---
type: "Bill"
title: "Animal cruelty and care"
description: "AN ACT TO AMEND THE CODE OF LAWS OF SOUTH CAROLINA, 1976, BY ADDING SECTION 47-1-225 SO AS TO REQUIRE THAT MAGISTRATES AND MUNICIPAL COURT JUDGES RECEIVE AT LEAST TWO HOURS OF INSTRUCTIONS ON ISSUES CONCERNING ANIMAL CRUELTY EVERY FOUR YEARS; TO AMEND SECTION 47-3-10, RELATING TO DEFINITIONS APPLICABLE TO DOMESTIC PETS, SO AS TO DEFINE THE TERM \"LITTER\"; TO AMEND SECTION 47-3-60, RELATING TO THE DISPOSITION OF IMPOUNDED ANIMALS, SO AS TO AUTHORIZE AN ANIMAL SHELTER TO TURN OVER A LITTER OF UNIDENTIFIABLE DOGS OR CATS UNDER CERTAIN CIRCUMSTANCES; BY ADDING SECTION 47-1-145 SO AS TO PROVIDE FOR THE CUSTODY AND CARE OF AN ANIMAL AFTER THE ARREST OF THE ANIMAL'S OWNER FOR CHARGES RELATED TO ANIMAL CRUELTY; TO AMEND SECTION 56-3-9600, RELATING TO THE SPECIAL FUND TO SUPPORT LOCAL ANIMAL SPAYING AND NEUTERING PROGRAMS, SO AS TO ESTABLISH CERTAIN PROCEDURES FOR THE AWARD OF GRANTS TO SPAYING AND NEUTERING PROGRAMS; TO AMEND SECTION 40-69-30, RELATING TO A LICENSE TO PRACTICE VETERINARY MEDICINE, SO AS TO PROVIDE THAT A VETERINARIAN LICENSED IN ANOTHER JURISDICTION MAY OBTAIN AN EMERGENCY LIMITED LICENSE DURING AN EMERGENCY OR NATURAL DISASTER; TO AMEND SECTIONS 47-3-470, 47-3-480, AND 47-3-490, ALL RELATING TO THE STERILIZATION OF DOGS AND CATS, SO AS TO REMOVE REFERENCES TO \"ANIMAL REFUGE\" AND REPLACE IT WITH \"RESCUE ORGANIZATION\". - ratified title"
jurisdiction: "us/states/sc"
legislature: "South Carolina General Assembly"
session: "2019-2020"
identifier: "S 105"
citation: "South Carolina S 105 (2019-2020)"
classification: ["bill"]
subjects: []
status: "enacted"
primary_sponsors: ["Campbell", "Rankin", "Sheheen", "Verdin"]
version_count: 9
action_count: 26
vote_count: 2
first_action: "2018-12-12"
last_action: "2019-06-05"
source: "openstates"
source_identifier: "ocd-bill/e3ae8e61-5bdc-4948-b6f8-73649e0002ec"
source_url: "https://www.scstatehouse.gov/billsearch.php?billnumbers=105&session=123&summary=B"
source_hash: "6d7b5aea721008ad4301150ed0ff5c3faa419690feaa73cd6a8c78e3bbc99237"
vintage: "2026-07-01"
source_snapshot: "https://data.openstates.org/daily/2026-07-01/public.pgdump"
retrieved_at: "2026-07-06"
confidence: "reported"
tags: ["legislation", "bill", "us-sc"]
---

# South Carolina S 105 (2019-2020) — Animal cruelty and care

AN ACT TO AMEND THE CODE OF LAWS OF SOUTH CAROLINA, 1976, BY ADDING SECTION 47-1-225 SO AS TO REQUIRE THAT MAGISTRATES AND MUNICIPAL COURT JUDGES RECEIVE AT LEAST TWO HOURS OF INSTRUCTIONS ON ISSUES CONCERNING ANIMAL CRUELTY EVERY FOUR YEARS; TO AMEND SECTION 47-3-10, RELATING TO DEFINITIONS APPLICABLE TO DOMESTIC PETS, SO AS TO DEFINE THE TERM "LITTER"; TO AMEND SECTION 47-3-60, RELATING TO THE DISPOSITION OF IMPOUNDED ANIMALS, SO AS TO AUTHORIZE AN ANIMAL SHELTER TO TURN OVER A LITTER OF UNIDENTIFIABLE DOGS OR CATS UNDER CERTAIN CIRCUMSTANCES; BY ADDING SECTION 47-1-145 SO AS TO PROVIDE FOR THE CUSTODY AND CARE OF AN ANIMAL AFTER THE ARREST OF THE ANIMAL'S OWNER FOR CHARGES RELATED TO ANIMAL CRUELTY; TO AMEND SECTION 56-3-9600, RELATING TO THE SPECIAL FUND TO SUPPORT LOCAL ANIMAL SPAYING AND NEUTERING PROGRAMS, SO AS TO ESTABLISH CERTAIN PROCEDURES FOR THE AWARD OF GRANTS TO SPAYING AND NEUTERING PROGRAMS; TO AMEND SECTION 40-69-30, RELATING TO A LICENSE TO PRACTICE VETERINARY MEDICINE, SO AS TO PROVIDE THAT A VETERINARIAN LICENSED IN ANOTHER JURISDICTION MAY OBTAIN AN EMERGENCY LIMITED LICENSE DURING AN EMERGENCY OR NATURAL DISASTER; TO AMEND SECTIONS 47-3-470, 47-3-480, AND 47-3-490, ALL RELATING TO THE STERILIZATION OF DOGS AND CATS, SO AS TO REMOVE REFERENCES TO "ANIMAL REFUGE" AND REPLACE IT WITH "RESCUE ORGANIZATION". - ratified title

## Version chain

The bill's text revisions, in order — the diff chain from filing to enrollment.

1. **Filed** (filed) — [source](https://www.scstatehouse.gov/sess123_2019-2020/bills/105.htm)
2. **1/30/2019** (committee substitute) — [source](https://www.scstatehouse.gov/sess123_2019-2020/prever/105_20190130.htm)
3. **12/12/2018** (committee substitute) — [source](https://www.scstatehouse.gov/sess123_2019-2020/prever/105_20181212.htm)
4. **2/28/2019** (committee substitute) — [source](https://www.scstatehouse.gov/sess123_2019-2020/prever/105_20190228.htm)
5. **3/27/2019** (committee substitute) — [source](https://www.scstatehouse.gov/sess123_2019-2020/prever/105_20190327.htm)
6. **3/28/2019** (committee substitute) — [source](https://www.scstatehouse.gov/sess123_2019-2020/prever/105_20190328.htm)
7. **3/7/2019** (committee substitute) — [source](https://www.scstatehouse.gov/sess123_2019-2020/prever/105_20190307.htm)
8. **5/2/2019** (committee substitute) — [source](https://www.scstatehouse.gov/sess123_2019-2020/prever/105_20190502.htm)
9. **5/8/2019** (committee substitute) — [source](https://www.scstatehouse.gov/sess123_2019-2020/prever/105_20190508.htm)

## Votes

- 2nd Reading — **38–1** (pass) · upper
- Passage of Bill — **101–0** (pass) · lower

## Sponsors

- Campbell — primary (person)
- Rankin — primary (person)
- Sheheen — primary (person)
- Verdin — primary (person)

## Timeline

The legislative action history — every referral, reading, and vote.

- **2018-12-12** Prefiled `filing`
- **2018-12-12** Referred to Committee on Agriculture and Natural Resources `referral-committee`
- **2019-01-08** Introduced and read first time `introduction, reading-1`
- **2019-01-08** Referred to Committee on Agriculture and Natural Resources `referral-committee`
- **2019-01-29** Committee report: Favorable with amendment Agriculture and Natural Resources `committee-passage-favorable`
- **2019-01-30** Scrivener's error corrected
- **2019-02-28** Committee Amendment Adopted `amendment-passage`
- **2019-02-28** Amended `amendment-passage`
- **2019-03-07** Amended `amendment-passage`
- **2019-03-27** Amended `amendment-passage`
- **2019-03-27** Read second time `reading-2`
- **2019-03-27** Roll call Ayes-38 Nays-1
- **2019-03-28** Read third time and sent to House `passage, reading-3`
- **2019-03-28** Scrivener's error corrected
- **2019-04-02** Introduced and read first time `introduction, reading-1`
- **2019-04-02** Referred to Committee on Judiciary `referral-committee`
- **2019-05-02** Committee report: Favorable with amendment Judiciary `committee-passage-favorable`
- **2019-05-08** Amended `amendment-passage`
- **2019-05-08** Read second time `reading-2`
- **2019-05-08** Roll call Yeas-101 Nays-0
- **2019-05-09** Read third time and returned to Senate with amendments `passage, reading-3`
- **2019-05-09** Concurred in House amendment and enrolled
- **2019-05-13** Ratified R 63
- **2019-05-16** Signed By Governor `executive-signature`
- **2019-05-31** Effective date 05/16/19
- **2019-06-05** Act No. 43

## Source

OpenStates / OpenCivicData bulk snapshot [2026-07-01](https://data.openstates.org/daily/2026-07-01/public.pgdump); origin `ocd-bill/e3ae8e61-5bdc-4948-b6f8-73649e0002ec`. Confidence: reported (aggregated from official South Carolina legislature records).