Senate Judiciary Committee Amendment
S 260 - Session 125 (2023-2024)
Responsible Alcohol Server Training Act

The Committee on Judiciary proposes the following amendment (SJ-260.MF0003S):

Amend the bill, as and if amended, SECTION 3, by striking Sections 61-3-110 and 61-3-120 and inserting:

Section 61-3-110.(A) An individual shall not be employed as an alcohol server or a manager on permitted or licensed premises unless and until that individual obtains, within one hundred and twenty calendar days of employment, an alcohol server certificate pursuant to the provisions of this chapter. If a permittee or licensee functions or is employed as an alcohol server or manager on the permitted or licensed premises, then the permittee or licensee must also complete training on responsible alcohol server training and obtain an alcohol server certificate pursuant to the provisions of this chapter. An alcohol server shall not be mentally or physically impaired by alcohol, drugs, or controlled substances while serving alcohol.

(B) Each permittee or licensee shall maintain at all times on its permitted or licensed premises copies of the alcohol server certificates of the permittee or licensee, if applicable, and the alcohol server certificates of each manager and each alcohol server then employed by the permittee or licensee. Copies of the alcohol server certificate must be made available, upon request, to the department, the division, or the agents and employees of each. For the purposes of enforcement of the provisions of this chapter, a permittee or licensee shall also make available to the department or the division, when requested, the hire date of an alcohol server.

(C) Failure to produce a copy of an alcohol server certificate when an alcohol server has been employed for one hundred and twenty calendar days shall subject the permittee or licensee to a written warning by the department.

Section 61-3-120.(A)(1) The department, in collaboration with DAODAS and the division, is authorized to approve alcohol server training programs, based on best evidence practice standards, offered by providers. A program that has not received approval within sixty days from submission shall be considered denied. A provider may appeal denial pursuant to Section 61-2-260 and the South Carolina Administrative Procedures Act.

(2) A provider shall provide alcohol server training programs to all applicable individuals free of charge.

(B) The curricula of each program must include the following subjects:

(1) state laws and regulations pertaining to:

(a) the sale and service of alcoholic beverages;

(b) the permitting and licensing of sellers of alcoholic beverages;

(c) impaired driving or driving under the influence of alcohol or drugs;

(d) liquor liability issues;

(e) the carrying of concealed weapons by authorized permit holders into businesses selling and serving alcoholic beverages; and

(f) life consequences, such as the loss of education scholarships, to minors relating to the unlawful use, transfer, or sale of alcoholic beverages;

(2) the effect that alcohol has on the body and human behavior, including, but not limited to, its effect on an individual's ability to operate a motor vehicle when intoxicated;

(3) information on blood alcohol concentration and factors that change or alter blood alcohol concentration;

(4) the effect that alcohol has on an individual when taken in combination with commonly used prescription or nonprescription drugs or with illegal drugs;

(5) information on recognizing the signs of intoxication and methods for preventing intoxication;

(6) methods of recognizing problem drinkers and techniques for intervening with and refusing to serve problem drinkers;

(7) methods of identifying and refusing to serve or sell alcoholic beverages to individuals under twenty-one years of age and intoxicated individuals;

(8) methods for properly and effectively checking the identification of an individual, for identifying illegal identification, and for handling situations involving individuals who have provided illegal identification;

(9) South Carolina law enforcement information; and

(10) other topics related to alcohol server education and training designated by the department, in collaboration with DAODAS and the division, to be included.

(C) The department shall approve only online designed training programs that meet each of the following criteria:

(1) A program must cover the content specified in subsection (B).

(2) The content in a program must clearly identify and focus on the knowledge, skills, and abilities needed to responsibly serve alcoholic beverages and must be developed using best practices in instructional design and exam development to ensure that the program is fair and legally defensible.

(3) A program shall be offered online.

(4) Online training must be at least four hours, be available in English and Spanish, and include a test.

(5) Online or computer-based training programs shall use linear navigation that requires the completion of a module before the course proceeds to the next module, with no content omitted; be interactive; have audio for content; and include a test.

(6) Training and testing shall be conducted online. All tests must be monitored by an online proctor. A passing grade for a test, as provided by the program, is required.

(7) Training certificates are issued by the provider only after training is complete and a test has been passed successfully.

(8) Within ten business days after a training is completed, each provider must give to the department a report of all individuals who have successfully completed the training and testing. The provider must also maintain these records for at least five years following the end of the training program for purposes of verifying certification validity by the department or the division.

(D) The department, in collaboration with DAODAS and the division, may suspend or revoke the authorization of a provider that the department determines has violated the provisions of this chapter. If a provider's authorization is suspended or revoked, then that provider must cease operations in this State immediately and refund any money paid to it by individuals enrolled in that provider's program at the time of the suspension or revocation.

Amend the bill further, SECTION 3, by striking Section 61-3-140(D) and inserting:

(D) Alcohol server certificates are valid for a period of five years from the date that the alcohol server certificate was issued. After the five-year period, a new or recertified alcohol server certificate must be obtained pursuant to the provisions of this chapter in order for the holder to be employed as a server.

Amend the bill further, SECTION 3, by striking Section 61-3-140(F) and inserting:

(F) The department shall issue and renew alcohol server certificates for all qualifying applicants free of charge.

(G) An applicant shall be deemed to be a qualifying applicant for the purpose of alcohol server certificate issuance and renewal if they have successfully completed all training and testing requirements as found in Section 61-3-120.

Amend the bill further, SECTION 3, by striking Section 61-3-150(A)(1) and inserting:

(1) for a first offense, shall be issued a written warning by the department;

Amend the bill further, SECTION 3, by striking Section 61-3-150(C), (D), and (E) and inserting:

(C) Violations of the provisions of this chapter shall be considered cumulatively for each alcohol server.

(D) The department may issue an administrative order to suspend or revoke the certificate of an alcohol server who accumulates more than three violations of the provisions of this chapter within a three-year period of time. In lieu of suspension or revocation of an alcohol server certificate, the department may require that the individual who has violated the provisions of this chapter attend and successfully complete either the full program or a recertification program.

(E) An individual whose alcohol server certificate is suspended or revoked is prohibited from serving in a South Carolina business permitted or licensed pursuant to Title 61 for such period as stated in the suspension or revocation order and until the individual obtains a new alcohol server certificate pursuant to the provisions of this chapter. The department shall make the information on suspended or revoked alcohol server certificates accessible for licensees and permittees to verify when necessary.

(F) The provisions of this chapter shall not be interpreted to waive the liability of a permittee or licensee that may arise pursuant to the provisions of Title 61.

Amend the bill further, SECTION 6, by striking Section 61-4-50(A)(1) and inserting:

(1) for a first offense, must be fined not less than two hundred dollars nor more than three hundred dollars or imprisoned not more than thirty days, or both . In addition to criminal penalties, a person convicted who holds an alcohol server certificate pursuant to Chapter 3, Title 61 must be issued a written warning by the department; and

Amend the bill further, SECTION 7, by striking Section 61-4-90(A)(1) and inserting:

(1) for a first offense, must be fined not less than two hundred dollars nor more than three hundred dollars or imprisoned not more than thirty days, or both . In addition to criminal penalties, a person convicted who holds an alcohol server certificate pursuant to Chapter 3, Title 61 must be issued a written warning by the department; and

Amend the bill further, SECTION 8, by striking Section 61-4-580(C)(1) and inserting:

(1) for a first offense, must be fined not less than two hundred dollars nor more than three hundred dollars or imprisoned not more than thirty days, or both. In addition to criminal penalties, a person convicted who holds an alcohol server certificate pursuant to Chapter 3, Title 61 must be issued a written warning by the department; and

Amend the bill further, SECTION 9, by striking Section 61-6-2220(1) and inserting:

(1) for a first offense, must be fined not less than two hundred dollars nor more than three hundred dollars or imprisoned not more than thirty days, or both. In addition to criminal penalties, a person convicted who holds an alcohol server certificate pursuant to Chapter 3, Title 61 must be issued a written warning by the department; and

Amend the bill further, SECTION 10, by striking Section 61-6-4070(A)(1) and inserting:

(1) for a first offense, must be fined not less than two hundred dollars nor more than three hundred dollars or imprisoned not more than thirty days, or both . In addition to criminal penalties, a person convicted who holds an alcohol server certificate pursuant to Chapter 3, Title 61 must be issued a written warning by the department; and

Amend the bill further, SECTION 11, by striking Section 61-6-4080(A)(1) and inserting:

(1) for a first offense, must be fined not less than two hundred dollars nor more than three hundred dollars or imprisoned not more than thirty days, or both . In addition to criminal penalties, a person convicted who holds an alcohol server certificate pursuant to Chapter 3, Title 61 must be issued a written warning by the department; and