Journal of the Senate
of the First Session of the 111th General Assembly
of the State of South Carolina
being the Regular Session Beginning Tuesday, January 10, 1995

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| Printed Page 3490, May 31 | Printed Page 3510, May 31 |
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(1) Assign to the State any rights to support from any other person the applicant may have in his own behalf or in behalf of any other family member for whom the applicant is applying for or receiving aid and which have accrued at the time the assignment is executed or which may accrue in the future; provided, that however, by accepting public assistance for or on behalf of a child or children, or by making application for services under Title IV-D, or through placement of a child or children in state-funded foster care or under Title IV-E, except where good cause as determined by the agency exists, the recipient or applicant is considered to have made an assignment to the State Department of Social Services of any rights, title, and interest to any support obligation which is owed for the child or children or for the absent parent's spouse or former spouse who is the recipient or the applicant with whom the child is living, if and to the extent that a spousal support obligation has been established and the child support obligation is being enforced pursuant to Title IV-D of the federal Social Security Act. The assignment to the department is considered to have been made up to the amount of public assistance money or foster care board payments paid for or on behalf of the child or children for that period of time as the public assistance monies or foster care board payments are paid. The assignment shall consist consists of all rights and interest in any support obligation that the recipient may be owed past, present, or future by any person up to the amount of public assistance money paid to the recipient for or on behalf of the minor child or children or a child in foster care. The department is subrogated to the rights of the child or children or the person having custody of the child or children to collect and receive all support payments. The department has the right to initiate any a support action in its own name or in the name
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of the recipient to recover any payments ordered by the courts of this or any other state or to obtain a court order to initiate these payments including an action to determine the paternity of a child.

(2) Cooperate with the State in establishing the paternity of a child born out of wedlock with respect to whom aid is claimed and in obtaining support payments for such the applicant and for a child with respect to whom such the aid is claimed, or in obtaining any other payments or property due such the applicant of such the child and that, if the relative with whom a child is living is found to be ineligible because of failure to comply with the requirements of items (1) and (2), any aid for which such the child is eligible will must be provided in the form of protective payments. The department shall establish criteria in accordance with federal regulations to determine whether action to establish paternity and secure support is not in the best interest of a child."

SECTION 5. Article 5, Chapter 5, Title 43 of the 1976 Code is amended by adding:

"Section 43-5-585. The department shall provide consumer credit reporting agencies an automated monthly report of obligors in Title IV-D cases who have not made a payment on their child support obligation for two consecutive months.

The department shall establish procedures for notice and an opportunity for a review for obligors who contest the submission to the consumer credit reporting agency. The procedures shall limit the review to a dispute concerning the identity of the obligor or the existence or amount of the arrearage."

SECTION 6. Section 43-5-590(a)(ii) of the 1976 Code, as last amended by Act 336 of 1990, is further amended to read:

"(ii) assign to the State the rights to support, including health care expenses, from any other person the applicant may have in his own behalf or in behalf of any other family member for whom the applicant is applying for or receiving aid and which have accrued at the time the assignment is executed or which may accrue in the future. By accepting public assistance for or on behalf of a child or children, by making application for services under Title IV-D, or through placement of a child or children in state-funded foster care or under Title IV-E, except where good cause as determined by the agency exists, the recipient or applicant is considered to have made an assignment to the State Department of Social Services of rights, title, and interest to a support obligation which is owed for the child or children or for the absent parent's spouse or former spouse who is the recipient or the applicant with whom the child is living, if and to the extent that a spousal support obligation has been

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established, and the child and the child support obligation is being enforced pursuant to Title IV-D of the federal Social Security Act. The assignment to the department is considered to have been made up to the amount of public assistance money, including Medicaid payments, or foster care board payments paid for or on behalf of the child or children for that period of time as the public assistance monies or foster care board payments are paid. The assignment consists of all rights and interest in a support obligation that the recipient may be owed past, present, or future by a person up to the amount of public assistance money, including Medicaid payments, paid to the recipient for or on behalf of the minor child or children or a child in foster care. The department is subrogated to the rights of the child or children or the person having custody of the child or children to collect and receive all support payments. The department has the right to initiate a support action in its own name or in the name of the recipient to recover payments ordered by the courts of this or any other state or to obtain a court order to initiate these payments including an action to determine the paternity of a child. The clerk of court shall execute the necessary order substituting the department and changing the payee of the support to the department upon receipt by the clerk of the notice of assignment."

SECTION 7. Section 44-7-77 of the 1976 Code, as added by Acts 481 and 513 of 1994, is amended to read:

"Section 44-7-77. The Department of Health and Environmental Control, and the State Department of Social Services, in conjunction with the South Carolina Hospital Association, shall develop and implement a program to promote obtaining the voluntary acknowledgments of paternity before a newborn is released from the hospital as soon after birth as possible and where possible before the release of the newborn from the hospital. A voluntary acknowledgment obtained through an in-hospital program must be signed by both parents and the signatures must be notarized. As part of its in-hospital voluntary acknowledgment of paternity program, a birthing hospital as part of the birth registration process, shall collect, where ascertainable, information which is or may be necessary for the establishment of the paternity of the child and for the establishment of child support. The information to be collected on the father or on the putative father if paternity has not been established includes, but is not limited to, the name of the father, his date of birth, home address, social security number, and employer's name, and additionally for the putative father, the names and addresses of the putative father's parents."

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SECTION 8. Section 44-63-165 of the 1976 Code, as added by Act 341 of 1988, is amended to read:

"Section 44-63-165. A certificate must be prepared for a child born out of wedlock in this State to include the name of the father upon receipt of a sworn acknowledgment of paternity signed by both parents to include the surname by which the child is to be known. However, if the reputed father or the mother is deceased, if another man is shown as the father of the child on the original birth certificate, or if the original birth certificate states that the mother was married, a new certificate may be prepared only when a determination of paternity is made by the Family Court pursuant to Section 20-7-952. A paternity acknowledgment must be provided to the State Department of Social Services from the appropriate state agency upon request at no charge for the purpose of establishing a child support obligation and otherwise a paternity acknowledgment is not subject to inspection except upon order of the Family Court."

SECTION 9. A. Section 12-54-470 of the 1976 Code, as added by Act 474 of 1988, is amended to read:

"Section 12-54-470. Priority in multiple claims Claims to refunds allowed to be setoff set off under the provisions of this article must be in the order in time which made by a claimant agency has filed filing a written notice with the commission of its intention to effect collection through setoff under this article. However, claims filed by any agency of state government have priority over claims filed by the Internal Revenue Service or an institution of higher learning. Notwithstanding this priority according to time of filing, the commission has priority over all other claimant agencies for collection by setoff whenever it is a competing agency for a refund. The following is the order of priority for multiple claims filed:

(1) claims of the Department of Revenue and Taxation;

(2) claims of the Division of Child Support Enforcement of the State Department of Social Services;

(3) other claims of the State Department of Social Services and other state agencies;

(4) claims of the Internal Revenue Service and claims filed by institutions of higher learning;

(5) claims of other agencies not given a specific priority.

Priority within a class in which multiple claims are filed is the order in time in which the claimant agencies filed the written notice with the commission of the intention to effect collection through setoff under this article."

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B. The amendments to Section 12-54-470 of the 1976 Code, as contained in this section, apply to refunds for tax years beginning after 1995.

SECTION 10. Section 20-7-852 of the 1976 Code, as added by Act 189 of 1989, is amended to read:

"Section 20-7-852. (A) In any proceeding in which for the award of child support is in issue, there is a rebuttable presumption that the amount of the award which would result from the application of those the guidelines required under Section 43-5-580(b) is the correct amount of the child support to be awarded. However, a A different amount may be awarded upon a showing that application of the guidelines in a particular case would be unjust or inappropriate. When the court orders a child support award that varies significantly from the amount resulting from the application of the guidelines, the court shall make specific, written findings of those facts upon which it bases its conclusion supporting that award. Findings that rebut the guidelines must state the amount of support that would have been required under the guidelines and include a justification of why the order varies from the guidelines.

(B) Application of these guidelines to an existing child support order, in and of itself, is not considered a change in circumstances for the modification of that existing order, except in a Title IV-D case.

(C) The court shall consider the following factors which may be possible reasons for deviation from the guidelines or may be used in determining whether a change in circumstances has occurred which would require a modification of an existing order:

(1) educational expenses for the child or children or the spouse, to include those incurred for private, parochial, or trade schools, other secondary schools, or post-secondary education where there is tuition or related costs;

(2) equitable distribution of property;

(3) consumer debts;
 (4) families with more than six children;

(5) unreimbursed extraordinary medical or dental expenses for the noncustodial or custodial parent;

(6) mandatory deduction of retirement pensions and union fees;

(7) support obligations for other dependents living with the noncustodial parent or non-court ordered child support from another relationship;

(8) child-related unreimbursed extraordinary medical expenses;

(9) monthly fixed payments imposed by a court or operation of law;

(10) significant available income of the child or children;

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(11) substantial disparity of income in which the noncustodial parent's income is significantly less than the custodial parent's income, thus making it financially impracticable to pay what the guidelines indicate the noncustodial parent should pay;

(12) alimony. Because of their unique nature, lumpsum, rehabilitative, reimbursement, or any other alimony that the court may award, may be considered by the court as a possible reason for deviation from these guidelines;
 (13) agreements reached between parties. The court may deviate from the guidelines based on an agreement between the parties if both parties are represented by counsel or if, upon a thorough examination of any party not represented by counsel, the court determines the party fully understands the agreement as to child support. The court still has the discretion and the independent duty to determine if the amount is reasonable and in the best interest of the child or children.

(C) (D) Pursuant to Section 43-5-580(b), the department shall promulgate regulations which include addressing establish child support guidelines as a rebuttable presumption. The department shall review these regulations at least once every four years to insure ensure that their application results in appropriate child support award amounts."

SECTION 11. Section 20-7-1315 of the 1976 Code, as last amended by Act 510 of 1994, is further amended by adding at the end:

"(L) By January 1, 1996, the Child Support Enforcement Division of the Department of Social Services shall create and develop an Employer New Hire Reporting program. The Employer New Hire Reporting program shall provide a means for employers to voluntarily assist in the state's efforts to locate absent parents who owe child support and collect child support from those parents by reporting information concerning newly hired and rehired employees directly to the division. The following provisions apply to the Employer New Hire Reporting program:

(1) An employer doing business in this State may participate in the Employer New Hire Reporting program by reporting to the Child Support Enforcement Division:

(a) the hiring of a person who resides or works in this State to whom the employer anticipates paying earnings; or

(b) the rehiring or return to work of an employee who was laid off, furloughed, separated, granted leave without pay, or terminated from employment.

(2) The Employer New Hire Reporting program applies to a person who is expected to:

(a) be employed for more than one month's duration;

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(b) be paid for more than three hundred fifty hours during a continuous six-month period; or

(c) have gross earnings of more than three hundred dollars in each month of employment.

(3) An employer who voluntarily reports under item (1) shall submit monthly reports regarding each hiring, rehiring, or return to work of an employee during the preceding month. The report must contain:

(a) the employee's name, address, social security number, date of birth, and salary information; and

(b) the employer's name, address, and employer identification number.

(4) Employers reporting to the Employer New Hire Reporting program shall provide information to the Child Support Enforcement Division by:

(a) sending a copy of the new employee's W-4 form;

(b) completing a form supplied by the Child Support Enforcement Division; or

(c) any other means authorized by the Child Support Enforcement Division for conveying the required information, including electronic transmission or magnetic tapes in compatible formats.

(5) An employer is authorized by this section to disclose the information described in item (3) and is not liable to the employee for the disclosure or subsequent use by the Child Support Enforcement Division of the information.

(6) For each employee reported under the Employer New Hire Reporting program, the Child Support Enforcement Division shall retain the information only if the division is responsible for establishing, enforcing, or collecting a support obligation of the employee. If the division is not responsible for establishing, enforcing, or collecting a support obligation of the employee, the division must not create a record regarding the employee and the information provided by the employer must be destroyed promptly.

Information received by the South Carolina Employment Security Commission received from employers which includes information contained in the reports provided for in this section shall transmit this information to the Department of Social Services within fifteen working days after the end of each quarter."

Part VII

Administrative Reforms

SECTION 1. The Department of Social Services, with existing resources and personnel, shall develop simplified AFDC, Medicaid, and

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food stamp application forms and instructions which are understandable. If necessary, for compliance with federal regulations, the department shall apply to the federal government for waivers.

SECTION 2. The Department of Social Services and the Department of Health and Human Services Finance Commission shall review and, to the extent possible, ensure that federal and state procurement and purchasing regulations do not unnecessarily delay services to AFDC clients and child care and transportation providers to AFDC clients.

SECTION 3. As applicable, all state agencies shall adopt Electronic Data Interchange Standards as set forth by the Budget and Control Board, Office of Research and Statistics Information Resource Planning and Management so that exchanges and sharing of information concerning AFDC clients and revenue sources are freely available. However, in the exchange and sharing of information all requirements for confidentiality of information must be maintained. For the next two years these state agencies shall report to the Budget and Control Board, Division of Information Resource Technology before January first on the agency's progress and compliance with this section and its utilization of the system created as a result of this action.

SECTION 4. The Department of Social Services in conjunction with the Department of Education shall:

(1) ensure that existing continuing education and adult education programs are designed to advance AFDC clients in attaining self-sufficiency and that the location, scheduling, and other mechanics of these programs are structured so as to maximize access by AFDC clients;

(2) endorse and promote school-to-work transition programs to link at-risk secondary school students to the workplace and to appropriate work related post-secondary education.

SECTION 5. (A) The Department of Social Services in conjunction with the State Board for Technical and Comprehensive Education shall:

(1) work closely with businesses and industries in South Carolina to design curriculums to produce students with skills needed by these businesses and industries;

(2) develop specially designed curriculums that target and train AFDC clients in keeping with the clients' identified aptitudes, interests, and abilities for occupations identified by the Employment Security Commission as the top growth occupations of the future.

(B) For the next three years the Department of Social Services and the State Board for Technical Education shall report before January first to the Governor and the General Assembly on the projects completed under this

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section, the number of AFDC families served, and shall evaluate their effectiveness in assisting AFDC families in becoming self-sufficient.

SECTION 6. Section 43-3-40 of the 1976 Code, as last amended by Act 181 of 1993, is further amended to read:

"Section 43-3-40. (A) The director shall select a director for each county department, referred to in Chapters 1, 3, 5, 7, 9, 19, and 23 as the county director, to discharge the duties of such office and may select regional directors to oversee the county directors. The salaries of county directors and any regional directors shall be fixed by the director. In fixing the these salaries of the various county directors the director shall consider the individual qualifications of the respective directors and the possibilities of their individual positions. The county director shall be the chief executive officer of the county department and shall perform such duties as are directed by the director, regional director, or as directed by law.

(B) Regional and county directors serve at the pleasure of the Director of the State Department of Social Services."

Part VIII

Department to Apply for Waivers

SECTION 1. The State Department of Social Services shall apply for waivers to implement the following provisions in this act:

(1) Part III, Sections 6, 11, 12, and 13;

(2) Part IV, Sections 1, 3, 4, 5, and 6;

(3) Part V, Sections 1, 2, 3, 5, 6, 7, and 8;

(4) Part VI, Section 4.

Part IX

Evaluation and Reports

SECTION 1. On or about August 31, 1996, and every two years thereafter the Legislative Audit Council shall evaluate and report to the General Assembly on the success and effectiveness of the policies and programs created in this act. In conducting this evaluation the council shall identify the number of AFDC families and individuals no longer receiving welfare, the number of individuals who have completed educational, employment, or training programs under this act, the number of individuals who have become employed and the duration of their employment, and other data and information the council considers appropriate in reporting to the General Assembly on the effectiveness of this act.

Part X

Severability, Designation of Code Sections,
and Time Effective

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SECTION 1. If any provision of this act or the application of a provision of this act to a person or circumstance is held invalid, that invalidity does not affect other provisions or applications of this act which can be given effect without the invalid provision of application, and to this end the provisions of this act are severable.

SECTION 2. Sections 20-70-840 through 20-7-938 of the 1976 Code are designated as Part I, Subarticle 3, Article 9, Chapter 7, Title 20 and named "Child Support Proceedings and Enforcement".

SECTION 3. Notwithstanding the definition of "compliance with an order for support", as contained in Section 20-7-941 of the 1976 Code, as added by Part VI, Section 2 of this act:

(1) From January 1, 1996, to June 30, 1996, "compliance with an order for support" means that pursuant to an order for support the person required to pay under the order is in arrears no more than an amount equal to six months' support obligation.

(2) From July 1, 1996, to December 31, 1996, "compliance with an order for support" means that pursuant to an order for support the person required to pay under the order is in arrears no more than an amount equal to four months' support obligation.

SECTION 4. This act takes effect upon approval by the Governor except that Part III, Sections 6, 11, 12, and 13; Part IV, Sections 1, 3, 4, 5, and 6; Part V, Sections 1, 2, 3, 5, 6, 7, and 8; and Part VI, Section 4 take effect ninety days after receipt of approval of a federal waiver authorizing the department to implement these provisions or ninety days after federal law permits implementation. Part VI, Section 5 takes effect January 1, 1996./

Renumber to conform.

Amend title to conform.

/s/Addison "Joe" Wilson/s/Thomas E. Huff
/s/David L. Thomas /s/James L.M. Cromer, Jr.
/s/McKinley Washington /s/William F. Cotty

On Part of the Senate.On Part of the House.

, and a message was sent to the House accordingly.

| Printed Page 3490, May 31 | Printed Page 3510, May 31 |
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