South Carolina General Assembly
117th Session, 2007-2008

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A408, R426, H4899

STATUS INFORMATION

Joint Resolution
Sponsors: Reps. Edge, Ott, Crawford, Whipper, Huggins, Alexander, Anthony, Bales, Barfield, Battle, Bedingfield, Brady, Branham, Cato, Clemmons, Clyburn, Cobb-Hunter, Coleman, Cooper, Cotty, Davenport, Duncan, Erickson, Funderburk, Gambrell, Govan, Gullick, Hardwick, Hayes, Hosey, Jennings, Leach, Limehouse, Mack, Mahaffey, McLeod, Moss, Mulvaney, J.H. Neal, Parks, Perry, Pinson, M.A. Pitts, Rice, Sandifer, Scott, Sellers, Shoopman, Simrill, G.M. Smith, G.R. Smith, W.D. Smith, Stavrinakis, Talley, Taylor, Thompson, Viers, White, Witherspoon and Mitchell
Document Path: l:\council\bills\gjk\20561sd08.doc

Introduced in the House on March 27, 2008
Introduced in the Senate on April 3, 2008
Last Amended on June 5, 2008
Passed by the General Assembly on June 5, 2008
Governor's Action: June 16, 2008, Signed

Summary: Behavioral health care services committee

HISTORY OF LEGISLATIVE ACTIONS

     Date      Body   Action Description with journal page number
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------
   3/27/2008  House   Introduced, read first time, placed on calendar without 
                        reference HJ-5
    4/2/2008  House   Member(s) request name added as sponsor: Mitchell
    4/2/2008  House   Read second time HJ-33
    4/3/2008  House   Read third time and sent to Senate HJ-24
    4/3/2008  Senate  Introduced and read first time SJ-1
    4/3/2008  Senate  Referred to Committee on Medical Affairs SJ-1
   5/14/2008  Senate  Committee report: Favorable with amendment Medical 
                        Affairs SJ-13
   5/15/2008  Senate  Committee Amendment Adopted SJ-19
   5/15/2008  Senate  Read second time SJ-19
   5/16/2008          Scrivener's error corrected
   5/27/2008  Senate  Read third time and returned to House with amendments 
                        SJ-10
    6/3/2008  House   Debate adjourned on Senate amendments until Wednesday, 
                        June 4, 2008 HJ-155
    6/4/2008  House   Senate amendment amended HJ-92
    6/4/2008  House   Returned to Senate with amendments HJ-92
    6/4/2008  Senate  Non-concurrence in House amendment SJ-310
    6/5/2008  House   House insists upon amendment and conference committee 
                        appointed Reps. Edge, Crawford, and Ott HJ-80
    6/5/2008  House   Reconsider the vote whereby the House insists upon its 
                        amendment HJ-205
    6/5/2008  House   House recedes from amendment(s) HJ-205
    6/5/2008  Senate  Ordered enrolled for ratification SJ-36
   6/10/2008          Ratified R 426
   6/16/2008          Signed By Governor
   6/20/2008          Copies available
   6/20/2008          Effective date 06/16/08
    8/6/2008          Act No. 408

View the latest legislative information at the LPITS web site

VERSIONS OF THIS BILL

3/27/2008
3/27/2008
5/14/2008
5/15/2008
5/16/2008
6/4/2008


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

(A408, R426, H4899)

A JOINT RESOLUTION TO CREATE A COMMITTEE TO EXAMINE THE DELIVERY OF BEHAVIORAL HEALTH CARE SERVICES IN SOUTH CAROLINA, AND TO REPORT ITS FINDINGS AND RECOMMENDATIONS TO THE GENERAL ASSEMBLY BY FEBRUARY 15, 2010.

Whereas, the behavioral health care system in South Carolina is in crisis; and

Whereas, already overcrowded hospital emergency rooms have become the "safety net" or "provider of last resort"; and

Whereas, most hospital emergency departments are not equipped to provide psychiatric services, especially in rural areas of the State; and

Whereas, the number of inpatient psychiatric beds in state mental health facilities has been drastically reduced, so behavioral health patients wait in emergency departments until a psychiatric bed somewhere in the State becomes available; and

Whereas, behavioral health patients held in the emergency departments stretch the resources of the hospital, reduce access to care for patients with medical emergencies, and create a dangerous environment for other patients and hospital workers if they become unruly and violent; and

Whereas, the delivery of services that are available to behavioral health patients is fractured and disjointed; and

Whereas, many behavioral health patients in South Carolina have no place to go for the level of care they need, and it is nearly impossible for many people to find the emergency psychiatric treatment they or their loved ones need. Now, therefore,

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

Study committee created

SECTION    1.    (A)    A study committee is established to examine the delivery of behavioral health care services in South Carolina.

(B)    The study committee is composed of ten members of the General Assembly, of whom five must be members of the Senate appointed by the President Pro Tempore of the Senate, and five must be members of the House of Representatives appointed by the Speaker of the House of Representatives.

(C)    The members of the study committee first shall meet upon the call of the Speaker of the House and the President Pro Tempore of the Senate. At its first meeting, the committee shall select a chairman and such other officers as it considers necessary. Members of the committee shall receive mileage, subsistence, and per diem allowed by law to members of the General Assembly when attending meetings on legislative business to be paid from the approved accounts of their respective house.

(D)    Staff from the Senate and the House of Representatives shall assist the study committee. The study committee may utilize the expertise of staff from state agencies to assist in the examination of the delivery of behavioral health care services in South Carolina.

(E)    The committee shall make a report to the General Assembly together with its findings and recommendations no later than February 15, 2010, at which time it is dissolved.

Time effective

SECTION    2.    This joint resolution takes effect upon approval by the Governor.

Ratified the 10th day of June, 2008.

Approved the 16th day of June, 2008.

__________


This web page was last updated on Wednesday, June 16, 2010 at 4:16 P.M.