summary
Introduced
03/04/2025
03/04/2025
In Committee
04/03/2025
04/03/2025
Crossed Over
04/02/2025
04/02/2025
Passed
02/11/2026
02/11/2026
Dead
Introduced Session
126th General Assembly
Bill Summary
Amend The South Carolina Code Of Laws By Amending Section 63-7-20, Relating To Children's Code Definitions, So As To Add The Term "licensed"; By Amending Section 63-9-1110, Relating To Adoption By A Stepparent Or Relative, So As To Apply To Children Placed With Relatives Or Fictive Kin For The Purpose Of Adoption; By Amending Section 63-7-2320, Relating To The Kinship Foster Care Program, So As To Lower The Minimum Age Of A Kinship Foster Parent From Twenty-one To Eighteen And To Allow The Department To Use Different Standards When Licensing Relatives And Fictive Kin; By Amending Section 63-7-2350, Relating To Restrictions On Foster Care, Adoption, Or Legal Guardian Placements, So As To Make Conforming Changes; And By Amending Section 63-7-2400, Relating To The Number Of Foster Children Who May Be Placed In A Foster Home, So As To Remove Therapeutic Foster Care Placement Limitations From Kinship Foster Care Placements.
AI Summary
This bill, titled "Kin-Specific Licensing Standards," aims to modify South Carolina's laws concerning child welfare and adoption to better support kinship placements, which are arrangements where a child is placed with relatives or individuals considered "fictive kin" (close family friends who are not biologically related). Key provisions include defining "licensed" to mean the Department of Social Services has approved a person or entity for child care services, extending stepparent and relative adoption provisions to children placed with relatives or fictive kin for adoption, and lowering the minimum age for kinship foster parents from twenty-one to eighteen, while allowing the Department to use different licensing standards for relatives and fictive kin compared to unrelated foster parents. The bill also makes conforming changes related to restrictions on foster care and adoption placements and removes limitations on the number of therapeutic foster care placements that can be made in kinship foster care homes, recognizing that these homes often have unique needs and dynamics.
Committee Categories
Justice, Military Affairs and Security
Sponsors (7)
Tom Young (R)*,
Tameika Devine (D),
Jason Elliott (R),
Russell Ott (D),
Mike Reichenbach (R),
Ed Sutton (D),
Jeffrey Zell (R),
Last Action
Concurred in House amendment and enrolled (on 02/11/2026)
bill text
bill summary
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bill summary
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bill summary
| Document Type | Source Location |
|---|---|
| State Bill Page | https://www.scstatehouse.gov/billsearch.php?billnumbers=0415&session=126&summary=B |
| BillText | https://www.scstatehouse.gov/sess126_2025-2026/prever/415_20260205.htm |
| BillText | https://www.scstatehouse.gov/sess126_2025-2026/prever/415_20260203.htm |
| BillText | https://www.scstatehouse.gov/sess126_2025-2026/prever/415_20250328.htm |
| BillText | https://www.scstatehouse.gov/sess126_2025-2026/prever/415_20250326.htm |
| Fiscal Note - S0415 2025-03-04 Introduced | https://www.scstatehouse.gov/sess126_2025-2026/fiscalimpactstatements/S0415%202025-03-04%20introduced.pdf |
| BillText | https://www.scstatehouse.gov/sess126_2025-2026/prever/415_20250304.htm |
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