S*567 Session 110 (1993-1994)
S*0567(Rat #0183, Act #0158) General Bill, By Moore, Jackson and Short
Similar(H 3741)
A Bill to amend Title 20, Chapter 7, Code of Laws of South Carolina, 1976, by
adding Article 26 so as to enact the South Carolina Child Fatality Review and
Prevention Act, to provide for the policy of the State in preventing child
deaths, to create the Department of Child Fatalities in the State Law
Enforcement Division and to provide for its duties and functions, to establish
the State Child Fatality Advisory Committee, and to provide for its members,
its purpose, powers, and duties; to provide for access to and confidentiality
of records relating to children who have died and services provided to these
children and their families; to add Sections 17-5-140 and 17-5-265 so as to
require coroners and medical examiners to notify the Department of Child
Fatalities when a child dies under certain circumstances; to add Sections
17-5-150 and 17-5-275 so as to authorize a coroner or a medical examiner to
obtain an inspection warrant in the course of conducting an investigation of a
child's death; to amend Section 20-7-490, as amended, relating to definitions
in the child abuse and neglect law, so as to revise the definition of "abused
or neglected child"; to amend Section 20-7-510, relating to child abuse and
neglect, so as to require employees of a coroner or a medical examiner,
undertaker, funeral home director, or their employees to report; to amend
Section 20-7-650, as amended, relating to duties of local child protective
agencies, so as to provide that confidentiality provisions do not apply to
requests for information by the Department of Child Fatalities; to amend
Section 20-7-690, as amended, relating to confidentiality of child abuse
reports, and records, so as to allow the release of such information to county
medical examiners, coroners, the Department of Child Fatalities, and the
Advisory Committee; and to provide that funds and positions related to the
child fatality review process in the Department of Social Services must be
transferred to the Department of Child Fatalities.-amended title
03/18/93 Senate Introduced and read first time SJ-4
03/18/93 Senate Referred to Committee on General SJ-5
04/29/93 Senate Committee report: Favorable with amendment General SJ-7
04/29/93 Senate Read second time SJ-8
04/29/93 Senate Ordered to third reading with notice of amendments SJ-8
05/06/93 Senate Amended SJ-13
05/06/93 Senate Read third time and sent to House SJ-22
05/11/93 House Introduced, read first time, placed on calendar
without reference HJ-3
05/25/93 House Point of order- fiscal impact statement needed HJ-24
05/26/93 House Objection by Rep. Robinson, Lanford & Trotter HJ-27
05/26/93 House Debate adjourned until Thursday, May 27, 1993 HJ-27
05/26/93 House Objection withdrawn by Rep. Lanford HJ-78
05/27/93 House Objection by Rep. Simrill & Kirsh HJ-129
05/27/93 House Amended HJ-129
05/27/93 House Read second time HJ-130
05/27/93 House Unanimous consent for third reading on next
legislative day HJ-130
05/28/93 House Read third time and returned to Senate with
amendments HJ-6
06/01/93 Senate House amendment amended SJ-37
06/01/93 Senate Returned to House with amendments SJ-37
06/02/93 House Concurred in Senate amendment and enrolled HJ-37
06/10/93 Ratified R 183
06/15/93 Signed By Governor
06/15/93 Effective date 06/15/93
07/14/93 Copies available
(A158, R183, S567)
AN ACT TO AMEND TITLE 20, CHAPTER 7, CODE OF LAWS OF
SOUTH CAROLINA, 1976, BY ADDING ARTICLE 26 SO AS TO
ENACT THE SOUTH CAROLINA CHILD FATALITY REVIEW AND
PREVENTION ACT, TO PROVIDE FOR THE POLICY OF THE STATE
IN PREVENTING CHILD DEATHS, TO CREATE THE DEPARTMENT
OF CHILD FATALITIES IN THE STATE LAW ENFORCEMENT
DIVISION AND TO PROVIDE FOR ITS DUTIES AND FUNCTIONS,
TO ESTABLISH THE STATE CHILD FATALITY ADVISORY
COMMITTEE, AND TO PROVIDE FOR ITS MEMBERS, ITS
PURPOSE, POWERS, AND DUTIES; TO PROVIDE FOR ACCESS TO
AND CONFIDENTIALITY OF RECORDS RELATING TO CHILDREN
WHO HAVE DIED AND SERVICES PROVIDED TO THESE
CHILDREN AND THEIR FAMILIES; TO ADD SECTIONS 17-5-140
AND 17-5-265 SO AS TO REQUIRE CORONERS AND MEDICAL
EXAMINERS TO NOTIFY THE DEPARTMENT OF CHILD
FATALITIES WHEN A CHILD DIES UNDER CERTAIN
CIRCUMSTANCES; TO ADD SECTIONS 17-5-150 AND 17-5-275 SO
AS TO AUTHORIZE A CORONER OR A MEDICAL EXAMINER TO
OBTAIN AN INSPECTION WARRANT IN THE COURSE OF
CONDUCTING AN INVESTIGATION OF A CHILD'S DEATH; TO
AMEND SECTION 20-7-490, AS AMENDED, RELATING TO
DEFINITIONS IN THE CHILD ABUSE AND NEGLECT LAW, SO AS
TO REVISE THE DEFINITION OF "ABUSED OR NEGLECTED
CHILD"; TO AMEND SECTION 20-7-510, RELATING TO
REPORTING OF CHILD ABUSE AND NEGLECT, SO AS TO
REQUIRE EMPLOYEES OF A CORONER OR A MEDICAL
EXAMINER, UNDERTAKER, FUNERAL HOME DIRECTOR, OR
THEIR EMPLOYEES TO REPORT; TO AMEND SECTION 20-7-650,
AS AMENDED, RELATING TO DUTIES OF LOCAL CHILD
PROTECTIVE AGENCIES, SO AS TO PROVIDE THAT
CONFIDENTIALITY PROVISIONS DO NOT APPLY TO REQUESTS
FOR INFORMATION BY THE DEPARTMENT OF CHILD
FATALITIES; TO AMEND SECTION 20-7-690, AS AMENDED,
RELATING TO CONFIDENTIALITY OF CHILD ABUSE REPORTS,
AND RECORDS, SO AS TO ALLOW THE RELEASE OF SUCH
INFORMATION TO COUNTY MEDICAL EXAMINERS, CORONERS,
THE DEPARTMENT OF CHILD FATALITIES, AND THE ADVISORY
COMMITTEE; AND TO PROVIDE THAT FUNDS AND POSITIONS
RELATED TO THE CHILD FATALITY REVIEW PROCESS IN THE
DEPARTMENT OF SOCIAL SERVICES MUST BE TRANSFERRED
TO THE DEPARTMENT OF CHILD FATALITIES.
Whereas, it is the policy of this State that every child is entitled to live in
safety and in health and to survive into adulthood; and
Whereas, it is estimated that nine hundred fifty-eight children under the age
of eighteen died in 1991 in this State; approximately twenty-one of those
deaths were from child abuse or neglect; and approximately two hundred
eighteen of those deaths were from homicide, accidents, and other
preventable causes; and
Whereas, from 1988 to 1991 there has been a thirty-two percent increase in
the number of child deaths caused by abuse or neglect and this steady
growth in the number of children whose deaths are due to abuse and
neglect is coupled with a disturbing trend of increasing violence toward
younger children; and
Whereas, there are concerns about the adequacy of efforts in this State to
identify deaths which may be from child abuse or other preventable causes,
to obtain and maintain statistics on child mortality, to provide services to
surviving family members, to appropriately use the criminal justice system,
and to develop and implement measures to prevent future child deaths;
and
Whereas, no one state or local agency is responsible for the failure of these
efforts, as multiple agencies and officials have responsibilities for
responding to child deaths and for the services and programs which could
prevent future child deaths; and
Whereas, multi-disciplinary and multi-agency child death review teams,
improved agency responses, and enhanced public awareness are methods of
achieving the state policy and appropriate goals for this State; and
Whereas, prompt and correct identification of the cause of a child's death
can help alleviate the suffering of the parent who is not responsible for that
death; and
Whereas, persons who are responsible for the deaths of children should be
held accountable for their actions in the appropriate criminal and civil
proceedings; and
Whereas, confidentiality requirements of public agencies and others with
information regarding deceased children and their families should not deter
the exchange of information concerning the child within a
multi-disciplinary and multi-agency review process, so long as there are
protections against disclosures outside of the review; and
Whereas, this State recognizes that our children are our greatest resource,
and we are willing to take all necessary measures to preserve the futures of
our children. Now, therefore,
Be it enacted by the General Assembly of the State of South Carolina:
Citation to act
SECTION 1. This act may be cited as the "South Carolina Child
Fatality Review and Prevention Act".
State policy
SECTION 2. It is the policy of this State that:
(1) Every child is entitled to live in safety and in health and to survive
into adulthood;
(2) Responding to child deaths is a state and a community
responsibility;
(3) When a child dies, the response by the State and the community to
the death must include an accurate and complete determination of the cause
of death, the provision of services to surviving family members, and the
development and implementation of measures to prevent future deaths from
similar causes and may include court action, including prosecution of
persons who may be responsible for the death and family court proceedings
to protect other children in the care of the responsible person;
(4) Professionals from disparate disciplines and agencies who have
responsibilities for children and expertise that can promote child safety and
well-being should share their expertise and knowledge toward the goals of
determining the causes of children's deaths, planning and providing
services to surviving children and nonoffending family members, and
preventing future child deaths;
(5) A greater understanding of the incidence and causes of child deaths
is necessary if the State is to prevent future child deaths;
(6) Multi-disciplinary and multi-agency reviews of child deaths can
assist the State in the investigation of child deaths, in the development of a
greater understanding of the incidence and causes of child deaths and the
methods for preventing such deaths, and in identifying gaps in services to
children and families;
(7) Access to information regarding deceased children and their
families by the Department of Child Fatalities is necessary to achieve the
department's purposes and duties; and
(8) Competent investigative services must be sensitive to the needs of
South Carolina's children and their families and not unnecessarily intrusive
and should be achieved through training, awareness, and technical
assistance.
Creation of SLED Department of Child Fatalities and State Advisory
Committee; purposes; duties; confidentiality
SECTION 3. Chapter 7, Title 20 of the 1976 Code is amended by
adding:
"Article 26
Department of Child Fatalities
State Child Fatality Advisory Committee
Section 20-7-5900. For purposes of this article:
(1) `Child' means a person under eighteen years of age.
(2) `Committee' means the State Child Fatality Advisory
Committee.
(3) `Department' means the State Law Enforcement Division's
Department of Child Fatalities.
(4) `Local child protective services agency' means the county
department of social services for the jurisdiction where a deceased child
resided.
(5) `Meeting' means both in-person meetings and meetings through
telephone conferencing.
(6) `Preventable death' means a death which reasonable medical, social,
legal, psychological, or educational intervention may have prevented.
(7) `Provider of medical care' means a licensed health care practitioner
who provides, or a licensed health care facility through which is provided,
medical evaluation or treatment, including dental and mental health
evaluation or treatment.
(8) `Working day' means Monday through Friday, excluding official
state holidays.
(9) `Unexpected death' includes all child deaths which, before
investigation, appear possibly to have been caused by trauma, suspicious or
obscure circumstances, or child abuse or neglect.
Section 20-7-5905. There is created within the State Law Enforcement
Division (SLED) the Department of Child Fatalities which is under the
supervision of the Chief of SLED.
Section 20-7-5910. (A) There is created a multi-disciplinary State Child
Fatality Advisory Committee composed of:
(1) the Commissioner of the South Carolina Department of Social
Services;
(2) the Commissioner of the South Carolina Department of Health and
Environmental Control;
(3) the State Superintendent of Education;
(4) the Executive Director of the South Carolina Criminal Justice
Academy;
(5) the Chief of the State Law Enforcement Division;
(6) the Commissioner of the South Carolina Commission on Alcohol
and Drug Abuse;
(7) the Commissioner of the State Department of Mental Health;
(8) the Commissioner of the State Department of Mental
Retardation;
(9) the Commissioner of the Department of Youth Services;
(10) an attorney with experience in prosecuting crimes against
children;
(11) a county coroner or medical examiner;
(12) a pediatrician with experience in diagnosing and treating child
abuse and neglect, appointed from recommendations submitted by the State
Chapter of the American Academy of Pediatrics; and
(13) a solicitor.
(B) Those state agency members in items (1)-(9) shall serve ex officio
and may appoint a designee to serve in their place from their particular
departments or agencies who have administrative or program
responsibilities for children and family services. The remaining members,
including the coroner or medical examiner and solicitor who shall serve ex
officio, must be appointed by the Governor for terms of four years and until
their successors are appointed and qualify.
(C) A chairman and vice-chairman of the committee must be elected
from among the members by a majority vote of the membership for a term
of two years.
(D) Meetings of the committee must be held at least quarterly. A
majority of the committee constitutes a quorum.
(E) Each ex officio member shall provide sufficient staff and
administrative support to carry out the responsibilities of this article.
Section 20-7-5915. (A) The purpose of the department is to expeditiously
investigate child deaths in all counties of the State.
(B) To achieve its purpose, the department shall:
(1) upon receipt of a report of a child death from the county coroner or
medical examiner, as required by Sections 17-5-140 and 17-5-265,
investigate and gather all information on the child fatality. The coroner or
medical examiner immediately shall request an autopsy if SLED determines
that an autopsy is necessary. The autopsy must be performed by a forensic
pathologist as soon as possible. The forensic pathologist shall inform the
department of the findings within forty-eight hours of completion of the
autopsy. If the autopsy reveals the cause of death to be pathological or an
unavoidable accident, the case must be closed by the department. If the
autopsy reveals physical or sexual trauma, suspicious markings, or other
findings that are questionable or yields no conclusion to the cause of death,
the department immediately shall begin an investigation;
(2) request assistance of any other local, county, or state agency to aid
in the investigation;
(3) upon receipt of additional investigative information, reopen a case
for another coroner's inquest;
(4) upon receipt of the notification required by item (1), review
agency records for information regarding the deceased child or family.
Information available to the department pursuant to Section 20-7-5930 and
information which is public under Chapter 4, Title 30, the Freedom of
Information Act, must be available as needed to the county coroner or
medical examiner and county department of social services;
(5) report the activities and findings related to a child fatality to the
State Child Fatality Advisory Committee;
(6) develop a protocol for child fatality reviews;
(7) develop a protocol for the collection of data regarding child deaths
as related to Sections 17-5-140 and 17-5-265 and provide training to local
professionals delivering services to children, county coroners and medical
examiners, and law enforcement agencies on the use of the protocol;
(8) study the operations of local investigations of child fatalities,
including the statutes, regulations, policies, and procedures of the agencies
involved with children's services and child death investigations;
(9) examine confidentiality and access to information statutes,
regulations, policies, and procedures for agencies with responsibilities for
children, including, but not limited to, health, public welfare, education,
social services, mental health, alcohol and other substance abuse, and law
enforcement agencies and determine whether those statutes, regulations,
policies, or procedures impede the exchange of information necessary to
protect children from preventable deaths. If the department identifies a
statute, regulation, policy, or procedure that impedes the necessary
exchange of information, the department shall notify the committee and the
agencies serving on the committee and the committee shall include
proposals for changes to statutes, regulations, policies, or procedures in the
committee's annual report;
(10) develop a Forensic Pathology Network available to coroners and
medical examiners for prompt autopsy findings;
(11) submit to the Governor and the General Assembly, an annual
report and any other reports prepared by the department, including, but not
limited to, the department's findings and recommendations;
(12) promulgate regulations necessary to carry out its purposes and
responsibilities under this article.
Section 20-7-5920. The purpose of the State Child Fatality Advisory
Committee is to decrease the incidences of preventable child deaths by:
(1) developing an understanding of the causes and incidences of child
deaths;
(2) developing plans for and implementing changes within the
agencies represented on the committee which will prevent child deaths;
and
(3) advising the Governor and the General Assembly on statutory,
policy, and practice changes which will prevent child deaths.
(B) To achieve its purpose, the committee shall:
(1) meet with the department no later than one month after the
department receives notification by the county medical examiner or coroner
pursuant to Section 17-5-140 or 17-5-265 to review the investigation of the
death;
(2) undertake annual statistical studies of the incidences and causes of
child fatalities in this State. The studies shall include an analysis of
community and public and private agency involvement with the decedents
and their families before and subsequent to the deaths;
(3) the committee shall consider training, including cross-agency
training, consultation, technical assistance needs, and service gaps. If the
committee determines that changes to any statute, regulation, policy, or
procedure is needed to decrease the incidence of preventable child deaths,
the committee shall include proposals for changes to statutes, regulations,
policies, and procedures in the committee's annual report;
(4) educate the public regarding the incidences and causes of child
deaths, the public role in preventing these deaths, and specific steps the
public can undertake to prevent child deaths. The committee shall enlist
the support of civic, philanthropic, and public service organizations in
performing the committee's education duties;
(5) develop and implement policies and procedures for its own
governance and operation;
(6) submit to the Governor and the General Assembly, an annual
written report and any other reports prepared by the committee, including,
but not limited to, the committee's findings and recommendations. Annual
reports must be made available to the public.
Section 20-7-5930. Upon request of the department and as necessary to
carry out the department's purpose and duties, the department immediately
must be provided:
(1) by a provider of medical care, access to information and records
regarding a child whose death is being reviewed by the department,
including information on prenatal care;
(2) access to all information and records maintained by any state,
county, or local government agency, including, but not limited to, birth
certificates, law enforcement investigation data, county coroner or medical
examiner investigation data, parole and probation information and records,
and information and records of social services and health agencies that
provided services to the child or family, including information made strictly
confidential in Section 20-7-650 concerning unfounded reports of abuse or
neglect.
Section 20-7-5940. When necessary in the discharge of the duties of the
department and upon application of the department, the clerks of court shall
issue a subpoena or subpoena duces tecum to any state, county, or local
agency, board, or commission or to any representative of any state, county,
or local agency, board, or commission or to a provider of medical care to
compel the attendance of witnesses and production of documents, books,
papers, correspondence, memoranda, and other relevant records to the
discharge of the department's duties. Failure to obey a subpoena or
subpoena duces tecum issued pursuant to this section may be punished as
contempt.
Section 20-7-5950. (A) Meetings of the committee and department are
closed to the public and are not subject to Chapter 4, Title 30, the Freedom
of Information Act, when the committee and department are discussing
individual cases of child deaths.
(B) Except as provided in subsection (C), meetings of the committee are
open to the public and subject to the Freedom of Information Act when the
committee is not discussing individual cases of child deaths.
(C) Information identifying a deceased child or a family member,
guardian, or caretaker of a deceased child, or an alleged or suspected
perpetrator of abuse or neglect upon a child may not be disclosed during a
public meeting and information regarding the involvement of any agency
with the deceased child or family may not be disclosed during a public
meeting.
(D) Violation of this section is a misdemeanor and, upon conviction, a
person must be fined not more than five hundred dollars or imprisoned not
more than six months, or both.
Section 20-7-5960. (A) All information and records acquired by the
committee and by the department in the exercise of their purposes and
duties pursuant to this article are confidential, exempt from disclosure
under Chapter 4, Title 30, the Freedom of Information Act, and only may
be disclosed as necessary to carry out the committee's and department's
duties and purposes.
(B) Statistical compilations of data which do not contain information
that would permit the identification of a person to be ascertained are public
records.
(C) Reports of the committee and department which do not contain
information that would permit the identification of a person to be
ascertained are public information.
(D) Except as necessary to carry out the committee's and department's
purposes and duties, members of the committee and department and
persons attending their meeting may not disclose what transpired at a
meeting which is not public under Section 20-7-5940 and may not disclose
information, the disclosure of which is prohibited by this section.
(E) Members of the committee, persons attending a committee meeting,
and persons who present information to the committee may not be required
to disclose in any civil or criminal proceeding information presented in or
opinions formed as a result of a meeting, except that information available
from other sources is not immune from introduction into evidence through
those sources solely because it was presented during proceedings of the
committee or department or because it is maintained by the committee or
department. Nothing in this subsection may be construed to prevent a
person from testifying to information obtained independently of the
committee or which is public information.
(F) Information, documents, and records of the committee and
department are not subject to subpoena, discovery, or the Freedom of
Information Act, except that information, documents, and records otherwise
available from other sources are not immune from subpoena, discovery, or
the Freedom of Information Act through those sources solely because they
were presented during proceedings of the committee or department or
because they are maintained by the committee or department.
(G) Violation of this section is a misdemeanor and, upon conviction, a
person must be fined not more than five hundred dollars or imprisoned for
not more than six months, or both."
Coroner duty to report death of a child
SECTION 4. The 1976 Code is amended by adding:
"Section 17-5-140. The county coroner within twenty-four hours
or one working day, whichever occurs first, shall notify the department
when a child dies in any county of the State:
(1) as a result of violence, when unattended by a physician, and in any
suspicious or unusual manner; or
(2) when the death is unexpected and unexplained including, but not
limited to, possible sudden infant death syndrome.
For the purposes of this section, a child is not considered to be
`unattended by a physician' when a physician has, before death, provided
diagnosis and treatment following a fatal injury."
Medical examiner duty to report death of a child
SECTION 5. The 1976 Code is amended by adding:
"Section 17-5-265. The county medical examiner within
twenty-four hours or one working day, whichever occurs first, shall notify
the department when a child dies in any county of the State:
(1) as a result of violence, when unattended by a physician, and in any
suspicious or unusual manner; or
(2) when the death is unexpected and unexplained including, but not
limited to, possible sudden infant death syndrome.
For the purposes of this section, a child is not considered to be
`unattended by a physician' when a physician has, before death, provided
diagnosis and treatment following a fatal injury."
Coroner may petition for inspection warrant
SECTION 6. The 1976 Code is amended by adding:
"Section 17-5-150. If the home or premises last inhabited by a
child is not the scene of the death of a child, the coroner, while conducting
an investigation of the death, may petition the local magistrate of the
appropriate judicial circuit for a warrant to inspect the home or premises
inhabited by the deceased before death. The local magistrate shall issue the
inspection warrant upon probable cause to believe that events in the home
or premises may have contributed to the death of the child."
Medical examiner may petition for inspection warrant
SECTION 7. The 1976 Code is amended by adding:
"Section 17-5-275. If the home or premises last inhabited by a
child is not the scene of the death of a child, the medical examiner, while
conducting an investigation of the death, may petition the circuit court of
the appropriate judicial circuit for a warrant to inspect the home or
premises inhabited by the deceased before death. The circuit court shall
issue the inspection warrant upon probable cause to believe that events in
the home or premises may have contributed to the death of the
child."
Definition
SECTION 8. Section 20-7-490(B) of the 1976 Code is amended to
read:
"(B) `Abused or neglected child' means a child whose death results
from or whose physical or mental health or welfare is harmed or threatened
with harm, as defined by items (C) and (D), by the acts or omissions of his
parent, guardian, or other person responsible for his welfare."
Professionals required to report child abuse
SECTION 9. Section 20-7-510(A) of the 1976 Code is amended to
read:
"(A) Any physician, nurse, dentist, optometrist, medical examiner
or coroner, or employee of a county medical examiner's or coroner's office,
or any other medical, emergency medical services, mental health or allied
health professional, Christian Science Practitioner, religious healer, school
teacher or counselor, social or public assistance worker, child care worker
in any day care center or child caring institution, police or law enforcement
officer, undertaker, funeral home director, or employee of a funeral home,
or any judge having reason to believe that a child's physical or mental
health or welfare has been or may be adversely affected by abuse or neglect
is required to report in accordance with this section."
Confidential does not apply to department request for
information
SECTION 10. Section 20-7-650(F) of the 1976 Code is amended by
adding at the end:
"However, the confidentiality and disclosure provisions of this
subsection do not apply to information requested by the Department of
Child Fatalities pursuant to Section 20-7-5930; and the information
pertaining to an unfounded case must be released to the Department of
Child Fatalities when the request is made pursuant to Section
20-7-5930."
Who may receive reports of abuse and neglect
SECTION 11. Section 20-7-690(C) of the 1976 Code, as last amended by
Act 441 of 1988, is further amended by adding appropriately numbered
items to read:
"( ) County medical examiners or coroners who are investigating
the death of a child in accordance with Section 17-5-140, 17-5-150, or
17-5-265; and
( ) The State Child Fatality Advisory Committee and the Department of
Child Fatalities in accordance with the exercise of their purposes and duties
pursuant to Article 26, Chapter 7, Title 20."
First meeting of advisory committee
SECTION 12. The State Child Fatalities Advisory Committee, created in
Section 20-7-5910 of the 1976 Code, as contained in Section 3 of this act,
shall hold its first meeting within one month of this act's effective date.
Department to be formed within one month
SECTION 13. The Child Fatalities Department, created in Section
20-7-5910 of the 1976 Code, as contained in Section 3 of this act, must be
formed within one month of this act's effective date.
Transfer of funds, property, etc. to Department of Child
Fatalities
SECTION 14. The South Carolina Department of Social Services shall
transfer all funds, positions, records, property, and equipment related to the
child fatality review process in that agency to the Department of Child
Fatalities.
Time effective
SECTION 15. This act takes effect upon approval by the Governor.
Approved the 15th day of June, 1993. |