and ongoing compliance with the hospital price transparency rules established at 45 C.F.R. Part 180, and also meet its obligation to provide certain patients with good faith estimates as required by the No Surprises Act, P.L. 116-260, and subsequent regulation.

(H) With the support and participation of the Department of Education and the Department of Mental Health, and with the intent of assuring access to behavioral health services to every student in the State through either a public or private provider, the Department of Health and Human Services must lead a comprehensive effort to improve access to and the quality of school-based behavioral health services in South Carolina, while identifying and taking steps to address community-level disparities in the availability of this care. This effort shall include, but not be limited to:

(1) the performance of a comprehensive review of Medicaid and non-Medicaid school-based behavioral health services in South Carolina, including an assessment of the availability of such services and the identification of any barriers to access, such as coverage and reimbursement rules, billing practices, other insurer policies, state agency, school district rules or procedures, or provider shortages;

(2) a revisitation of existing coverage policies for medically necessary services provided to children, including those with or without a disability determination, and whether those services are or are not required by a childs individualized education plan or individualized family services plan, whether they do or do not arise from a referral under the Early and Periodic Screening, Diagnostic, and Treatment program, and in the context of State Medicaid Director Letter 14-006;

(3) the rescission of any Medicaid or PEBA policies that deny coverage, solely on the basis that those services are being provided within a school or through a telehealth encounter that originates in a school, of medically necessary outpatient services that have been furnished to eligible children by enrolled and qualified providers;

(4) the issuance of any new Medicaid policies needed to durably enshrine any appropriate telehealth coverage that had been authorized on a temporary basis during the public health emergency;

(5) a review of statewide and school district-level policies and practices relating to suicide risk referral protocols and behavioral health training for student-facing personnel in schools; and

(6) reporting to the Chairman of the Senate Finance Committee and the Chairman of the House Ways and Means Committee on any other relevant potential policy changes that the Director of the Department of Health and Human Services believes would advance the intent of this provision, but which would have a fiscal impact that is sufficiently substantial to require the General Assemblys direct consideration in the future.

(I) The Department of Health and Human Services is authorized to establish programs and/or fund in whole or in part, including through the potential use of CHIP Health Services Initiatives, various pilot projects or other initiatives that are intended to develop the health care workforce in South Carolina. Such efforts must be targeted toward current or future providers who demonstrate, by whatever means is selected by the department, commitments to remaining in-state and including Medicaid beneficiaries among their patients. The development of the behavioral health workforce shall be prioritized, although the department may also address other provider classes, such as respiratory therapists, for which shortages have been highlighted and/or exacerbated by the public health emergency. Further consideration also should be given to attracting additional qualified preceptors and increasing opportunities for clinical rotations. The department may partner with or enlist the support of the Technical College System, Area Health Education Centers, and/or Student Loan Corporation in designing or administering these programs and, where appropriate, is encouraged to structure them as public-private partnerships in conjunction with the states hospital and health systems and other key employers of health providers.

(J) If either the Director of the Department of Mental Health or the Director of the Department of Health and Human Services finds that state personnel and/or procurement rules are limiting his ability to fulfill the intent of this provision, he shall notify the State Fiscal Accountability Authority of this in writing and request whatever exemptions are necessary to ensure that clinical staff may be recruited, retained, and/or contracted for so as to provide greater access to behavioral health treatment.

(K) In consultation with the Department of Mental Health, the Department of Health and Human Services shall assess the feasibility of, and if warranted, take steps to establish or obtain though grant, contract, subscription, or other procurement, a statewide system for the near-real time tracking of in-patient psychiatric hospital beds and crisis stabilization beds. This system should be generally designed to draw data from providers existing electronic medical record systems and make summary-level data available to authorized users within state agencies, participating provider organizations, and any others to be specified by the Department of Health and Human Services, for the purposes of managing critical resources and ensuring that patients may be promptly treated in the most effective and clinically appropriate setting. To protect patient privacy and ensure HIPAA compliance, the system may only collect information on the types, counts, and availability of beds, or other categorical or aggregated information, as opposed to individually identifying patient details. In partnership with the following named agencies, the Department of Health and Human Services may also explore and pursue the use of such a system:

(1) to meet the emergency preparedness and disaster recovery requirements of the Department of Health and Environmental Control and the Emergency Management Division that are currently met by the Bed Availability Report Tracking system; and/or

(2) to augment or replace the capabilities of the Department on Agings GetCareSC website.

(L) From the funds appropriated to or otherwise made available to it, the Department of Health and Human Services is authorized to procure, enter into contracts and agreements, offer grants, and otherwise expend funds as well as establish demonstration projects in one or more areas of the state to encourage and promote necessary infrastructure and investment to achieve the objectives set out in this provision. The department shall develop policies and procedures as necessary to assure accountability in the expenditure of these funds and apply for federal matching funds when appropriate and available. The department shall report annually to the Senate Finance Committee and the House Ways and Means Committee on all expenditures made under this provision.

(M) Crisis stabilization unit facilities established or funded pursuant to this provision shall be eligible for licensure under Regulation 61-125 without being owned or operated by the Department of Mental Health.

(N) Funds appropriated for Behavioral Health Capacity may be retained by the Department of Health and Human Services and carried forward to be expended for any purpose specified in this provision.

117.147. (GP: Mental Health Transportation) (A) Funds appropriated to the Department of Mental Health for the Alternative Transportation Program shall exclusively be used to support the transportation of individuals pursuant to Article 5, Chapter 17, Title 44 of the 1976 Code and as defined herein. These funds may be carried forward and expended for the same purpose.

(B) In accordance with the terms of the contract awarded pursuant to Act 239 of 2022, Proviso 117.154, the Department may elect to amend the contract to add additional counties.

(C) When transportation is provided through this Alternative Transportation Program, the written agreement described in Section 44-17-440(A) of the 1976 Code shall not be required.

(D) No later than January 15, 2024, the authority shall provide the Governor, the Chairman of the House Ways and Means Committee, and the Chairman of the Senate Finance Committee with a report on the implementation of this program. The report shall include a projection of the annualized amount by which the cost of a statewide Alternative Transportation Program might, at full implementation, exceed the amount appropriated for the program in the current fiscal year.

117.148. (GP: Rare Disease Advisory Council) (A) For the current fiscal year, there shall be established the South Carolina Rare Disease Council, to be housed within the Medical University of South Carolina. The council shall advise the Governor, the General Assembly, and other stakeholders on research, diagnosis, treatment, and education related to rare diseases as defined by 21 U.S.C. Section 360bb.

(B) The council shall be composed of fifteen members and shall be appointed as follows:

(1) one member appointed by the Director of the Department of Health and Environmental Control;

(2) one member appointed by the Director of the Department of Health and Human Services;

(3) one member from the Medical University of South Carolina as appointed by the President;

(4) one member from the University of South Carolina School of Medicine as appointed by the Dean;

(5) one member appointed by the Executive Director of the South Carolina Hospital Association;

(6) one member appointed by the Executive Director of the South Carolina Primary Healthcare Association;

(7) one member representing the biopharma industry as appointed by the President of the Medical University of South Carolina;

(8) three members with experience in the research and treatment of rare disease, one of whom must specialize in pediatrics, as appointed by the President of the Medical University of South Carolina;

(9) two members who are patients diagnosed with a rare disease as appointed by the President of the Medical University of South Carolina;

(10) one member from a rare disease organization operating in the state as appointed by the President of the Medical University of South Carolina;

(11) one caregiver of a person with a rare disease as appointed by the President of the Medical University of South Carolina; and

(12) one member representing the state health plan as appointed by the Executive Director of the State Public Benefit Authority.

(C) The council shall convene its first meeting by October 31 and hold public meetings at least quarterly throughout the year. The council shall, at a minimum, conduct the following activities to benefit rare disease patients in South Carolina:

(1) solicit comments from stakeholders, including patients and patient caregivers in South Carolina impacted by rare diseases, to assess the needs of rare-disease patients, caregivers, and providers in the State;

(2) consult with experts on rare diseases to develop recommendations to improve patient access to and quality of rare-disease specialists, affordable and comprehensive health care coverage, relevant diagnostics, timely treatment, and other needed services;

(3) research and identify priorities related to treatments and services provided to persons with rare diseases in South Carolina and develop recommendations that include safeguards against discrimination for these populations on such issues, including disaster and public health emergency-related planning;

(4) publish a list of existing, publicly accessible resources on research, diagnosis, treatment, and education relating to the rare diseases in South Carolina;

(5) identify and distribute educational resources to foster recognition and optimize treatment of rare diseases in South Carolina; and

(6) identify best practices to reduce health disparities and achieve health equity in the research, diagnosis, and treatment of rare diseases in South Carolina.

(D) The council shall provide an annual report no later than June 30 to the Governor, the Chairman of the Senate Finance Committee, the Chairman of the Senate Medical Affairs Committee, the Chairman of the House Ways and Means Committee, and the Chairman of the House Medical, Military, Public and Municipal Affairs Committee. The annual report shall describe the activities and progress of the council and provide recommendations to the Governor and General Assembly on ways to address the needs of people living with rare diseases in the state of South Carolina.

(E) Of the funding appropriated to the Department of Health and Human Services, up to $250,000 shall be used to contract with MUSC Hospital Authority to provide staff support to the council and maintain a public website that shall include the annual reports, meeting notices and minutes, and the resources developed as part of section (C). Members of the council shall serve without compensation or per diem.

117.149. (GP: Public Health Officer Liability) From the funds available to the respective departments, state agencies established pursuant to Title 44 of the 1976 Code shall have the same obligations to defend and indemnify as if these agencies were subject to Section 1-11-440 or Section 12-4-325.

117.150. (GP: Electricity Market Reform) The Electricity Market Reform Measures Study Committee shall issue a report on its work to the General Assembly no later than January 31, 2024; however, nothing in this provision prohibits the committee from continuing to meet past January 31, 2024 and issue additional reports pursuant to Act 187 of 2020.

117.151. (GP: Homestead Exemption Fund) For Fiscal Year 2023-24, Section 11-11-156(C) of the 1976 Code is suspended.

117.152. (GP: Actions on Election Law) (A) The President of the Senate, on behalf of the Senate, and the Speaker of the House of Representatives, on behalf of the House of Representatives, have an unconditional right to intervene on behalf of their respective bodies in a state court action that challenges the validity of an election law, an election policy, or the manner in which an election is conducted.

(B) In a federal court action that challenges the validity of an election law, an election policy, or the manner in which an election is conducted, the President of the Senate, on behalf of the Senate, and the Speaker of the House of Representatives, on behalf of the House of Representatives, have standing to intervene as a party on behalf of their respective bodies, to file an amicus brief, or to provide evidence or argument, written or oral, in accordance with the federal rules of procedure, irrespective of whether any other officer of the State has appeared in the action.

(C) A federal court presiding over an action that challenges the validity of an election law, an election policy, or the manner in which an election is conducted is requested to allow the President, on behalf of the Senate, and the Speaker of the House of Representatives, on behalf of the House of Representatives, to intervene in any such action as a party.

(D) The State Election Commission and the Attorney General must notify the President of the Senate and the Speaker of the House of Representatives within twenty-four hours of the receipt of service of a complaint that challenges the validity of an election law, an election policy, or the manner in which an election is conducted.

(E) In any action in which the Senate or the House of Representatives intervenes or participates pursuant to this proviso, the Senate and the House of Representatives must function independently from each other in the representation of their respective bodies, unless otherwise agreed to by the President of the Senate and the Speaker of the House of Representatives.

(F) The Senate and House of Representatives may expend funds appropriated in this act to exercise the unconditional right set forth in subsection (A) and to sustain any other action set forth in this proviso. No county election commission may accept or expend any funds other than public funds to prepare for or to conduct elections.

117.153. (GP: Retained Counsel) In the current fiscal year, from the funds appropriated, public colleges and universities, including public technical schools, shall revise or adopt policies to allow a student facing disciplinary or honor code violations as a result of a criminal charge the right to retain counsel, at the students expense, to provide full legal representation in all proceedings including, but not limited to, allowing counsel to appear on behalf of the student, speak on behalf of the student, question witnesses, protect the statutory and constitutional rights of the student, and to otherwise fully participate in all proceedings on behalf of the student.

117.154. (GP: Disinfection and Cleaning) Of the funds appropriated or authorized herein, agencies and political subdivisions, including public school districts, may implement or procure cleaning, sanitization, and disinfection services and products that, at a minimum, meet the most current requirements and guidelines issued by the Department of Health and Environmental Control to mitigate the impact of any COVID-19 strains, as well as other communicable diseases. All cleaning, disinfection, and sanitization products should be able to be safely used on a daily, weekly, or monthly basis and meet the following qualifications, as aligned with current DHEC guidelines:

(1) be on the EPA approved disinfectant list;

(2) be a broad-spectrum disinfectant that kills 99.9% of bacteria and viruses, including COVID-19, norovirus, influenza, e-coli, mold, fungi, and odor causing bacteria;

(3) be safe for use on multiple solid surfaces without leaving a residue; and

(4) be recognized by the Environmental Protection Agency and the United States Department of Agriculture as safe for use around food, including for use in cafeterias, kitchens, and other areas where food is prepared or consumed.

The preferred method for widespread disinfection and sanitization of public spaces, after all necessary and recommended cleaning, may include the use of a residual antimicrobial, electrostatic spraying application on surfaces and utilize ultraviolet (UV-C) technology for indoor air quality (IAQ) pursuant to CDC guidelines. All related products and services require independent lab testing for verification of claims, and an Underwriters Lab (UL) listing for any electrical products. When vendors are procured to provide such services the vendor must have evidence of industry experience and expertise.

117.155. (GP: Job Order Contracting Pilot Program) For the current fiscal year, the Division of Procurement Services of the State Fiscal Accountability Authority may pilot test a job order contracting method at the request and on behalf of up to six governmental bodies or public procurement units consisting of two state agencies and four school districts by entering into job order contracts to acquire construction services when the exact time or exact quantities of future jobs are not known at the time of contract award. The State Engineer must approve, in his sole discretion, which governmental bodies and public procurement units may participate in the pilot project. Procurement Services may enter into job order contracts with up to four businesses for each governmental body or public procurement unit for each licensing classification and sub-classification for construction. The job order contracts must terminate twenty-four months after award.

For purposes of this provision, the term job order contract means a contract that provides for the issuance of job orders for the performance of construction, renovation, and repair work, where contractors propose an adjustment factor or factors to be applied to a catalog of preset unit prices calculated using local prevailing wage rates, local equipment, and local material costs, and where individual job orders are issued to the awarded contractors on an as-needed basis and the price paid for the work is a lump sum of the preset unit prices needed to complete the job order multiplied by the quantity required multiplied by the adjustment factor.

For purposes of the pilot project, an individual project using job orders may not exceed five hundred thousand dollars and the sum of all individual job orders may not exceed four million dollars per contract. Work may not be divided artificially in order to avoid these limits. A single project must not be performed using job order contracts in combination with contracts awarded pursuant to Section 11-35-1550 of the 1976 Code.

For purposes of the pilot project, a job order must clearly specify all tasks to be performed or property to be delivered under the order so the full price for the performance of the work can be established when the order is placed. All job orders must be issued on a fixed-price basis. All job orders must be issued within the period of the contract and must be within the scope and maximum value of the contract. Each job order shall provide an itemized list of each construction tasks required to complete the work with the tasks associated unit price and applied adjustment factor. Each job order proposal shall be certified as contract compliant by a reviewer independent of the contractor.

Any solicitation for a job order contract must include the following: (1) the period of the contract; (2) the maximum dollar value of the services to be procured under the contract; (3) the maximum dollar value of the services to be procured under a single job order; (4) a description that reasonably describes the licensing classification and the general scope, nature, complexity, and purposes of the services to be procured under the contract in a manner that will enable a prospective bidder to decide whether to submit a bid; (5) the procedures that the governmental body will use for issuing job orders for the pilot program; (6) if applicable, the geographic area to which the job order contract applies; ordinarily, a geographically contiguous area should not be subdivided; and (7) the number of job order contracts to be awarded.

117.156. (GP: In-State Tuition Mitigation) The following recurring funds have been appropriated in Part IA to institutions of higher learning to mitigate tuition and fee increases for in-state undergraduate students:

(1) The Citadel $ 2,102,077;

(2) Clemson University $ 18,357,408;

(3) University of Charleston $ 7,171,550;

(4) Coastal Carolina University $ 5,502,820;

(5) Francis Marion University $ 4,750,310;

(6) Lander University $ 4,398,129;

(7) South Carolina State University $ 2,723,896;

(8) University of South Carolina-Columbia $ 21,843,445;

(9) University of South Carolina-Aiken $ 3,814,830;

(10) University of South Carolina-Upstate $ 5,780,713;

(11) University of South Carolina-Beaufort $ 2,414,362;

(12) University of South Carolina-Lancaster $ 2,268,538;

(13) University of South Carolina-Salkehatchie $ 923,098;

(14) University of South Carolina-Sumter $ 1,968,634;

(15) University of South Carolina-Union $ 1,363,324;

(16) Winthrop University $ 4,616,866; and

(17) Medical University of South Carolina $ 6,858,753.

In order to retain the above appropriations, each institution of higher learning listed above must certify to the Commission on Higher Education by August 15, 2023, there is no in-state undergraduate tuition or in-state undergraduate mandatory fee increase, excluding increases in auxiliary fees, for the 2023-2024 academic year.

The Commission on Higher Education shall develop the process by which institutions provide the certification. Any institution unable to provide such certification to the commission shall remit their respective above recurring allocation to the General Fund by September 15, 2023.

By November 1, 2023, the Commission on Higher Education shall report to the House Ways and Means Committee, the Senate Finance Committee, and the Executive Budget Office the institutions that failed to certify that the in-state undergraduate tuition or in-state undergraduate mandatory fee increase met the guidelines outlined in this provision. The Executive Budget Office is directed to reduce the recurring appropriation of any institution found to be non-compliant with the certification.

117.157. (GP: Historic Preservation Certification Fee) For the current fiscal year, the requirements of Section 12-6-3535(G) are suspended.

117.158. (GP: Name Image Likeness) In the current fiscal year, Act 35 of 2021 in its entirety pertaining to intercollegiate athlete (NIL) name, image, or likeness is suspended.

117.159. (GP: In-state Tuition Payment) For the current fiscal year, an individual enrolled in a public institution of higher learning who receives educational assistance under Chapter 35, Title 38 of the United States Code is entitled to pay in-state tuition and fees, while living in the State, without regard to the length of time the individual has resided in the State.

117.160. (GP: Human Affairs Commission and Commission for Minority Affairs Merger Study) The Department of Administration shall develop a plan merging the Human Affairs Commission and Commission for Minority Affairs. The plan shall include, but is not limited to, proposed organizational structure, proposed program structure, and proposed budgetary and human resources changes to perform the functions of the two existing agencies in the event of a merger of the two agencies. The Human Affairs Commission and the Commission for Minority Affairs shall each provide any information requested by the department for the completion of the plan. The plan shall be submitted to the Chairman of the Senate Finance Committee, the Chairman of the House Ways and Means Committee, and the Governor by December 1, 2023.

117.161. (GP: Statewide Mobile Health Units) For Fiscal Year 2023-24, the South Carolina Center for Rural and Primary Healthcare may provide coordination and requested technical assistance to mobile health units in South Carolina, in order to coordinate statewide delivery of services to increase access to preventative and diagnostic health care, and reduce health inequities for rural, vulnerable, underserved, and displaced populations in South Carolina. To support this goal, the South Carolina Center for Rural and Primary Healthcare shall: 1) be authorized to identify and maintain a directory of currently operating mobile health units, the areas of the state in which they serve, and the scope of services they provide, and the populations served by the mobile health unit; 2) offer technical assistance to these units, and any established in the future, in the form of operational, technical, or logistical guidance and consultation as requested; 3) provide collaborative learning and development opportunities for mobile health units to engage in best practices and increase access to underserved populations or communities; 4) partner with the University of South Carolina Salkehatchie and Denmark Technical College, other public institutions of higher education, state serving healthcare organization and other state serving agencies, including the Department of Health and Human Services and the Department of Health and Environmental Control to develop coordinating systems, support, training and health education services to meet the workforce needs of mobile health units and the communities that they serve; and also to develop competencies related to providing high impact mobile health services; and 5) initiate analyses and evaluation on the impact of services delivered through mobile health units. The center shall be available to assist and support implementation strategies driven by local, regional, and state data and research and aligned efforts, and may provide organization and collaboration among mobile health units and any units that may begin operating in the future.

117.162. (GP: Palmetto Autism Study Committee) (A) The Palmetto Autism Study Committee shall be housed in the South Carolina Department of Health and Human Services. The study committee shall address, but is not limited to, the following issues:

(1) the best ways to ensure the timely evaluation, diagnosis, and treatment of autism for individuals aged eighteen and under and their families;

(2) the need for and viability of development of statewide autism centers of excellence that engage in the training of practitioners and advanced treatment practices and research related to autism;

(3) reviewing and evaluating the accessibility to initial autism evaluations and Medicaid eligibility to identify any barriers to diagnosis and enrollment; and

(4) methods by which financial assistance can be provided to families in order to obtain needed autism services.

(B) The study committee shall be composed of members appointed as follows:

(1) two appointees by the Governor, one of which may be a parent of an autistic child;

(2) three appointees by the Chairman of the House Ways and Means Committee, one of which may be a House member, one of which may be a practitioner, and one of which may be a parent of an autistic child;

(3) three appointees by the Chairman of the Senate Finance Committee, one of which may be a Senate member, one of which may be a practitioner, and one of which may be a parent of an autistic child;

(4) the director of the Department of Health and Human Services or his designee; and

(5) the director of the Department of Disabilities and Special Needs or his designee.

No member of the study committee shall be entitled to any compensation or reimbursement, and no three members of the study committee shall reside in the same public health region of the State.

(C) Any administrative services or support for the study committee shall be provided by the Department of Health and Human Services.

(D) No later than January 15, 2024, the study committee shall provide the Governor, the Chairman of the House Ways and Means Committee, and the Chairman of the Senate Finance Committee with a report on its findings and recommendations on the issues contained in this provision.

117.163. (GP: COVID-19 Research) From the funds held in the COVID-19 Response Reserve Account established pursuant to Act 135 of 2020, an amount not to exceed $27,650,000 may be transferred to the Medical University of South Carolina to conduct a clinical trial for an investigational drug to be used in the treatment of COVID-19. Funding is to be made in two phases, Phase I of which must be limited to an amount not to exceed $13,063,639, and Phase II of which must be limited to an amount not to exceed $14,586,361. These transfers are subject to direction by the Governor, and review and comment by the Joint Bond Review Committee, for each phase of the clinical trial. Without limitation, funding for Phase I of the clinical trial is contingent upon establishment of outcome measures against which efficacy of the treatment will be assessed, and which must be included in the Universitys request to the Governor for consideration of the proposed expenditure. Without limitation, funding for Phase II of the clinical trial is contingent upon outcomes clearly demonstrating success of Phase I of the clinical trial. The University may collaborate with other public and private entities in conducting the clinical trial; provided, however, that the University must reserve its sole accountability and responsibility for conduct of the clinical trial and management of the funding to ensure that funds are expended only for the public purpose of promoting the health, safety, and welfare of the citizens of this State. The University must establish a schedule of expenditure projections for each phase of the clinical trial, and must provide periodic reports to the Governor and the Joint Bond Review Committee in such form and at such times as each may prescribe. In addition to the foregoing, the University must provide to the Governor and the Joint Bond Review Committee an accounting of the expenditures for each phase of the clinical trial as soon as practicable following the earlier of conclusion of each phase of the clinical trial or exhaustion of the funding applicable thereto. In the event that any funds remain unexpended at the conclusion of either phase of the clinical trial, this authorization must lapse to the extent of the unexpended funds, and such unexpended funds must revert to their original funding source, with availability for expenditure in accordance with their original statutory purpose.

117.164. (GP: Licensure of Residential Treatment Facilities) From the funds appropriated in this act, the Department of Health and Environmental Control shall collaborate with the Department of Health and Human Services to determine the number of Residential Treatment Facility (RTF) beds needed to ensure availability of in-state services for South Carolina residents. In accordance with this determination, DHEC shall use RTF license application and renewal fees to issue and renew licenses only in a manner that specifies the percentage of beds each RTF must staff and reserve for South Carolina residents.

117.165. (GP: Lead Apprenticeship Agency) In the current fiscal year, the State Board for Technical and Comprehensive Education (SBTCE) shall be recognized as the lead agency for facilitating United States Department of Labor Registered Apprenticeships (USDOL) in South Carolina. All state agencies, public K-12 school districts, and other entities receiving state funds shall coordinate all USDOL Registered Apprenticeships and registered apprenticeship activities through SBTCE and its division Apprenticeship Carolina. SCTCS shall lead the creation and implementation of policies and coordinating efforts to foster the growth of Registered Apprenticeships in South Carolina. For the purposes of this provision, Registered Apprenticeship is defined as an industry-driven, high-quality career pathway where employers can develop and prepare their future workforce, and individuals can obtain paid work experience, receive progressive wage increases, classroom instruction, and a portable, nationally-recognized credential. Registered Apprenticeships are industry-vetted and approved and validated by the U.S. Department of Labor. With respect to occupational licensure for registered apprenticeships, the Department of Labor, Licensing and Regulation shall administer and enforce the regulations and direct all inspections and investigations related to issuing licenses for occupations regulated by the Department of Labor, Licensing and Regulation.

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117.168. (GP: Millage Calculation) For Fiscal Year 2023-2024, a municipality is allowed an additional and permanent adjustment to its general operating millage rate increase limitation for population growth, calculated pursuant to Section 6-1-320, for any increase that would have been allowed in Fiscal Year 2021-2022 but was not known because of the delayed release of the 2020 Census. This adjustment must be calculated using the July 1, 2020 census population estimates, as originally published based on the 2020 Census, instead of the July 1, 2019 population estimates based on the 2010 Census.

117.169. (GP: Coverage for Contraceptives) For the plan year beginning in January of the current fiscal year, the Public Employee Benefit Authority and the State Health Plan shall cover prescribed contraceptives for dependents under the same terms and conditions that the Plan provides contraceptive coverage for employees and spouses. The State Health Plan shall not apply patient cost sharing provisions to covered contraceptives. This provision does not alter the current approved list of contraceptives and complies with the requirements of Proviso 108.4.

117.170. (GP: Employee Retention and Recruitment) For Fiscal Year 2023-24, funds will be appropriated to the Commission on Prosecution Coordination and to the Commission on Indigent Defense for Assistant Solicitor Personnel and Retention and Assistant Public Defender Personnel and Retention.

Prior to funds being disbursed to the judicial circuits, the Circuit Solicitor and Circuit Public Defender for each judicial circuit shall provide to the Commission on Prosecution Coordination Director and the Commission on Indigent Defense Director, respectively, a report of current warrants pending. The report shall provide the total number of warrants pending in Circuit Court on July 1st of the preceding and current fiscal year, and the total number of warrants disposed of in the previous fiscal year. In addition, the report shall provide the aging categories for pending warrants as follows: (1) those pending 365 days or less; (2) those pending 366 days to 544 days; and (3) the number of warrants pending more than 545 days. Each circuit shall also submit on a semiannual basis an updated report on the current number of warrants pending.

By July 15, 2023, the Commission on Prosecution Coordination and the Commission on Indigent Defense shall report to the Chief Administrative Judge of each respective circuit handling the General Sessions docket, the Chairman of the Senate Finance Committee, the Chairman of the House Ways and Means Committee, and the Governors Office the manner in which the funds will be distributed among the circuits, steps taken to retain current employees, the number of new FTEs that will be hired, and information obtained from circuits on how these measures will go towards reducing both the number and aging warrants pending.

After the initial report is submitted, the Commission on Prosecution Coordination and the Commission on Indigent Defense shall provide semiannual progress updates.

117.171. (GP: Athletic Admissions Revenue) For the current fiscal year, revenue derived from the provisions of Section 12-21-2420 from admissions to an athletic event of an accredited college or university shall be remitted to the Department of Revenue pursuant to Section 12-21-2420. Thereafter, the Department of Revenue shall allocate the same amount to the college or university so long as the use of the revenue is limited exclusively to supporting the college or universitys student-athletes through the provision of student aid, scholarship, and/or related financial support.

117.172. (GP: Comptroller General Financial Accountability & Remediation Task Force) For Fiscal Year 2023-24, with the funds appropriated and/or authorized to the Office of the Comptroller General, the Office shall work, in consultation with the Department of Administration, to conduct a study to evaluate the compensation and staffing of the Office. The study shall review all necessary components of compensation and staffing and shall recommend the required minimum appropriations needed for the operation of the Office. The results of the study shall be provided to the Chairman of the Senate Finance Committee, Chairman of the House Ways and Means Committee, and the Governor by December 1, 2023. The amount recommended shall be the minimum appropriations requested, net of any funding authorized in this proviso, for the Office by January 1, 2024.

Of the funds appropriated for office rehabilitation, the Office of the Comptroller General shall work in conjunction with the Division of State Human Resources to present a plan for salary and staffing adjustments and other operating expenses to the Joint Bond Review Committee for review and comment. The Executive Budget Office shall not approve any transfers from office rehabilitation until the plan has been presented before the committee. Any additional FTEs necessary as part of this request shall be deemed approved upon transfer of funding.

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117.175. (GP: Abandoned Textile Mills) For any project involving an abandoned textile mill of between 130,000 and 135,000 square feet and estimated rehabilitation expenses of between $5,500,000 and $6,500,000, a Notice of Intent to Rehabilitate filed pursuant to the South Carolina Textile Communities Revitalization Act on or before June 30, 2024, shall be effective as of the effective date designated by the taxpayer in the Notice to Intent to Rehabilitate for purposes of Section 12-65-30(C)(2), which effective date may be earlier than the date of the Notice of Intent to Rehabilitate, and any rehabilitation expenses incurred on or after the effective date designated by the taxpayer shall be eligible for credits under Section 12-65-30(A)(2), provided all other applicable statutory requirements are satisfied.

117.176. (GP: Program Transfer) In Fiscal Year 2023-24, the Department of Health and Environmental Control shall work with the Department of Education and the Department of Administration, Executive Budget Office, to transition the Abstinence-Until-Marriage Emerging Program and Abstinence-Until-Marriage Evidence-Based Program to the Department of Education effective no later than June 30, 2024. The Executive Budget Office is authorized to make necessary permanent transfers to facilitate the transfer of these programs. The Department of Health and Environmental Control shall report to the Chairman of the Senate Finance Committee and the Chairman of the House Ways and Means Committee, no later than December 1, 2023, on the progress of the transition and any necessary proviso and budgetary changes required by the General Assembly to complete the transfer of the programs.

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117.182. (GP: Land Acquisitions) Prior to entering into contracts to utilize funds appropriated or authorized by the General Assembly to acquire interests in land for natural resource protection and rural land preservation, including conservation easements, the Department of Natural Resources, Department of Parks, Recreation, and Tourism, Office of Resilience, and Forestry Commission (Resource Agencies) shall coordinate and collaborate with the SC Conservation Bank to maximize the most cost effective options available for the acquisition with the greatest public benefit. The Conservation Bank shall coordinate with the Resource Agency to ensure that the funds are used for projects that support the agencys objectives, the States broader conservation objectives, and that demonstrate a satisfactory degree of financial leverage, partnerships, and other indicators of quality as determined by the Bank and Resource Agency.

117.183. (GP: Life Scholarship Retention) For the current fiscal year, of the funds allocated to the Commission on Higher Education for Life Scholarships, no monies shall be withheld from a student otherwise eligible for their second year of Life Scholarship funding based solely upon a grade earned in a dual enrollment class.

117.184. (GP: Definition of Physicians Office) For the purposes of meeting the requirements of Section 12-36-2120(80) for insertable medicine used in the prevention, treatment, or cure of ophthalmologic diseases or conditions, the definition of a physicians office includes an independent surgery center and a hospital-based outpatient department.

117.185. (GP: JROTC Program) By February 1, 2024, the Department of Education, in collaboration with the Department of Veterans Affairs, the Adjutant General, and the Education Oversight Committee, shall submit a report to the General Assembly, the Governor, and the State Board of Education on the status of JROTC program offerings in South Carolina public schools. The report shall include recommendations for expanding JROTC program offerings to more South Carolina students.

117.186. (GP: Festival Craftsmen) In the current fiscal year, a person including, but not limited to, artists, craftsmen, or hobbyists, who makes sales not more than four times in the fiscal year at a fair, festival, carnival, or event that operates for a period of less than twelve consecutive days is not engaged in business or making sales at retail. However, this proviso does not apply to persons who are engaged in the business of making sales at retail for which they are required to obtain a license.

117.187. (GP: Prostate Cancer Study Committee) (A) For the current fiscal year, there shall be established the South Carolina Prostate Cancer Study Committee. The study committee shall address, but is not limited to addressing, the following initiatives:

(1) the best methods to ensure timely screening, accurate diagnosis, and treatment of prostate cancer;

(2) the need for and viability of a continuum of care for those diagnosed with and in remission from prostate cancer;

(3) reviewing and evaluating best practices for education and awareness about prostate cancer;

(4) identifying areas in South Carolina with a high incidence of prostate cancer or poor outcomes;

(5) researching the latest and proven methods for screening, diagnosing, and treating prostate cancer; and

(6) reviewing current efforts to promote prostate cancer awareness and screening in South Carolina and how best to improve those efforts.

(B) In addition to two Senators appointed by the President of the South Carolina Senate and two members of the House of Representatives as appointed by the Speaker of the South Carolina House of Representatives, the committee shall consist of:

(1) one Urology or Oncology Specialist from the MUSC School of Medicine;

(2) one Urology or Oncology Specialist from the University of South Carolina School of Medicine;

(3) three Urology or Oncology Specialists who are not affiliated with the MUSC School of Medicine or the University of South Carolina School of Medicine appointed jointly by the President of the Senate and the Speaker of the House of Representatives upon recommendation of the South Carolina Hospital Association;

(4) three Urology or Oncology Specialists who are not affiliated with the MUSC School of Medicine or the University of South Carolina School of Medicine appointed jointly by the President of the Senate and the Speaker of the House of Representatives upon recommendation of the South Carolina Medical Association;

(5) the Director of the Hollings Cancer Center or his designee;

(6) the Director of the South Carolina Office of Rural Health or his designee;

(7) the Director of the South Carolina Center for Rural and Primary Healthcare or his designee;

(8) the Director of Clemson Rural Health or his designee;

(9) the Dean of the Arnold School of Public Health or his designee;

(10) one representative from the American Cancer Society;

(11) one patient advocate, to be appointed by the Chairman of the Senate Finance Committee; and

(12) one patient advocate, to be appointed by the Chairman of the House Ways and Means Committee.

No member of the study committee shall be entitled to any compensation or reimbursement.

(C) From the membership of the committee, a Chairman shall be appointed jointly by the President of the Senate and the Speaker of the House of Representatives.

(D) Any administrative services or support for the study committee shall be provided by staff of the General Assembly.

(E) No later than January 15, 2024, the study committee shall provide the Governor, the Chairman of the Senate Finance Committee, and the Chairman of the House Ways and Means Committee with a report on its findings and recommendations on the initiatives contained in this provision.

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