H 4993 General Bill, By Gilham
 A BILL TO AMEND SECTION 20-7-2700, AS AMENDED, CODE OF LAWS OF SOUTH CAROLINA,
 1976, RELATING TO DEFINITIONS USED IN REGULATING CHILD DAYCARE FACILITIES, SO
 AS TO REVISE THE DEFINITION OF "CHILD DAYCARE FACILITIES" TO EXEMPT
 FOUR-YEAR-OLD KINDERGARTEN PROGRAMS.

   04/27/00  House  Introduced and read first time HJ-4
   04/27/00  House  Referred to Committee on Medical, Military,
                     Public and Municipal Affairs HJ-4

TO AMEND SECTION 20-7-2700, AS AMENDED, CODE OF LAWS OF SOUTH CAROLINA, 1976, RELATING TO DEFINITIONS USED IN REGULATING CHILD DAYCARE FACILITIES, SO AS TO REVISE THE DEFINITION OF "CHILD DAYCARE FACILITIES" TO EXEMPT FOUR-YEAR-OLD KINDERGARTEN PROGRAMS.

Be it enacted by the General Assembly of the State of South Carolina:

SECTION 1. Section 20-7-2700b. of the 1976 Code, as last amended by Act 220 of 2000, is further amended to read:

"b. 'Child daycare facilities' means a facility which provides care, supervision, or guidance for a minor child who is not related by blood, marriage, or adoption to the owner or operator of the facility whether or not the facility is operated for profit and whether or not the facility makes a charge for services offered by it. This definition includes, but is not limited to, day nurseries, nursery schools, daycare centers, group daycare homes, and family daycare homes. The term does not include:

(1) an educational facility, whether private or public, which operates solely for educational purposes in grade one or above;

(2) four-year-old and five-year-old kindergarten programs;

(3) kindergartens or nursery schools or other daytime programs, with or without stated educational purposes, operating no more than four hours a day and receiving children younger than lawful school age;

(4) facilities operated for more than four hours a day in connection with a shopping center or service or other similar facility, where the same children are cared for less than four hours a day and not on a regular basis as defined in this subarticle while parents or custodians of the children are occupied on the premises or are in the immediate vicinity and immediately available; however, these facilities must meet local fire and sanitation requirements and maintain documentation on these requirements on file at the facility available for public inspection;

(5) school vacation or school holiday day camps for children operating in distinct sessions running less than three weeks per session unless the day camp permits children to enroll in successive sessions so that their total attendance may exceed three weeks;

(6) summer resident camps for children;

(7) Bible schools normally conducted during vacation periods;

(8) facilities for the mentally retarded provided for in Chapter 21, Title 44;

(9) facilities for the mentally ill as provided for in Chapter 17, Title 44;

(10) child daycare centers and group daycare homes owned and operated by a local church congregation or an established religious denomination or a religious college or university which does not receive state or federal financial assistance for daycare services; however, these facilities must comply with the provisions of Sections 20-7-2900 through 20-7-2975 and that these facilities voluntarily may elect to become licensed according to the process as set forth in Sections 20-7-2700 through 20-7-2780 and Sections 20-7-2980 through 20-7-3090."

SECTION 2. This act takes effect upon approval by the Governor.