---
type: "Bill"
title: "Pharmacy access"
description: "AN ACT TO AMEND THE SOUTH CAROLINA CODE OF LAWS BY AMENDING SECTION 40-43-210, RELATING TO THE DEFINITION OF A \"SELF-ADMINISTERED HORMONAL CONTRACEPTIVE\" IN THE PHARMACY PRACTICE ACT, SO AS TO REVISE THE DEFINITION; BY AMENDING SECTION 40-43-230, RELATING TO PHARMACISTS PERMITTED TO DISPENSE SELF-ADMINISTERED HORMONAL CONTRACEPTIVES IN CERTAIN CIRCUMSTANCES, SO AS TO PROVIDE SUCH DISPENSATIONS MAY BE MADE PURSUANT TO CERTAIN WRITTEN JOINT PROTOCOLS; AND BY AMENDING SECTION 40-43-240, RELATING TO WRITTEN JOINT PROTOCOLS BY THE BOARD OF MEDICAL EXAMINERS AND THE BOARD OF PHARMACY TO AUTHORIZE PHARMACISTS TO DISPENSE SELF-ADMINISTERED HORMONAL CONTRACEPTIVES WITHOUT PATIENT-SPECIFIC WRITTEN ORDERS, SO AS TO INSTEAD PROVIDE THE DISPENSATIONS MAY BE MADE UNDER STANDING ORDERS OR WITHOUT STANDING ORDERS WHEN DISPENSED OR ADMINISTERED PURSUANT TO CERTAIN WRITTEN JOINT PROTOCOLS. - RATIFIED TITLE"
jurisdiction: "us/states/sc"
legislature: "South Carolina General Assembly"
session: "2025-2026"
identifier: "S 477"
citation: "South Carolina S 477 (2025-2026)"
classification: ["bill"]
subjects: []
status: "enacted"
primary_sponsors: ["Davis", "Ott"]
version_count: 6
action_count: 28
vote_count: 5
first_action: "2025-03-20"
last_action: "2026-05-27"
source: "openstates"
source_identifier: "ocd-bill/f14dcea5-55d0-4b71-a9f6-49fbb918d938"
source_url: "https://www.scstatehouse.gov/billsearch.php?billnumbers=477&session=126&summary=B"
source_hash: "854eb7c18c1e1d92632cebf6814d5ec1c7d8442eb4ef5b4214304842467b0db5"
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 477 (2025-2026) — Pharmacy access

AN ACT TO AMEND THE SOUTH CAROLINA CODE OF LAWS BY AMENDING SECTION 40-43-210, RELATING TO THE DEFINITION OF A "SELF-ADMINISTERED HORMONAL CONTRACEPTIVE" IN THE PHARMACY PRACTICE ACT, SO AS TO REVISE THE DEFINITION; BY AMENDING SECTION 40-43-230, RELATING TO PHARMACISTS PERMITTED TO DISPENSE SELF-ADMINISTERED HORMONAL CONTRACEPTIVES IN CERTAIN CIRCUMSTANCES, SO AS TO PROVIDE SUCH DISPENSATIONS MAY BE MADE PURSUANT TO CERTAIN WRITTEN JOINT PROTOCOLS; AND BY AMENDING SECTION 40-43-240, RELATING TO WRITTEN JOINT PROTOCOLS BY THE BOARD OF MEDICAL EXAMINERS AND THE BOARD OF PHARMACY TO AUTHORIZE PHARMACISTS TO DISPENSE SELF-ADMINISTERED HORMONAL CONTRACEPTIVES WITHOUT PATIENT-SPECIFIC WRITTEN ORDERS, SO AS TO INSTEAD PROVIDE THE DISPENSATIONS MAY BE MADE UNDER STANDING ORDERS OR WITHOUT STANDING ORDERS WHEN DISPENSED OR ADMINISTERED PURSUANT TO CERTAIN WRITTEN JOINT PROTOCOLS. - 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/477.htm)
2. **01/29/2026** (committee substitute) — [source](https://www.scstatehouse.gov/sess126_2025-2026/prever/477_20260129.htm)
3. **02/17/2026** (committee substitute) — [source](https://www.scstatehouse.gov/sess126_2025-2026/prever/477_20260217.htm)
4. **03/20/2025** (committee substitute) — [source](https://www.scstatehouse.gov/sess126_2025-2026/prever/477_20250320.htm)
5. **04/30/2025** (committee substitute) — [source](https://www.scstatehouse.gov/sess126_2025-2026/prever/477_20250430.htm)
6. **05/13/2026** (committee substitute) — [source](https://www.scstatehouse.gov/sess126_2025-2026/prever/477_20260513.htm)

## Votes

- to adopt the conference report — **43–0** (pass) · upper
- 2nd Reading — **44–0** (pass) · upper
- Passage of Bill — **109–5** (pass) · lower
- Adopt Conference Report — **98–15** (pass) · lower
- to concur — **6–38** (fail) · upper

## Sponsors

- Davis — primary (person)
- Ott — primary (person)

## Timeline

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

- **2025-03-20** Introduced and read first time `introduction, reading-1`
- **2025-03-20** Referred to Committee on Medical Affairs `referral-committee`
- **2025-04-30** Committee report: Favorable Medical Affairs `committee-passage-favorable`
- **2025-05-06** Read second time `reading-2`
- **2025-05-06** Roll call Ayes-44 Nays-0
- **2025-05-07** Read third time and sent to House `passage, reading-3`
- **2025-05-08** Introduced and read first time `introduction, reading-1`
- **2025-05-08** Referred to Committee on Judiciary `referral-committee`
- **2026-01-29** Committee report: Favorable Judiciary `committee-passage-favorable`
- **2026-02-03** Requests for debate-Rep(s). McCravy, Frank, Beach, Edgerton, Magnuson, Guffy, Terribile, Long
- **2026-02-11** Debate adjourned
- **2026-02-17** Amended `amendment-passage`
- **2026-02-17** Read second time `reading-2`
- **2026-02-17** Roll call Yeas-109 Nays-5
- **2026-02-18** Read third time and returned to Senate with amendments `passage, reading-3`
- **2026-02-24** Non-concurrence in House amendment
- **2026-02-24** Roll call Ayes-6 Nays-38
- **2026-04-02** House insists upon amendment and conference committee appointed Reps. Guest, Calhoon, and Bernstein
- **2026-04-14** Conference committee appointed Davis, Matthews, and Garrett
- **2026-04-29** Conference report adopted
- **2026-04-29** Roll call Ayes-43 Nays-0
- **2026-05-13** Conference report received and adopted
- **2026-05-13** Roll call Yeas-98 Nays-15
- **2026-05-13** Ordered enrolled for ratification
- **2026-05-14** Ratified R 142
- **2026-05-18** Signed By Governor `executive-signature`
- **2026-05-27** Effective date 05/18/26
- **2026-05-27** Act No. 167

## Source

OpenStates / OpenCivicData bulk snapshot [2026-07-01](https://data.openstates.org/daily/2026-07-01/public.pgdump); origin `ocd-bill/f14dcea5-55d0-4b71-a9f6-49fbb918d938`. Confidence: reported (aggregated from official South Carolina legislature records).