republic-os/legislation/us/states/sc/2025-2026/h-4804.md

type, title, description, jurisdiction, legislature, session, identifier, citation, classification, subjects, status, primary_sponsors, version_count, action_count, vote_count, first_action, last_action, source, source_identifier, source_url, source_hash, vintage, source_snapshot, retrieved_at, confidence, tags

type	title	description	jurisdiction	legislature	session	identifier	citation	classification	subjects	status	primary_sponsors	version_count	action_count	vote_count	first_action	last_action	source	source_identifier	source_url	source_hash	vintage	source_snapshot	retrieved_at	confidence	tags
Bill	Sexual Exploitation of a Minor, penalties	AN ACT TO AMEND THE SOUTH CAROLINA CODE OF LAWS BY AMENDING SECTION 16-15-395, RELATING TO FIRST DEGREE SEXUAL EXPLOITATION OF A MINOR, SO AS TO INCREASE THE MINIMUM PENALTY TO FIVE YEARS' IMPRISONMENT AND PROVIDE AN ADDITIONAL PENALTY FOR REGISTERED SEX OFFENDERS WHO VIOLATE THE STATUTE; BY AMENDING SECTION 16-15-405, RELATING TO SECOND DEGREE SEXUAL EXPLOITATION OF A MINOR, SO AS TO INCREASE THE MINIMUM PENALTY TO THREE YEARS' IMPRISONMENT AND PROVIDE AN ADDITIONAL PENALTY FOR REGISTERED SEX OFFENDERS WHO VIOLATE THE STATUTE; AND BY AMENDING SECTION 16-15-410, RELATING TO THIRD DEGREE SEXUAL EXPLOITATION OF A MINOR, SO AS TO ESTABLISH PENALTIES BASED ON THE NUMBER OF IMAGES POSSESSED, INCLUDING A PENALTY OF UP TO TEN YEARS IF THERE ARE ONE TO TWENTY-FIVE IMAGES, ONE TO TEN YEARS IF THERE ARE TWENTY-SIX TO TWO HUNDRED FIFTY IMAGES, AND A PENALTY OF TWO TO TEN YEARS IF THERE ARE MORE THAN TWO HUNDRED FIFTY IMAGES; AND TO PROVIDE A MINIMUM PENALTY OF FIVE YEARS FOR A REGISTERED SEX OFFENDER WHO VIOLATES THE STATUTE - RATIFIED TITLE	us/states/sc	South Carolina General Assembly	2025-2026	H 4804	South Carolina H 4804 (2025-2026)	bill		enacted	B. Newton Beach Bowers Burns C. Mitchell Chapman Chumley Cromer D. Mitchell Edgerton Forrest Frank Gibson Gilreath Govan Guffey Haddon Hartz Kilmartin Lastinger Ligon Magnuson McCravy Morgan Oremus Pace Pedalino Pope T. Moore Terribile Vaughan W. Newton White Wickensimer Willis Yow	7	29	3	2025-12-16	2026-06-02	openstates	ocd-bill/d64db4d8-c3bb-4ad1-8427-6143538958f0	https://www.scstatehouse.gov/billsearch.php?billnumbers=4804&session=126&summary=B	e07f63f8c0df08a1366c310c865ca026114fced7a392477f40f11be6558a94c9	2026-07-01	https://data.openstates.org/daily/2026-07-01/public.pgdump	2026-07-06	reported	legislation bill us-sc

South Carolina H 4804 (2025-2026) — Sexual Exploitation of a Minor, penalties

AN ACT TO AMEND THE SOUTH CAROLINA CODE OF LAWS BY AMENDING SECTION 16-15-395, RELATING TO FIRST DEGREE SEXUAL EXPLOITATION OF A MINOR, SO AS TO INCREASE THE MINIMUM PENALTY TO FIVE YEARS' IMPRISONMENT AND PROVIDE AN ADDITIONAL PENALTY FOR REGISTERED SEX OFFENDERS WHO VIOLATE THE STATUTE; BY AMENDING SECTION 16-15-405, RELATING TO SECOND DEGREE SEXUAL EXPLOITATION OF A MINOR, SO AS TO INCREASE THE MINIMUM PENALTY TO THREE YEARS' IMPRISONMENT AND PROVIDE AN ADDITIONAL PENALTY FOR REGISTERED SEX OFFENDERS WHO VIOLATE THE STATUTE; AND BY AMENDING SECTION 16-15-410, RELATING TO THIRD DEGREE SEXUAL EXPLOITATION OF A MINOR, SO AS TO ESTABLISH PENALTIES BASED ON THE NUMBER OF IMAGES POSSESSED, INCLUDING A PENALTY OF UP TO TEN YEARS IF THERE ARE ONE TO TWENTY-FIVE IMAGES, ONE TO TEN YEARS IF THERE ARE TWENTY-SIX TO TWO HUNDRED FIFTY IMAGES, AND A PENALTY OF TWO TO TEN YEARS IF THERE ARE MORE THAN TWO HUNDRED FIFTY IMAGES; AND TO PROVIDE A MINIMUM PENALTY OF FIVE YEARS FOR A REGISTERED SEX OFFENDER WHO VIOLATES THE STATUTE - RATIFIED TITLE

Version chain

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

1. Filed (filed) — source
2. 03/26/2026 (committee substitute) — source
3. 03/31/2026 (committee substitute) — source
4. 04/29/2026 (committee substitute) — source
5. 05/06/2026 (committee substitute) — source
6. 05/13/2026 (committee substitute) — source
7. 12/17/2025 (committee substitute) — source

Votes

• 2nd Reading — 42–0 (pass) · upper
• Passage of Bill — 109–0 (pass) · lower
• Adopt Amendment 1A — 111–0 (pass) · lower

Sponsors

• B. Newton — primary (person)
• Beach — primary (person)
• Bowers — primary (person)
• Burns — primary (person)
• C. Mitchell — primary (person)
• Chapman — primary (person)
• Chumley — primary (person)
• Cromer — primary (person)
• D. Mitchell — primary (person)
• Edgerton — primary (person)
• Forrest — primary (person)
• Frank — primary (person)
• Gibson — primary (person)
• Gilreath — primary (person)
• Govan — primary (person)
• Guffey — primary (person)
• Haddon — primary (person)
• Hartz — primary (person)
• Kilmartin — primary (person)
• Lastinger — primary (person)
• Ligon — primary (person)
• Magnuson — primary (person)
• McCravy — primary (person)
• Morgan — primary (person)
• Oremus — primary (person)
• Pace — primary (person)
• Pedalino — primary (person)
• Pope — primary (person)
• T. Moore — primary (person)
• Terribile — primary (person)
• Vaughan — primary (person)
• W. Newton — primary (person)
• White — primary (person)
• Wickensimer — primary (person)
• Willis — primary (person)
• Yow — primary (person)

Timeline

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

• 2025-12-16 Prefiled filing
• 2025-12-16 Referred to Committee on Judiciary referral-committee
• 2026-01-13 Introduced and read first time introduction, reading-1
• 2026-01-13 Referred to Committee on Judiciary referral-committee
• 2026-01-20 Member(s) request name added as sponsor: White
• 2026-01-28 Member(s) request name added as sponsor: Cromer, Edgerton, Burns, Beach, Morgan, Terribile, Pace, Kilmartin, Gilreath, Magnuson, Frank, McCravy, Hartz, D.Mitchell, Haddon, Willis, Wickensimer, Vaughan, Pedalino, Chumley
• 2026-02-05 Member(s) request name added as sponsor: Govan
• 2026-03-25 Member(s) request name added as sponsor: Lastinger, C.Mitchell, Yow, Guffey
• 2026-03-26 Committee report: Favorable with amendment Judiciary committee-passage-favorable
• 2026-03-31 Member(s) request name added as sponsor: Bowers, Ligon, Chapman, B.Newton, W.Newton, Forrest, Oremus, Gibson
• 2026-03-31 Amended amendment-passage
• 2026-03-31 Read second time reading-2
• 2026-03-31 Roll call Yeas-109 Nays-0
• 2026-04-01 Read third time and sent to Senate passage, reading-3
• 2026-04-01 Introduced and read first time introduction, reading-1
• 2026-04-01 Referred to Committee on Judiciary referral-committee
• 2026-04-29 Recalled from Committee on Judiciary
• 2026-05-06 Amended amendment-passage
• 2026-05-06 Read second time reading-2
• 2026-05-06 Roll call Ayes-42 Nays-0
• 2026-05-07 Read third time and returned to House with amendments passage, reading-3
• 2026-05-13 Senate amendment amended amendment-amendment
• 2026-05-13 Returned to Senate with amendments
• 2026-05-13 Roll call Yeas-111 Nays-0
• 2026-05-13 Concurred in House amendment and enrolled
• 2026-05-14 Ratified R 204
• 2026-05-18 Signed By Governor executive-signature
• 2026-06-02 Effective date 05/18/26
• 2026-06-02 Act No. 189

Source

OpenStates / OpenCivicData bulk snapshot 2026-07-01; origin ocd-bill/d64db4d8-c3bb-4ad1-8427-6143538958f0. Confidence: reported (aggregated from official South Carolina legislature records).