---
type: "Bill"
title: "AI Child Abuse"
description: "AN ACT TO AMEND THE SOUTH CAROLINA CODE OF LAWS BY ADDING SECTION 16-15-390 SO AS TO CREATE THE OFFENSE OF OBSCENE VISUAL REPRESENTATIONS OF CHILD SEXUAL ABUSE, DEFINE TERMS, AND ESTABLISH PENALTIES; BY AMENDING SECTION 23-3-430, RELATING TO THE SEX OFFENDER REGISTRY, SO AS TO ADD THE OFFENSE OF OBSCENE VISUAL REPRESENTATIONS OF CHILD SEXUAL ABUSE TO THE SEX OFFENDER REGISTRY; AND BY AMENDING SECTION 23-3-462, RELATING TO TERMINATION OF REGISTRATION REQUIREMENTS, SO AS TO MAKE CONFORMING CHANGES. - RATIFIED TITLE"
jurisdiction: "us/states/sc"
legislature: "South Carolina General Assembly"
session: "2025-2026"
identifier: "S 28"
citation: "South Carolina S 28 (2025-2026)"
classification: ["bill"]
subjects: []
status: "enacted"
primary_sponsors: ["Adams", "Alexander", "Campsen", "Chaplin", "Climer", "Cromer", "Devine", "Elliott", "Fernandez", "Garrett", "Goldfinch", "Graham", "Hutto", "Jackson", "Kennedy", "Leber", "Ott", "Reichenbach", "Rice", "Sutton", "Turner", "Verdin", "Young", "Zell"]
version_count: 13
action_count: 40
vote_count: 8
first_action: "2024-12-11"
last_action: "2025-05-27"
source: "openstates"
source_identifier: "ocd-bill/6532e8ac-95b8-4e9f-99eb-abb42317d616"
source_url: "https://www.scstatehouse.gov/billsearch.php?billnumbers=28&session=126&summary=B"
source_hash: "0f5131511d7a6d238fe70808de36be72146c6a9ee1ade7e6bb473d12df110980"
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 28 (2025-2026) — AI Child Abuse

AN ACT TO AMEND THE SOUTH CAROLINA CODE OF LAWS BY ADDING SECTION 16-15-390 SO AS TO CREATE THE OFFENSE OF OBSCENE VISUAL REPRESENTATIONS OF CHILD SEXUAL ABUSE, DEFINE TERMS, AND ESTABLISH PENALTIES; BY AMENDING SECTION 23-3-430, RELATING TO THE SEX OFFENDER REGISTRY, SO AS TO ADD THE OFFENSE OF OBSCENE VISUAL REPRESENTATIONS OF CHILD SEXUAL ABUSE TO THE SEX OFFENDER REGISTRY; AND BY AMENDING SECTION 23-3-462, RELATING TO TERMINATION OF REGISTRATION REQUIREMENTS, SO AS TO MAKE CONFORMING CHANGES. - 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/sess126_2025-2026/bills/28.htm)
2. **02/05/2025** (committee substitute) — [source](https://www.scstatehouse.gov/sess126_2025-2026/prever/28_20250205.htm)
3. **02/05/2025-A** (committee substitute) — [source](https://www.scstatehouse.gov/sess126_2025-2026/prever/28_20250205a.htm)
4. **02/06/2025** (committee substitute) — [source](https://www.scstatehouse.gov/sess126_2025-2026/prever/28_20250206.htm)
5. **02/11/2025** (committee substitute) — [source](https://www.scstatehouse.gov/sess126_2025-2026/prever/28_20250211.htm)
6. **02/12/2025** (committee substitute) — [source](https://www.scstatehouse.gov/sess126_2025-2026/prever/28_20250212.htm)
7. **02/13/2025** (committee substitute) — [source](https://www.scstatehouse.gov/sess126_2025-2026/prever/28_20250213.htm)
8. **04/30/2025** (committee substitute) — [source](https://www.scstatehouse.gov/sess126_2025-2026/prever/28_20250430.htm)
9. **05/01/2025** (committee substitute) — [source](https://www.scstatehouse.gov/sess126_2025-2026/prever/28_20250501.htm)
10. **05/02/2025** (committee substitute) — [source](https://www.scstatehouse.gov/sess126_2025-2026/prever/28_20250502.htm)
11. **05/06/2025** (committee substitute) — [source](https://www.scstatehouse.gov/sess126_2025-2026/prever/28_20250506.htm)
12. **05/08/2025** (committee substitute) — [source](https://www.scstatehouse.gov/sess126_2025-2026/prever/28_20250508.htm)
13. **12/11/2024** (committee substitute) — [source](https://www.scstatehouse.gov/sess126_2025-2026/prever/28_20241211.htm)

## Votes

- 2nd Reading — **39–0** (pass) · upper
- to adopt amendment — **45–0** (pass) · upper
- 3rd Reading — **40–0** (pass) · upper
- to lay on the table — **27–12** (pass) · upper
- Adopt Conference Report — **105–1** (pass) · lower
- Concur in Senate Amendments — **0–107** (fail) · lower
- Passage of Bill — **106–0** (pass) · lower
- to adopt the conference report — **43–0** (pass) · upper

## Sponsors

- Adams — primary (person)
- Alexander — primary (person)
- Campsen — primary (person)
- Chaplin — primary (person)
- Climer — primary (person)
- Cromer — primary (person)
- Devine — primary (person)
- Elliott — primary (person)
- Fernandez — primary (person)
- Garrett — primary (person)
- Goldfinch — primary (person)
- Graham — primary (person)
- Hutto — primary (person)
- Jackson — primary (person)
- Kennedy — primary (person)
- Leber — primary (person)
- Ott — primary (person)
- Reichenbach — primary (person)
- Rice — primary (person)
- Sutton — primary (person)
- Turner — primary (person)
- Verdin — primary (person)
- Young — primary (person)
- Zell — primary (person)

## Timeline

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

- **2024-12-11** Prefiled `filing`
- **2024-12-11** Referred to Committee on Judiciary `referral-committee`
- **2025-01-14** Introduced and read first time `introduction, reading-1`
- **2025-01-14** Referred to Committee on Judiciary `referral-committee`
- **2025-01-17** Referred to Subcommittee: Adams (ch), Reichenbach, Devine, Kennedy, Stubbs
- **2025-02-05** Committee report: Favorable with amendment Judiciary `committee-passage-favorable`
- **2025-02-06** Scrivener's error corrected
- **2025-02-11** Committee Amendment Adopted `amendment-passage`
- **2025-02-11** Amended `amendment-passage`
- **2025-02-12** Amended `amendment-passage`
- **2025-02-13** Amended `amendment-passage`
- **2025-02-13** Read second time `reading-2`
- **2025-02-13** Roll call Ayes-39 Nays-0
- **2025-02-18** Read third time and sent to House `passage, reading-3`
- **2025-02-18** Roll call Ayes-40 Nays-0
- **2025-02-19** Introduced and read first time `introduction, reading-1`
- **2025-02-19** Referred to Committee on Judiciary `referral-committee`
- **2025-04-30** Committee report: Favorable with amendment Judiciary `committee-passage-favorable`
- **2025-05-01** Amended `amendment-passage`
- **2025-05-01** Read second time `reading-2`
- **2025-05-01** Roll call Yeas-106 Nays-0
- **2025-05-01** Unanimous consent for third reading on next legislative day
- **2025-05-02** Scrivener's error corrected
- **2025-05-02** Read third time and returned to Senate with amendments `passage, reading-3`
- **2025-05-06** House amendment amended `amendment-amendment`
- **2025-05-06** Returned to House with amendments
- **2025-05-06** Roll call Ayes-45 Nays-0
- **2025-05-08** Non-concurrence in Senate amendment
- **2025-05-08** Roll call Yeas-0 Nays-107
- **2025-05-08** Senate insists upon amendment and conference committee appointed Hutto, Kimbrell, Adams
- **2025-05-08** Conference committee appointed T Moore, Wetmore, McCabe
- **2025-05-08** Conference report adopted
- **2025-05-08** Roll call Yeas-105 Nays-1
- **2025-05-08** Conference report adopted
- **2025-05-08** Roll call Ayes-43 Nays-0
- **2025-05-08** Ordered enrolled for ratification
- **2025-05-20** Ratified R 82
- **2025-05-22** Signed By Governor `executive-signature`
- **2025-05-27** Effective date 05/22/25
- **2025-05-27** Act No. 57

## Source

OpenStates / OpenCivicData bulk snapshot [2026-07-01](https://data.openstates.org/daily/2026-07-01/public.pgdump); origin `ocd-bill/6532e8ac-95b8-4e9f-99eb-abb42317d616`. Confidence: reported (aggregated from official South Carolina legislature records).