South Carolina General Assembly
123rd Session, 2019-2020

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Indicates Matter Stricken
Indicates New Matter

H. 3231

STATUS INFORMATION

General Bill
Sponsors: Reps. G.M. Smith, Norrell, Mace, Bernstein and Hixon
Document Path: l:\council\bills\bh\7073ahb19.docx

Introduced in the House on January 8, 2019
Introduced in the Senate on April 10, 2019
Last Amended on April 9, 2019
Currently residing in the Senate Committee on Judiciary

Summary: Divorce

HISTORY OF LEGISLATIVE ACTIONS

     Date      Body   Action Description with journal page number
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------
  12/18/2018  House   Prefiled
  12/18/2018  House   Referred to Committee on Judiciary
    1/8/2019  House   Introduced and read first time (House Journal-page 136)
    1/8/2019  House   Referred to Committee on Judiciary 
                        (House Journal-page 136)
   3/28/2019  House   Member(s) request name added as sponsor: Mace
    4/2/2019  House   Member(s) request name added as sponsor: Bernstein, Hixon
    4/4/2019  House   Committee report: Favorable with amendment Judiciary 
                        (House Journal-page 6)
    4/9/2019  House   Amended (House Journal-page 130)
    4/9/2019  House   Read second time (House Journal-page 130)
    4/9/2019  House   Roll call Yeas-99  Nays-4 (House Journal-page 131)
   4/10/2019  House   Read third time and sent to Senate 
                        (House Journal-page 15)
   4/10/2019  Senate  Introduced and read first time (Senate Journal-page 14)
   4/10/2019  Senate  Referred to Committee on Judiciary 
                        (Senate Journal-page 14)

View the latest legislative information at the website

VERSIONS OF THIS BILL

12/18/2018
4/4/2019
4/9/2019

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

Indicates Matter Stricken

Indicates New Matter

AMENDED

April 9, 2019

H. 3231

Introduced by Reps. G.M. Smith, Norrell, Mace, Bernstein and Hixon

S. Printed 4/9/19--H.

Read the first time January 8, 2019.

            

A BILL

TO AMEND SECTION 20-3-10, CODE OF LAWS OF SOUTH CAROLINA, 1976, RELATING TO GROUNDS FOR DIVORCE, SO AS TO ADD AS A GROUND CONDUCT OR TREATMENT THAT DESTROYS THE WELL-BEING, HAPPINESS, AND WELFARE OF A SPOUSE AND RENDERS CONTINUED COHABITATION UNSAFE OR UNENDURABLE.

Amend Title To Conform

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

SECTION    1.    Section 20-3-10 of the 1976 Code is amended to read:

"Section 20-3-10.    No divorce from the bonds of matrimony shall be granted except upon one or more of the following grounds, to wit:

(1)    adultery;

(2)    desertion for a period of one year;

(3)    physical cruelty; provided, that this ground shall be construed to include willful or other abhorrent conduct or treatment which destroys or tends to destroy the mental and physical wellbeing, happiness, and welfare of the other and renders continued cohabitation unsafe or intolerable;

(4)    habitual drunkenness; provided, that this ground shall be construed to include habitual drunkenness caused by the use of any narcotic drug or illegal or illicit drugs; or

(5)    on the application of either party if and when the husband and wife have lived separate and apart without cohabitation for a period of one year. A plea of res judicata or of recrimination with respect to any other provision of this section shall not be a bar to either party obtaining a divorce on this ground."

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

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This web page was last updated on April 11, 2019 at 10:46 AM