---
type: "Bill"
title: "Child Welfare Caregivers"
description: "AN ACT TO AMEND THE SOUTH CAROLINA CODE OF LAWS BY AMENDING SECTION 63-7-20, RELATING TO CHILDREN'S CODE DEFINITIONS, SO AS TO ADD THE TERM \"LICENSED\"; BY AMENDING SECTION 63-9-1110, RELATING TO ADOPTION BY A STEPPARENT OR RELATIVE, SO AS TO APPLY TO CHILDREN PLACED WITH RELATIVES OR FICTIVE KIN FOR THE PURPOSE OF ADOPTION; BY AMENDING SECTION 63-7-2320, RELATING TO THE KINSHIP FOSTER CARE PROGRAM, SO AS TO LOWER THE MINIMUM AGE OF A KINSHIP FOSTER PARENT FROM TWENTY-ONE TO EIGHTEEN AND TO ALLOW THE DEPARTMENT TO USE DIFFERENT STANDARDS WHEN LICENSING RELATIVES AND FICTIVE KIN; BY AMENDING SECTION 63-7-2350, RELATING TO RESTRICTIONS ON FOSTER CARE, ADOPTION, OR LEGAL GUARDIAN PLACEMENTS, SO AS TO MAKE CONFORMING CHANGES; AND BY AMENDING SECTION 63-7-2400, RELATING TO THE NUMBER OF FOSTER CHILDREN WHO MAY BE PLACED IN A FOSTER HOME, SO AS TO REMOVE THERAPEUTIC FOSTER CARE PLACEMENT LIMITATIONS FROM KINSHIP FOSTER CARE PLACEMENTS. - RATIFIED TITLE"
jurisdiction: "us/states/sc"
legislature: "South Carolina General Assembly"
session: "2025-2026"
identifier: "S 415"
citation: "South Carolina S 415 (2025-2026)"
classification: ["bill"]
subjects: []
status: "enacted"
primary_sponsors: ["Devine", "Elliott", "Ott", "Reichenbach", "Sutton", "Young", "Zell"]
version_count: 6
action_count: 20
vote_count: 2
first_action: "2025-03-04"
last_action: "2026-03-05"
source: "openstates"
source_identifier: "ocd-bill/c1fc56c3-e91a-4a13-8a6f-c212fc8f993e"
source_url: "https://www.scstatehouse.gov/billsearch.php?billnumbers=415&session=126&summary=B"
source_hash: "e01897dd2f76c6b2ad23aaebafdb7c9ef18afadb9fb05dd54db0e224e5282340"
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 415 (2025-2026) — Child Welfare Caregivers

AN ACT TO AMEND THE SOUTH CAROLINA CODE OF LAWS BY AMENDING SECTION 63-7-20, RELATING TO CHILDREN'S CODE DEFINITIONS, SO AS TO ADD THE TERM "LICENSED"; BY AMENDING SECTION 63-9-1110, RELATING TO ADOPTION BY A STEPPARENT OR RELATIVE, SO AS TO APPLY TO CHILDREN PLACED WITH RELATIVES OR FICTIVE KIN FOR THE PURPOSE OF ADOPTION; BY AMENDING SECTION 63-7-2320, RELATING TO THE KINSHIP FOSTER CARE PROGRAM, SO AS TO LOWER THE MINIMUM AGE OF A KINSHIP FOSTER PARENT FROM TWENTY-ONE TO EIGHTEEN AND TO ALLOW THE DEPARTMENT TO USE DIFFERENT STANDARDS WHEN LICENSING RELATIVES AND FICTIVE KIN; BY AMENDING SECTION 63-7-2350, RELATING TO RESTRICTIONS ON FOSTER CARE, ADOPTION, OR LEGAL GUARDIAN PLACEMENTS, SO AS TO MAKE CONFORMING CHANGES; AND BY AMENDING SECTION 63-7-2400, RELATING TO THE NUMBER OF FOSTER CHILDREN WHO MAY BE PLACED IN A FOSTER HOME, SO AS TO REMOVE THERAPEUTIC FOSTER CARE PLACEMENT LIMITATIONS FROM KINSHIP FOSTER CARE PLACEMENTS. - 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/415.htm)
2. **02/03/2026** (committee substitute) — [source](https://www.scstatehouse.gov/sess126_2025-2026/prever/415_20260203.htm)
3. **02/05/2026** (committee substitute) — [source](https://www.scstatehouse.gov/sess126_2025-2026/prever/415_20260205.htm)
4. **03/04/2025** (committee substitute) — [source](https://www.scstatehouse.gov/sess126_2025-2026/prever/415_20250304.htm)
5. **03/26/2025** (committee substitute) — [source](https://www.scstatehouse.gov/sess126_2025-2026/prever/415_20250326.htm)
6. **03/28/2025** (committee substitute) — [source](https://www.scstatehouse.gov/sess126_2025-2026/prever/415_20250328.htm)

## Votes

- Passage of Bill — **109–0** (pass) · lower
- 2nd Reading — **45–0** (pass) · upper

## Sponsors

- Devine — primary (person)
- Elliott — primary (person)
- Ott — primary (person)
- Reichenbach — primary (person)
- Sutton — primary (person)
- Young — primary (person)
- Zell — primary (person)

## Timeline

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

- **2025-03-04** Introduced and read first time `introduction, reading-1`
- **2025-03-04** Referred to Committee on Family and Veterans' Services `referral-committee`
- **2025-03-26** Committee report: Favorable Family and Veterans' Services `committee-passage-favorable`
- **2025-03-28** Scrivener's error corrected
- **2025-04-01** Read second time `reading-2`
- **2025-04-01** Roll call Ayes-45 Nays-0
- **2025-04-02** Read third time and sent to House `passage, reading-3`
- **2025-04-03** Introduced and read first time `introduction, reading-1`
- **2025-04-03** Referred to Committee on Judiciary `referral-committee`
- **2026-02-03** Committee report: Favorable with amendment Judiciary `committee-passage-favorable`
- **2026-02-05** Amended `amendment-passage`
- **2026-02-05** Read second time `reading-2`
- **2026-02-05** Roll call Yeas-109 Nays-0
- **2026-02-05** Unanimous consent for third reading on next legislative day
- **2026-02-06** Read third time and returned to Senate with amendments `passage, reading-3`
- **2026-02-11** Concurred in House amendment and enrolled
- **2026-02-25** Ratified R 103
- **2026-02-27** Signed By Governor `executive-signature`
- **2026-03-05** Effective date 02/27/26
- **2026-03-05** Act No. 99

## Source

OpenStates / OpenCivicData bulk snapshot [2026-07-01](https://data.openstates.org/daily/2026-07-01/public.pgdump); origin `ocd-bill/c1fc56c3-e91a-4a13-8a6f-c212fc8f993e`. Confidence: reported (aggregated from official South Carolina legislature records).