Senate Amendment 3
H 4023 - Session 125 (2023-2024)
First Steps

Senator Campsen proposes the following amendment (LC-4023.WAB0007S):

Amend the bill, as and if amended, SECTION 1.A., by striking Section 59-152-60(A) and inserting:

(A) Each county must be represented  by on a Local First Steps Partnership Board and each local board must provide services within every county it represents. A local partnership board must be comprised of individuals with resources, skills, knowledge, and interest in improving the readiness of young children for school. A list of all local partnership board members must be published in the partnership's annual report, be reported annually to the local legislative delegationcounty council, and be on file with the Office of First Steps.

Amend the bill further, SECTION 1.A., by striking Section 59-152-60(C)(2) and inserting:

 (2) To assure that all areas of the county  or multicounty region are adequately represented and reflect the diversity of the coverage area, each county legislative delegation may council shall appoint up to four six members to a local partnership board. Of these members, two are appointed by the Senate members and two by the House of Representative members of the delegation These members must be chosen from persons with resources, skills, or knowledge that have specific interests in improving the readiness of young children for school. In multicounty partnerships, the county councils shall modify their appointments based on the plan approved by the South Carolina First Steps to School Readiness Board of Trustees pursuant to Section 59-152-70(E).

Amend the bill further, SECTION 1.A., by striking Section 59-152-60(C)(3)(a) and inserting:

 (3) (a) Each of the following entities located within a particular First Steps Partnership coverage area shall designate recommend one member to the county council for appointment by the council to serve as a member of the local First Steps Partnership Board:

Amend the bill further, SECTION 1.A., by striking Section 59-152-60(C)(3)(b) and inserting:

  (b) When an entity in subitem (a) recommends an individual to a county council for appointment, the council either shall make the appointment or reject the appointment and ask the entity to make another recommendation. In multicounty partnerships, the county councils only may appoint one member from each of the categories in subitem (a)(i), (ii), and (iii), and shall collaborate to ensure each county in the partnership coverage area is represented in the appointments. 

Amend the bill further, SECTION 2, by striking Section 59-152-70(F) and inserting:

(F) As a condition of receiving state funds, each local partnership must be subject to performance reviews by South Carolina First Steps, including, but not limited to, local board  functioning and collaboration and compliance with state standards and fiscal accountability. If any significant operational deficiencies or misconduct is identified within the partnership, the South Carolina First Steps Board of Trustees must identify a remedy with input from the local legislative delegationcounty council.