Bill > S0839

This bill amends Section 16-3-85 of the South Carolina Code of Laws, which deals with "Homicide by child abuse." The key changes are: 1) Increasing the age of a "child" under this law from under 11 years old to under 18 years old. This expands the scope of the law to protect older children up to age 18. 2) Retaining the existing definitions of "child abuse or neglect" and "harm" to a child's health or welfare. 3) Maintaining the existing criminal penalties for homicide by child abuse, which include potential life imprisonment or a sentence of 10-20 years, depending on the specific circumstances. The bill aims to strengthen protections against fatal child abuse and neglect by extending the law to cover a broader range of victims up to age 18.