republic-os/legislation/us/states/sc/2017-2018/s-131.md

---
type: "Bill"
title: "AN ACT TO AMEND THE CODE OF LAWS OF SOUTH CAROLINA, 1976, BY ADDING SECTION 16-17-425 SO AS TO PROVIDE IT IS UNLAWFUL FOR SCHOOL OR COLLEGE STUDENTS TO MAKE THREATS TO TAKE THE LIVES OF OR TO INFLICT BODILY HARM UPON OTHERS BY USING ANY FORM OF COMMUNICATION WHATSOEVER, AND TO PROVIDE THE SECTION MAY NOT BE CONSTRUED TO REPEAL, REPLACE, OR PRECLUDE APPLICATION OF ANY OTHER CRIMINAL STATUTE; AND TO AMEND SECTION 16-17-420, RELATING TO OFFENSES INVOLVING DISTURBING SCHOOLS, SO AS TO RESTRUCTURE THE OFFENSES TO PROVIDE A DELINEATED LIST OF THOSE ACTIONS WHICH CONSTITUTE A VIOLATION, TO LIMIT ITS APPLICATION TO ACTIONS BY PERSONS WHO ARE NOT STUDENTS, TO DEFINE NECESSARY TERMINOLOGY, TO REVISE THE PENALTY FOR A VIOLATION OF A DISTURBING SCHOOLS OFFENSE, AND TO ELIMINATE JURISDICTION OF SUMMARY COURTS AND FAMILY COURTS. - ratified title"
description: "AN ACT TO AMEND THE CODE OF LAWS OF SOUTH CAROLINA, 1976, BY ADDING SECTION 16-17-425 SO AS TO PROVIDE IT IS UNLAWFUL FOR SCHOOL OR COLLEGE STUDENTS TO MAKE THREATS TO TAKE THE LIVES OF OR TO INFLICT BODILY HARM UPON OTHERS BY USING ANY FORM OF COMMUNICATION WHATSOEVER, AND TO PROVIDE THE SECTION MAY NOT BE CONSTRUED TO REPEAL, REPLACE, OR PRECLUDE APPLICATION OF ANY OTHER CRIMINAL STATUTE; AND TO AMEND SECTION 16-17-420, RELATING TO OFFENSES INVOLVING DISTURBING SCHOOLS, SO AS TO RESTRUCTURE THE OFFENSES TO PROVIDE A DELINEATED LIST OF THOSE ACTIONS WHICH CONSTITUTE A VIOLATION, TO LIMIT ITS APPLICATION TO ACTIONS BY PERSONS WHO ARE NOT STUDENTS, TO DEFINE NECESSARY TERMINOLOGY, TO REVISE THE PENALTY FOR A VIOLATION OF A DISTURBING SCHOOLS OFFENSE, AND TO ELIMINATE JURISDICTION OF SUMMARY COURTS AND FAMILY COURTS. - ratified title"
jurisdiction: "us/states/sc"
legislature: "South Carolina General Assembly"
session: "2017-2018"
identifier: "S 131"
citation: "South Carolina S 131 (2017-2018)"
classification: ["bill"]
subjects: []
status: "enacted"
primary_sponsors: ["Fanning", "Hutto", "Jackson", "Kimpson", "M.B. Matthews", "Malloy", "McLeod", "Senn", "Shealy"]
version_count: 6
action_count: 22
vote_count: 2
first_action: "2016-12-13"
last_action: "2018-05-31"
source: "openstates"
source_identifier: "ocd-bill/1c70bc6c-05ac-43ae-9df9-7f33dfb057eb"
source_url: "http://www.scstatehouse.gov/billsearch.php?billnumbers=131&session=122&summary=B"
source_hash: "6776f3810ace4580fc98c296674c08b662ca3ba1891d10a13844c76f3aeb3b9a"
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 131 (2017-2018) — AN ACT TO AMEND THE CODE OF LAWS OF SOUTH CAROLINA, 1976, BY ADDING SECTION 16-17-425 SO AS TO PROVIDE IT IS UNLAWFUL FOR SCHOOL OR COLLEGE STUDENTS TO MAKE THREATS TO TAKE THE LIVES OF OR TO INFLICT BODILY HARM UPON OTHERS BY USING ANY FORM OF COMMUNICATION WHATSOEVER, AND TO PROVIDE THE SECTION MAY NOT BE CONSTRUED TO REPEAL, REPLACE, OR PRECLUDE APPLICATION OF ANY OTHER CRIMINAL STATUTE; AND TO AMEND SECTION 16-17-420, RELATING TO OFFENSES INVOLVING DISTURBING SCHOOLS, SO AS TO RESTRUCTURE THE OFFENSES TO PROVIDE A DELINEATED LIST OF THOSE ACTIONS WHICH CONSTITUTE A VIOLATION, TO LIMIT ITS APPLICATION TO ACTIONS BY PERSONS WHO ARE NOT STUDENTS, TO DEFINE NECESSARY TERMINOLOGY, TO REVISE THE PENALTY FOR A VIOLATION OF A DISTURBING SCHOOLS OFFENSE, AND TO ELIMINATE JURISDICTION OF SUMMARY COURTS AND FAMILY COURTS. - ratified title

## Version chain

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

1. **12/13/2016** (committee substitute) — [source](http://www.scstatehouse.gov/sess122_2017-2018/prever/131_20161213.htm)
2. **3/22/2017** (committee substitute) — [source](http://www.scstatehouse.gov/sess122_2017-2018/prever/131_20170322.htm)
3. **3/23/2017** (committee substitute) — [source](http://www.scstatehouse.gov/sess122_2017-2018/prever/131_20170323.htm)
4. **4/5/2017** (committee substitute) — [source](http://www.scstatehouse.gov/sess122_2017-2018/prever/131_20170405.htm)
5. **4/6/2017** (committee substitute) — [source](http://www.scstatehouse.gov/sess122_2017-2018/prever/131_20170406.htm)
6. **5/3/2018** (committee substitute) — [source](http://www.scstatehouse.gov/sess122_2017-2018/prever/131_20180503.htm)

## Votes

- 2nd Reading — **33–8** (pass) · upper
- Passage of Bill — **102–2** (pass) · lower

## Sponsors

- Fanning — primary (person)
- Hutto — primary (person)
- Jackson — primary (person)
- Kimpson — primary (person)
- M.B. Matthews — primary (person)
- Malloy — primary (person)
- McLeod — primary (person)
- Senn — primary (person)
- Shealy — primary (person)

## Timeline

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

- **2016-12-13** Prefiled `filing`
- **2016-12-13** Referred to Committee on Judiciary `referral-committee`
- **2017-01-10** Introduced and read first time `introduction, reading-1`
- **2017-01-10** Referred to Committee on Judiciary `referral-committee`
- **2017-02-07** Referred to Subcommittee: Hutto (ch), Timmons, Rice
- **2017-03-22** Committee report: Favorable with amendment Judiciary `committee-passage-favorable`
- **2017-03-23** Scrivener's error corrected
- **2017-04-05** Amended `amendment-passage`
- **2017-04-05** Read second time `reading-2`
- **2017-04-05** Roll call Ayes-33 Nays-8
- **2017-04-06** Scrivener's error corrected
- **2017-04-06** Read third time and sent to House `passage, reading-3`
- **2017-04-18** Introduced and read first time `introduction, reading-1`
- **2017-04-18** Referred to Committee on Judiciary `referral-committee`
- **2018-05-03** Committee report: Favorable Judiciary `committee-passage-favorable`
- **2018-05-09** Read second time `reading-2`
- **2018-05-09** Roll call Yeas-102 Nays-2
- **2018-05-10** Read third time and enrolled `passage, reading-3`
- **2018-05-14** Ratified R 198
- **2018-05-17** Signed By Governor `executive-signature`
- **2018-05-24** Effective date 05/17/18
- **2018-05-31** Act No. 182

## Source

OpenStates / OpenCivicData bulk snapshot [2026-07-01](https://data.openstates.org/daily/2026-07-01/public.pgdump); origin `ocd-bill/1c70bc6c-05ac-43ae-9df9-7f33dfb057eb`. Confidence: reported (aggregated from official South Carolina legislature records).