South Carolina General Assembly
118th Session, 2009-2010

Download This Bill in Microsoft Word format

A202, R235, S1379

STATUS INFORMATION

General Bill
Sponsors: Senators Peeler, Campbell and O'Dell
Document Path: l:\s-res\hsp\011guar.mrh.hsp.docx

Introduced in the Senate on April 21, 2010
Introduced in the House on April 29, 2010
Passed by the General Assembly on May 19, 2010
Governor's Action: May 28, 2010, Vetoed
Legislative veto action(s): Veto overridden

Summary: Guardian Ad Litem program

HISTORY OF LEGISLATIVE ACTIONS

     Date      Body   Action Description with journal page number
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------
   4/21/2010  Senate  Introduced and read first time SJ-3
   4/21/2010  Senate  Referred to Committee on Medical Affairs SJ-3
   4/22/2010  Senate  Committee report: Favorable Medical Affairs SJ-20
   4/27/2010  Senate  Read second time SJ-20
   4/28/2010  Senate  Read third time and sent to House SJ-33
   4/29/2010  House   Introduced and read first time HJ-19
   4/29/2010  House   Referred to Committee on Invitations and Memorial 
                        Resolutions HJ-20
    5/6/2010  House   Committee report: Favorable Invitations and Memorial 
                        Resolutions HJ-10
   5/18/2010  House   Read second time HJ-158
   5/19/2010  House   Read third time and enrolled HJ-11
   5/25/2010          Ratified R 235
   5/28/2010          Vetoed by Governor
    6/2/2010  Senate  Veto overridden by originating body Yeas-35  Nays-2 
                        SJ-190
    6/3/2010  House   Veto overridden Yeas-98  Nays-0 HJ-51
   6/11/2010          Effective date 06/03/10
   6/15/2010          Act No. 202

View the latest legislative information at the LPITS web site

VERSIONS OF THIS BILL

4/21/2010
4/22/2010
5/6/2010


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

(A202, R235, S1379)

AN ACT TO AMEND SECTION 63-11-500, CODE OF LAWS OF SOUTH CAROLINA, 1976, RELATING TO THE SOUTH CAROLINA GUARDIAN AD LITEM PROGRAM, SO AS TO HONOR THE MEMORY OF CASS ELIAS MCCARTER BY NAMING THE PROGRAM THE CASS ELIAS MCCARTER GUARDIAN AD LITEM PROGRAM.

Whereas, the South Carolina General Assembly finds that:

(1)    in 1984, a young woman from Columbia, South Carolina, Cass Elias McCarter, worked tirelessly in establishing the first state-funded program;

(2)    the South Carolina Guardian ad Litem program was established in 1984 as one of the first state-funded programs in the nation. The program initially began in four judicial circuits in the State and has now expanded into a statewide program;

(3)    the statewide program utilizes volunteers as Guardians ad Litem in abuse and neglect proceedings.     In 1988, the South Carolina General Assembly enacted legislation which governs the operation of the Guardian ad Litem program and establishes guidelines for the appointment and service of volunteers;

(4)    Cass Elias McCarter served on the South Carolina Children's Committee and assisted the Joint Legislative Committee on Children with developing the training program for the Guardian ad Litem volunteers;

(5)    for sixteen years, Cass Elias McCarter devoted her life and energy to protecting South Carolina's children, not only from abuse and neglect, but children also benefitted from her work and support on behalf of the Children's Hospital and the Ronald McDonald House; and

(6)    on March 23, 2004, at the age of fifty, Cass Elias McCarter lost her life to a brain aneurism, leaving her husband, Nicky, and their two beautiful children, Lauren and Cole, to continue Cass' work in protecting children from abuse and neglect. Now, therefore,

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

Guardian ad Litem Program named

SECTION    1.    Section 63-11-500 of the 1976 Code is amended to read:

"Section 63-11-500.    (A)    There is created the Cass Elias McCarter Guardian ad Litem Program in South Carolina. The program shall serve as a statewide system to provide training and supervision to volunteers who serve as court-appointed special advocates for children in abuse and neglect proceedings within the family court, pursuant to Section 63-7-1620. This program must be administered by the Office of the Governor.

(B)    Notwithstanding the provisions of subsection (A), a county providing the guardian ad litem services set forth in subsection (A) prior to the effective date of this act may continue to provide such services, provided the county guardian ad litem program is a member of the National Court Appointed Special Advocate Association. However, a county guardian ad litem program operating pursuant to this subsection must comply with all state and federal laws, even if compliance with state or federal laws would result in the violation of a requirement for membership in the National Court Appointed Special Advocate Association."

Time effective

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

Ratified the 25th day of May, 2010.

Vetoed by the Governor -- 5/28/2010.

Veto overridden by Senate -- 6/2/2010.

Veto overridden by House -- 6/3/2010.

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This web page was last updated on Friday, August 16, 2013 at 1:57 P.M.