Bill 4448

                    Current Status

Bill Number:                       4448
Type of Legislation:               General Bill GB
Introducing Body:                  House
Introduced Date:                   19980120
Primary Sponsor:                   Kirsh
All Sponsors:                      Kirsh, Simrill, Meacham and
                                   Moody-Lawrence 
Drafted Document Number:           pt\1615dw.98
Residing Body:                     House
Current Committee:                 Labor, Commerce and Industry
                                   Committee 26 HLCI
Subject:                           Responsive Government Act of
                                   1998, Telephones, Agencies, State
                                   Government, Public Officers and
                                   Employees

Body    Date      Action Description                       Com     Leg Involved
______  ________  _______________________________________  _______ ____________

House   19980120  Introduced, read first time,             26 HLCI
                  referred to Committee

A BILL

TO AMEND THE CODE OF LAWS OF SOUTH CAROLINA, 1976, BY ADDING SECTION 8-1-210 SO AS TO ENACT THE SOUTH CAROLINA RESPONSIVE GOVERNMENT ACT OF 1998 AND TO ESTABLISH CERTAIN REQUIREMENTS FOR ALL TELEPHONIC COMMUNICATION BETWEEN THE PUBLIC AND STATE AGENCIES.

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

SECTION 1. The 1976 Code is amended by adding:

"Section 8-1-210. (A) This section is known and may be cited as the South Carolina Responsive Government Act of 1998.

(B) Each state agency, as defined by Section 1-22-20(1), must adopt policies that require each office of the agency which has contact with the public to:

(1) ensure that the telephone number for the office is published in an appropriate telephone directory widely available to the local public;

(2) provide a person to answer the telephone line through which the office makes initial contact with the public;

(3) prohibit the use of an electronic computer or mechanical device to answer the telephone line except in an office in which there is one employee; and

(4) provide for the answering of the telephone line by a person until 5:00 p.m. for each day that the office is conducting official business.

(C) Each state agency shall require all correspondence originating from the office to include the official telephone number of the person sending the correspondence."

SECTION 2. This act takes effect January 1, 1999.