republic-os/legislation/us/states/sc/2021-2022/s-243.md

---
type: "Bill"
title: "Confidential or unfounded child abuse and neglect reports"
description: "AN ACT TO AMEND SECTION 63-7-940, CODE OF LAWS OF SOUTH CAROLINA, 1976, RELATING TO AUTHORIZED USES OF UNFOUNDED CHILD ABUSE AND NEGLECT REPORTS, SO AS TO AUTHORIZE THE RELEASE OF INFORMATION ABOUT CHILD FATALITIES OR NEAR FATALITIES; TO AMEND SECTION 63-7-1990, AS AMENDED, RELATING TO THE CONFIDENTIALITY AND RELEASE OF CHILD ABUSE AND NEGLECT RECORDS, SO AS TO AUTHORIZE THE RELEASE OF INFORMATION ABOUT CHILD FATALITIES OR NEAR FATALITIES; AND TO AMEND SECTION 63-7-20, AS AMENDED, RELATING TO CHILDREN'S CODE DEFINITIONAL TERMS, SO AS TO ADD A DEFINITION FOR \"NEAR FATALITY\". - ratified title"
jurisdiction: "us/states/sc"
legislature: "South Carolina General Assembly"
session: "2021-2022"
identifier: "S 243"
citation: "South Carolina S 243 (2021-2022)"
classification: ["bill"]
subjects: []
status: "enacted"
primary_sponsors: ["Young"]
version_count: 8
action_count: 31
vote_count: 4
first_action: "2020-12-09"
last_action: "2022-06-28"
source: "openstates"
source_identifier: "ocd-bill/ff58c1d2-18af-4f6c-9beb-215941c41bd9"
source_url: "https://www.scstatehouse.gov/billsearch.php?billnumbers=243&session=124&summary=B"
source_hash: "55de5393bde17b3cfa7abce1d8ce988bccde07846ac963a8137689df1c1ffe48"
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 243 (2021-2022) — Confidential or unfounded child abuse and neglect reports

AN ACT TO AMEND SECTION 63-7-940, CODE OF LAWS OF SOUTH CAROLINA, 1976, RELATING TO AUTHORIZED USES OF UNFOUNDED CHILD ABUSE AND NEGLECT REPORTS, SO AS TO AUTHORIZE THE RELEASE OF INFORMATION ABOUT CHILD FATALITIES OR NEAR FATALITIES; TO AMEND SECTION 63-7-1990, AS AMENDED, RELATING TO THE CONFIDENTIALITY AND RELEASE OF CHILD ABUSE AND NEGLECT RECORDS, SO AS TO AUTHORIZE THE RELEASE OF INFORMATION ABOUT CHILD FATALITIES OR NEAR FATALITIES; AND TO AMEND SECTION 63-7-20, AS AMENDED, RELATING TO CHILDREN'S CODE DEFINITIONAL TERMS, SO AS TO ADD A DEFINITION FOR "NEAR FATALITY". - 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/sess124_2021-2022/bills/243.htm)
2. **12/9/2020** (committee substitute) — [source](https://www.scstatehouse.gov/sess124_2021-2022/prever/243_20201209.htm)
3. **3/10/2021** (committee substitute) — [source](https://www.scstatehouse.gov/sess124_2021-2022/prever/243_20210310.htm)
4. **3/11/2021** (committee substitute) — [source](https://www.scstatehouse.gov/sess124_2021-2022/prever/243_20210311.htm)
5. **3/23/2021** (committee substitute) — [source](https://www.scstatehouse.gov/sess124_2021-2022/prever/243_20210323.htm)
6. **5/10/2022** (committee substitute) — [source](https://www.scstatehouse.gov/sess124_2021-2022/prever/243_20220510.htm)
7. **5/3/2022** (committee substitute) — [source](https://www.scstatehouse.gov/sess124_2021-2022/prever/243_20220503.htm)
8. **6/15/2022** (committee substitute) — [source](https://www.scstatehouse.gov/sess124_2021-2022/prever/243_20220615.htm)

## Votes

- Adopt Conference Report — **108–0** (pass) · lower
- 2nd Reading — **43–0** (pass) · upper
- to adopt the conference report — **42–0** (pass) · upper
- Passage of Bill — **102–0** (pass) · lower

## Sponsors

- Young — primary (person)

## Timeline

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

- **2020-12-09** Prefiled `filing`
- **2020-12-09** Referred to Committee on Family and Veterans' Services `referral-committee`
- **2021-01-12** Introduced and read first time `introduction, reading-1`
- **2021-01-12** Referred to Committee on Family and Veterans' Services `referral-committee`
- **2021-03-10** Committee report: Favorable with amendment Family and Veterans' Services `committee-passage-favorable`
- **2021-03-11** Scrivener's error corrected
- **2021-03-23** Committee Amendment Adopted `amendment-passage`
- **2021-03-23** Amended `amendment-passage`
- **2021-03-25** Read second time `reading-2`
- **2021-03-25** Roll call Ayes-43 Nays-0
- **2021-03-30** Read third time and sent to House `passage, reading-3`
- **2021-04-06** Introduced and read first time `introduction, reading-1`
- **2021-04-06** Referred to Committee on Judiciary `referral-committee`
- **2022-05-03** Committee report: Favorable with amendment Judiciary `committee-passage-favorable`
- **2022-05-05** Debate adjourned
- **2022-05-10** Amended `amendment-passage`
- **2022-05-10** Read second time `reading-2`
- **2022-05-10** Roll call Yeas-102 Nays-0
- **2022-05-11** Read third time and returned to Senate with amendments `passage, reading-3`
- **2022-05-12** Non-concurrence in House amendment
- **2022-05-12** House insists upon amendment and conference committee appointed Reps. Bernstein, Collins, Davis
- **2022-05-12** Conference committee appointed Young, Shealy, McElveen
- **2022-06-15** Conference report received and adopted
- **2022-06-15** Roll call Yeas-108 Nays-0
- **2022-06-15** Conference report received and adopted
- **2022-06-15** Roll call Ayes-42 Nays-0
- **2022-06-15** Ordered enrolled for ratification
- **2022-06-16** Ratified R 253
- **2022-06-17** Signed By Governor `executive-signature`
- **2022-06-28** Effective date 06/17/22
- **2022-06-28** Act No. 224

## Source

OpenStates / OpenCivicData bulk snapshot [2026-07-01](https://data.openstates.org/daily/2026-07-01/public.pgdump); origin `ocd-bill/ff58c1d2-18af-4f6c-9beb-215941c41bd9`. Confidence: reported (aggregated from official South Carolina legislature records).