South Carolina General Assembly
115th Session, 2003-2004

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A285, R393, S848

STATUS INFORMATION

General Bill
Sponsors: Senators Verdin and Knotts
Document Path: l:\council\bills\swb\5757cm04.doc
Companion/Similar bill(s): 4605

Introduced in the Senate on January 21, 2004
Introduced in the House on April 21, 2004
Last Amended on June 2, 2004
Passed by the General Assembly on June 3, 2004
Governor's Action: July 22, 2004, Signed

Summary: Emergency vehicles, lights, provisions

HISTORY OF LEGISLATIVE ACTIONS

     Date      Body   Action Description with journal page number
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------
   1/21/2004  Senate  Introduced and read first time SJ-3
   1/21/2004  Senate  Referred to Committee on Transportation SJ-3
   3/16/2004  Senate  Committee report: Favorable with amendment 
                        Transportation SJ-10
   3/17/2004          Scrivener's error corrected
    4/6/2004  Senate  Amended SJ-58
    4/7/2004          Scrivener's error corrected
   4/15/2004  Senate  Amended SJ-25
   4/15/2004  Senate  Read second time SJ-25
   4/16/2004          Scrivener's error corrected
   4/20/2004  Senate  Read third time and sent to House SJ-17
   4/21/2004  House   Introduced and read first time HJ-9
   4/21/2004  House   Referred to Committee on Education and Public Works HJ-9
   5/13/2004  House   Committee report: Favorable with amendment Education and 
                        Public Works HJ-73
   5/19/2004  House   Amended HJ-235
   5/19/2004  House   Reconsider vote whereby amendment adopted HJ-237
   5/19/2004  House   Debate adjourned until Thursday, May 20, 2004 HJ-237
   5/20/2004  House   Debate adjourned until Tuesday, May 25, 2004 HJ-83
   5/25/2004  House   Amended HJ-30
   5/25/2004  House   Read second time HJ-35
   5/26/2004  House   Read third time and returned to Senate with amendments 
                        HJ-9
   5/26/2004          Scrivener's error corrected
    6/2/2004  Senate  House amendment amended SJ-164
    6/2/2004  Senate  Returned to House with amendments SJ-164
    6/3/2004  House   Concurred in Senate amendment and enrolled HJ-71
    6/3/2004          Ratified R 393
   7/22/2004          Signed By Governor
   7/28/2004          Copies available
   7/28/2004          Effective date 07/22/04
    8/3/2004          Act No. 285

View the latest legislative information at the LPITS web site

VERSIONS OF THIS BILL

1/21/2004
3/16/2004
3/17/2004
4/6/2004
4/7/2004
4/15/2004
4/16/2004
5/13/2004
5/19/2004
5/25/2004
5/26/2004
6/2/2004


(Text matches printed bills. Document has been reformatted to meet World Wide Web specifications.)

(A285, R393, S848)

AN ACT TO AMEND SECTION 56-5-170, CODE OF LAWS OF SOUTH CAROLINA, 1976, RELATING TO AUTHORIZED EMERGENCY VEHICLES, SO AS TO REVISE THE DEFINITION OF THE TERM "AUTHORIZED EMERGENCY VEHICLE", TO PROVIDE THAT ONLY CERTAIN VEHICLES MAY USE OR DISPLAY ANY BLUE LIGHTS OR RED LIGHTS OR DISPLAY THE WORD "POLICE", AND TO DEFINE THE TERM "DISPLAY".

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

Authorized emergency vehicles

SECTION    1.    Section 56-5-170 of the 1976 Code is amended to read:

"Section 56-5-170.    (A)    Authorized emergency vehicles for purposes of this section include the following:

(1)    fire department vehicles;

(2)    police vehicles;

(3)    ambulances and rescue squad vehicles which are publicly owned;

(4)    vehicles of coroners and deputy coroners of the forty-six counties as designated by the coroners;

(5)    emergency vehicles designated by the fire department or the chief of police of a municipality;

(6)    county government litter enforcement vehicles used by certified law enforcement Class 3 litter control officers;

(7)    Department of Natural Resources vehicles, federal natural resources vehicles, and forestry commission vehicles when being used in the performance of law enforcement duties;

(8)    public and private vehicles while transporting individuals actually engaged in emergency activities because one or more occupants belong to a fire department, volunteer fire department, police department, sheriff's office, authorized county government litter enforcement office, rescue squad, or volunteer rescue squad;

(9)    county or municipal government jail or corrections vehicles used by certified jail or corrections officers, and emergency vehicles designated by the Director of the South Carolina Department of Corrections;

(10)    vehicles designated by the Commissioner of the Department of Health and Environmental Control when being used in the performance of law enforcement or emergency response duties; and

(11)    federal law enforcement, military, and emergency vehicles.

(B)    Only authorized emergency vehicles and private security patrol vehicles regulated by the State Law Enforcement Division are allowed use or display of any blue lights or red lights. This includes light bars and smaller lights such as dash, deck, or visor lights. To 'display' means to be seen, whether activated or not.

(C)    A vehicle shall not display the word 'police' unless it is an authorized emergency vehicle for use only by sworn police or other officers who are approved and certified by the South Carolina Criminal Justice Academy.

(D)    The provisions of this section do not apply to automobile dealerships, to police equipment suppliers that sell, deliver, or equip police vehicles to or for a law enforcement agency, to vehicles owned solely as collector's items and used only for participation in club activities, exhibits, tours, parades, and similar uses, or to persons designated by an agency owning such a vehicle to drive the vehicle or drive an auxiliary vehicle transporting such a vehicle."

Time effective

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

Ratified the 3rd day of June, 2004.

Approved the 22nd day of July, 2004.

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This web page was last updated on Monday, December 7, 2009 at 10:20 A.M.