South Carolina General Assembly
121st Session, 2015-2016

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Indicates Matter Stricken
Indicates New Matter

S. 276

STATUS INFORMATION

General Bill
Sponsors: Senator Alexander
Document Path: l:\council\bills\agm\18288ab15.docx

Introduced in the Senate on January 13, 2015
Introduced in the House on April 23, 2015
Last Amended on April 15, 2015
Currently residing in the House Committee on Labor, Commerce and Industry

Summary: Residential builders and contractors

HISTORY OF LEGISLATIVE ACTIONS

     Date      Body   Action Description with journal page number
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------
   1/13/2015  Senate  Introduced and read first time (Senate Journal-page 163)
   1/13/2015  Senate  Referred to Committee on Labor, Commerce and Industry 
                        (Senate Journal-page 163)
   3/17/2015  Senate  Committee report: Favorable with amendment Labor, 
                        Commerce and Industry (Senate Journal-page 10)
   3/18/2015  Senate  Committee Amendment Adopted (Senate Journal-page 31)
   4/15/2015  Senate  Amended (Senate Journal-page 27)
   4/21/2015  Senate  Read second time (Senate Journal-page 30)
   4/21/2015  Senate  Roll call Ayes-39  Nays-0 (Senate Journal-page 30)
   4/22/2015  Senate  Read third time and sent to House
   4/23/2015  House   Introduced and read first time (House Journal-page 16)
   4/23/2015  House   Referred to Committee on Labor, Commerce and Industry 
                        (House Journal-page 16)

View the latest legislative information at the website

VERSIONS OF THIS BILL

1/13/2015
3/17/2015
3/18/2015
4/15/2015

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

AMENDED

April 15, 2015

S. 276

Introduced by Senator Alexander

S. Printed 4/15/15--S.

Read the first time January 13, 2015.

            

A BILL

TO AMEND THE CODE OF LAWS OF SOUTH CAROLINA, 1976, BY ADDING SECTION 40-59-135 SO AS TO REQUIRE APPLICANTS APPLYING TO THE DEPARTMENT OF LABOR, LICENSING AND REGULATION FOR LICENSURE AS A RESIDENTIAL BUILDER OR REGISTRATION AS A RESIDENTIAL SPECIALTY CONTRACTOR TO DISCLOSE AND DESCRIBE ANY CRIMINAL CONVICTIONS, EXCEPT FOR MINOR TRAFFIC VIOLATIONS, ON HIS APPLICATION, TO PROVIDE THE COMMISSION SHALL REQUIRE AN APPLICANT FOR INITIAL LICENSURE TO SUBMIT TO A FINGERPRINT-BASED CRIMINAL BACKGROUND CHECK IN THIS STATE AND IN ANY STATE WHERE HE DISCLOSES HAVING A CONVICTION, TO PROVIDE SIMILAR REQUIREMENTS FOR APPLICANTS SEEKING RENEWALS, TO IMPOSE RELATED ADMINISTRATIVE REQUIREMENTS ON THE COMMISSION, TO PROVIDE PENALTIES FOR VIOLATIONS, AND TO PROVIDE AN ADDITIONAL PENALTY FOR FAILING TO DISCLOSE CONVICTIONS REQUIRING REGISTRATION AS A SEX OFFENDER.

Amend Title To Conform

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

SECTION    1.    Article 1, Chapter 59, Title 40 of the 1976 Code is amended by adding:

"Section 40-59-135.    (A)(1)(a)    A person applying to the department for licensure or renewal as a residential builder or registration as a residential specialty contractor must disclose on his application whether he has been found guilty of any criminal offense, excluding traffic violations, regardless of when or where the conviction occurred. The applicant also must describe the nature, date, and location of each conviction, if any, along with a written explanation, and must specifically indicate if a conviction required him to register as a sex offender.

(b)    The department shall require each applicant for initial licensure or registration to remit, at his expense, a fingerprint-based statewide criminal background check from this State. If an applicant discloses a conviction in another state on his application, the department also shall require the applicant to remit, at his expense, a fingerprint-based, statewide criminal background check from that state, if the conviction occurred in the United States, along with a written explanation.

(2)    A person who became licensed by the department as a residential builder or registered as a residential specialty contractor with the department before the effective date of this section must disclose on his first application for renewal made after the effective date of this section whether he has been found guilty of any criminal offense, excluding traffic violations, regardless of when or where the conviction occurred. The applicant also must describe the nature, date, and location of each conviction, if any, and must specifically indicate if a conviction required him to register as a sex offender. At the first renewal of an applicant following the effective date of this act, the department also shall require an applicant to remit, at his expense, a fingerprint-based statewide criminal background check from this State, and if an applicant discloses a conviction in another state on his application, the department also shall require the applicant to remit, at his expense, a fingerprint-based statewide criminal background check from that state along, if the conviction occurred in the United States, with a written explanation.

(B)    The department shall retain any criminal background check report remitted pursuant to the section for at least three years after the applicant ceases to be licensed or registered with the department.

(C)    In addition to other penalties provided in this chapter, failure to comply with the provisions of this section may result in the department assessing the person a civil penalty up to five hundred dollars. Additionally, failure to disclose a conviction for which a person must register as a sex offender carries is misdemeanor and, upon conviction, must be fined not less than five hundred dollars nor more than one thousand dollars or imprisoned up to thirty days."

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

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This web page was last updated on April 24, 2015 at 10:51 AM