---
type: "Bill"
title: "Boating safety and education program"
description: "AN ACT TO AMEND THE SOUTH CAROLINA CODE OF LAWS BY AMENDING SECTION 50-21-10, RELATING TO DEFINITIONS, SO AS TO DEFINE \"PERSONAL WATERCRAFT\" AND \"SPECIALTY PROPCRAFT\"; BY AMENDING SECTION 50-21-90, RELATING TO THE BOATING SAFETY AND EDUCATIONAL PROGRAM, SO AS TO REQUIRE THE DEPARTMENT OF NATURAL RESOURCES TO ISSUE A BOATING SAFETY CERTIFICATE UPON THE COMPLETION OF CERTAIN REQUIREMENTS; BY ADDING SECTION 50-21-95 SO AS TO PROVIDE THAT IT IS UNLAWFUL FOR A PERSON TO OPERATE CERTAIN WATERCRAFT ON THE WATERS OF THIS STATE WITHOUT POSSESSING A BOATING SAFETY CERTIFICATE, WITH CERTAIN EXCEPTIONS; AND BY AMENDING SECTION 50-21-870, RELATING TO PERSONAL WATERCRAFT AND BOATING SAFETY, SO AS TO REMOVE THE DEFINITION OF \"PERSONAL WATERCRAFT\" AND TO REMOVE A BOATING PROHIBITION. - RATIFIED TITLE"
jurisdiction: "us/states/sc"
legislature: "South Carolina General Assembly"
session: "2023-2024"
identifier: "S 96"
citation: "South Carolina S 96 (2023-2024)"
classification: ["bill"]
subjects: []
status: "enacted"
primary_sponsors: ["Campsen", "Cromer", "Davis", "Hutto", "Kimpson", "McElveen"]
version_count: 10
action_count: 40
vote_count: 12
first_action: "2022-11-30"
last_action: "2023-06-26"
source: "openstates"
source_identifier: "ocd-bill/b27bbd49-d877-4b60-9123-aa76c7c19468"
source_url: "https://www.scstatehouse.gov/billsearch.php?billnumbers=96&session=125&summary=B"
source_hash: "d9d35eca81862583ea42aa2e9b8ed82fccb71716cee867a1fa7d6981c787033a"
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 96 (2023-2024) — Boating safety and education program

AN ACT TO AMEND THE SOUTH CAROLINA CODE OF LAWS BY AMENDING SECTION 50-21-10, RELATING TO DEFINITIONS, SO AS TO DEFINE "PERSONAL WATERCRAFT" AND "SPECIALTY PROPCRAFT"; BY AMENDING SECTION 50-21-90, RELATING TO THE BOATING SAFETY AND EDUCATIONAL PROGRAM, SO AS TO REQUIRE THE DEPARTMENT OF NATURAL RESOURCES TO ISSUE A BOATING SAFETY CERTIFICATE UPON THE COMPLETION OF CERTAIN REQUIREMENTS; BY ADDING SECTION 50-21-95 SO AS TO PROVIDE THAT IT IS UNLAWFUL FOR A PERSON TO OPERATE CERTAIN WATERCRAFT ON THE WATERS OF THIS STATE WITHOUT POSSESSING A BOATING SAFETY CERTIFICATE, WITH CERTAIN EXCEPTIONS; AND BY AMENDING SECTION 50-21-870, RELATING TO PERSONAL WATERCRAFT AND BOATING SAFETY, SO AS TO REMOVE THE DEFINITION OF "PERSONAL WATERCRAFT" AND TO REMOVE A BOATING PROHIBITION. - 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/sess125_2023-2024/bills/96.htm)
2. **02/02/2023** (committee substitute) — [source](https://www.scstatehouse.gov//sess125_2023-2024/prever/96_20230202.htm)
3. **02/06/2023** (committee substitute) — [source](https://www.scstatehouse.gov//sess125_2023-2024/prever/96_20230206.htm)
4. **02/14/2023** (committee substitute) — [source](https://www.scstatehouse.gov//sess125_2023-2024/prever/96_20230214.htm)
5. **04/19/2023** (committee substitute) — [source](https://www.scstatehouse.gov//sess125_2023-2024/prever/96_20230419.htm)
6. **04/27/2023** (committee substitute) — [source](https://www.scstatehouse.gov//sess125_2023-2024/prever/96_20230427.htm)
7. **05/02/2023** (committee substitute) — [source](https://www.scstatehouse.gov//sess125_2023-2024/prever/96_20230502.htm)
8. **05/09/2023** (committee substitute) — [source](https://www.scstatehouse.gov//sess125_2023-2024/prever/96_20230509.htm)
9. **06/07/2023** (committee substitute) — [source](https://www.scstatehouse.gov//sess125_2023-2024/prever/96_20230607.htm)
10. **12/02/2022** (committee substitute) — [source](https://www.scstatehouse.gov//sess125_2023-2024/prever/96_20221202.htm)

## Votes

- Table Motion to Adjourn Debate on the Conference Report — **72–23** (pass) · lower
- Table Amendment 4 — **59–47** (pass) · lower
- Table Motion to Adjourn Debate — **46–58** (fail) · lower
- 3rd Reading — **40–0** (pass) · upper
- Concur in Senate Amendments — **2–104** (fail) · lower
- Adopt Conference Report — **97–7** (pass) · lower
- Cloture — **20–72** (fail) · lower
- to adopt — **44–0** (pass) · upper
- Table Motion to Adjourn Debate on the Conference Report — **85–21** (pass) · lower
- 2nd Reading — **43–0** (pass) · upper
- Passage of Bill — **110–8** (pass) · lower
- to adopt the conference report — **43–0** (pass) · upper

## Sponsors

- Campsen — primary (person)
- Cromer — primary (person)
- Davis — primary (person)
- Hutto — primary (person)
- Kimpson — primary (person)
- McElveen — primary (person)

## Timeline

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

- **2022-11-30** Prefiled `filing`
- **2022-11-30** Referred to Committee on Fish, Game and Forestry `referral-committee`
- **2023-01-10** Introduced and read first time `introduction, reading-1`
- **2023-01-10** Referred to Committee on Fish, Game and Forestry `referral-committee`
- **2023-02-02** Committee report: Favorable with amendment Fish, Game and Forestry `committee-passage-favorable`
- **2023-02-06** Scrivener's error corrected
- **2023-02-14** Committee Amendment Adopted `amendment-passage`
- **2023-02-14** Amended `amendment-passage`
- **2023-02-14** Read second time `reading-2`
- **2023-02-14** Roll call Ayes-43 Nays-0
- **2023-02-15** Read third time and sent to House `passage, reading-3`
- **2023-02-15** Roll call Ayes-40 Nays-0
- **2023-02-16** Introduced and read first time `introduction, reading-1`
- **2023-02-16** Referred to Committee on Judiciary `referral-committee`
- **2023-04-19** Committee report: Favorable Judiciary `committee-passage-favorable`
- **2023-04-20** Requests for debate-Rep(s). Wooten, W Newton, Forrest, Jordan, Brittain, Elliot, B Newton, Hiott, Guffey, O'Neal, Harris, Guest, Hewitt, Robbins, Landing, Hartnett, Leber, White, Gibson, Gavin, Brewer, May, Vaughan, TA Morgan, Willis, BJ Cox, Williams
- **2023-04-27** Amended `amendment-passage`
- **2023-04-27** Debate adjourned until Tues., 5-2-23
- **2023-05-02** Amended `amendment-passage`
- **2023-05-02** Read second time `reading-2`
- **2023-05-02** Roll call Yeas-110 Nays-8
- **2023-05-03** Read third time and returned to Senate with amendments `passage, reading-3`
- **2023-05-09** House amendment amended `amendment-amendment`
- **2023-05-09** Roll call Ayes-44 Nays-0
- **2023-05-09** Returned to House with amendments
- **2023-05-10** Non-concurrence in Senate amendment
- **2023-05-10** Roll call Yeas-2 Nays-104
- **2023-05-11** Senate insists upon amendment and conference committee appointed Campsen, Hutto, Davis
- **2023-05-11** Conference committee appointed Henegan, Elliott, Wooten
- **2023-05-11** Debate adjourned until Tues., 5-16-23
- **2023-05-11** Conference report received and adopted
- **2023-05-11** Roll call Ayes-43 Nays-0
- **2023-05-16** Debate adjourned
- **2023-06-07** Conference report received and adopted
- **2023-06-07** Roll call Yeas-97 Nays-7
- **2023-06-07** Ordered enrolled for ratification
- **2023-06-14** Ratified R 90
- **2023-06-19** Signed By Governor `executive-signature`
- **2023-06-26** Effective date 08/18/23
- **2023-06-26** Act No. 74

## Source

OpenStates / OpenCivicData bulk snapshot [2026-07-01](https://data.openstates.org/daily/2026-07-01/public.pgdump); origin `ocd-bill/b27bbd49-d877-4b60-9123-aa76c7c19468`. Confidence: reported (aggregated from official South Carolina legislature records).