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TO AMEND THE CODE OF LAWS OF SOUTH CAROLINA, 1976, BY ADDING SECTION 44-29-185 SO AS TO ENACT THE "CERVICAL CANCER PREVENTION ACT", TO PROVIDE THAT BEGINNING WITH THE 2013-2014 SCHOOL YEAR, THE DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH AND ENVIRONMENTAL CONTROL MAY OFFER THE CERVICAL CANCER VACCINATION SERIES TO ADOLESCENT STUDENTS ENROLLING IN THE SEVENTH GRADE OF ANY PUBLIC OR PRIVATE SCHOOL IN THIS STATE, TO PROVIDE THAT NO STUDENT IS REQUIRED TO HAVE THE VACCINE BEFORE ENROLLING IN OR ATTENDING SCHOOL, TO PROVIDE THAT THE DEPARTMENT MAY DEVELOP AN INFORMATIONAL BROCHURE RELATED TO OFFERING THIS VACCINATION WITH SPECIFIC CONTENT REQUIREMENTS, TO DEFINE "CERVICAL CANCER VACCINATION SERIES", AND TO PROVIDE THAT IMPLEMENTATION OF THIS ACT IS CONTINGENT UPON RECEIPT OF FULL FUNDING BY STATE AND FEDERAL FUNDS.
Be it enacted by the General Assembly of the State of South Carolina:
SECTION 1. This act may be cited as the "Cervical Cancer Prevention Act".
SECTION 2. Chapter 29, Title 44 of the 1976 Code is amended by adding:
"Section 44-29-185. (A) Beginning with the 2013-2014 school year, the Department of Health and Environmental Control may offer the cervical cancer vaccination series for adolescent students enrolling in the seventh grade in any school, public or private, in this State. No student is required to have the cervical cancer vaccination series before enrolling in or attending school.
(B)(1) The department may develop and provide to each school whose grade levels include grade six informational brochures concerning adolescent vaccinations, including the cervical cancer vaccination series. The brochure specifically must state that the cervical cancer vaccination series is optional and shall encourage the parent or guardian of a student to take the child to the child's own health care provider to be vaccinated.
(2) At the beginning of the school year each school district may provide this informational brochure to the parents or guardians of all students in the sixth grade.
(C) For the purposes of this section 'cervical cancer vaccination series' means the human papillomavirus vaccination series.
(D) Implementation of this section is contingent upon the appropriation of state and federal funding to the department to fully cover the costs of providing this vaccination series to eligible students as well as the availability of funds to produce the informational brochure provided for in subsection (B)."
SECTION 3. This act takes effect upon approval by the Governor.
This web page was last updated on January 8, 2013 at 1:35 PM