South Carolina General Assembly
109th Session, 1991-1992

Bill 1248


                    Current Status

Introducing Body:               Senate
Bill Number:                    1248
Ratification Number:            470
Act Number:                     405
Primary Sponsor:                Robert W. Hayes Jr.
Type of Legislation:            GB
Subject:                        Sheriff, chief of police; stolen
                                property provisions
Companion Bill Number:          4429
Date Bill Passed both Bodies:   May 13, 1992
Computer Document Number:       436/12069.DW
Governor's Action:              S
Date of Governor's Action:      Jun 01, 1992
Introduced Date:                Feb 04, 1992
Date of Last Amendment:         May 06, 1992
Last History Body:              ------
Last History Date:              Jun 01, 1992
Last History Type:              Act No. 405
Scope of Legislation:           Statewide
All Sponsors:                   Robert
                                W. Hayes
                                Jr.
Type of Legislation:            General Bill

History


 Bill  Body    Date          Action Description              CMN
 ----  ------  ------------  ------------------------------  ---
 1248  ------  Jun 01, 1992  Act No. 405
 1248  ------  Jun 01, 1992  Signed by Governor
 1248  ------  May 27, 1992  Ratified R 470
 1248  Senate  May 13, 1992  Concurred in House amendment,
                             enrolled for ratification
 1248  House   May 13, 1992  Read third time, returned
                             with amendment
 1248  House   May 12, 1992  Read second time
 1248  House   May 06, 1992  Debate adjourned until
                             Tuesday, May 12, 1992
 1248  House   May 06, 1992  Amended
 1248  House   Apr 15, 1992  Recalled from Committee         25
 1248  House   Mar 26, 1992  Introduced, read first time,    25
                             referred to Committee
 1248  Senate  Mar 25, 1992  Read third time, sent to House
 1248  Senate  Mar 19, 1992  Amended, read second time,
                             unanimous consent for third
                             reading on Friday, March 20,
                             1992
 1248  Senate  Mar 18, 1992  Committee Report: Favorable     11
                             with amendment
 1248  Senate  Feb 04, 1992  Introduced, read first time,    11
                             referred to Committee

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(Text matches printed bills. Document has been reformatted to meet World Wide Web specifications.)

(A405, R470, S1248)

AN ACT TO AMEND SECTION 27-21-20, CODE OF LAWS OF SOUTH CAROLINA, 1976, RELATING TO THE PROCEDURE A SHERIFF MUST USE WHEN SELLING STOLEN OR ABANDONED PROPERTY AT PUBLIC AUCTION WHEN THE OWNER CANNOT BE ASCERTAINED, SO AS TO AUTHORIZE THE CHIEF OF POLICE OF A MUNICIPALITY TO SELL THIS TYPE OF PROPERTY AND TO REVISE THE PROCEDURE FOR THE SELLING OF THE PROPERTY; TO PROVIDE THAT GLASSWARE OR OTHER DRUG PARAPHERNALIA WHICH IS RECOVERED PURSUANT TO SECTION 27-21-20 AND IS UNCLAIMED AND WHICH WOULD BE USEFUL IN A SCIENCE LABORATORY MUST BE MADE AVAILABLE FIRST TO PUBLIC SCHOOLS AND SECOND TO PUBLIC INSTITUTIONS OF HIGHER LEARNING BEFORE IT MAY BE SOLD AT PUBLIC AUCTION OR OTHERWISE DISPOSED OF; AND TO AMEND THE 1976 CODE BY ADDING SECTION 27-40-735 SO AS TO PROVIDE A PROCEDURE FOR THE REMOVAL OF PERSONAL PROPERTY BELONGING TO A TENANT REMOVED FROM A PREMISES AS A RESULT OF AN EVICTION PROCEEDING WHICH IS PLACED ON A PUBLIC STREET OR HIGHWAY AND PROVIDE IMMUNITY FROM LIABILITY FOR OFFICIALS OR EMPLOYEES IF THE TENANT IS NOT INFORMED IN THE NOTICE OF EVICTION OF THE PROVISIONS OF THIS SECTION.

Be it enacted by the General Assembly of the State of South Carolina:

Disposition of property

SECTION 1. Section 27-21-20 of the 1976 Code is amended to read:

"Section 27-21-20. (A) If property has been recovered by a sheriff of a county or chief of police of a municipality and ownership is ascertained:

(1) The sheriff or chief of police shall notify the owner no later than ten working days after a recovery that the property has been recovered and may be reclaimed.

(2) An owner of the property must be notified by certified mail that his property has been recovered. The notice must contain a list of the specific items. An owner has sixty calendar days in which to claim the property. The notice also must include a statement that, if the property is not claimed within sixty calendar days, the property will be sold at public auction to the highest bidder.

(B) The sheriff of a county or chief of police of a municipality may sell at public auction any recovered stolen or abandoned property after he has held it for one hundred eighty days and declared it abandoned by the jurisdiction. The sheriff or chief of police shall make a diligent effort to ascertain the true owner of the property and at least twice before the sale advertise the property with its full description in a newspaper having general circulation in the county or municipality having jurisdiction of the property and post the advertisement in the sheriff's office or the police department and at the courthouse. At any time after thirty days have elapsed after publication of the second advertisement, the sheriff or chief of police may sell to the highest bidder at a place designated by the sheriff or chief of police the abandoned or recovered stolen property as advertised. The sheriff or chief of police shall turn over all proceeds of the sale to the county or municipal treasurer who shall pay any debts incurred in holding the sale and shall then place the final proceeds in a special fund.

(C) If after diligent efforts the owner of the property cannot be ascertained or if the property is not reclaimed or sold at public auction, the sheriff of a county or chief of police of a municipality may dispose of any recovered stolen or abandoned property as provided in this subsection.

(1) Property that is not suitable for sale, including, but not limited to, clothing, food, prescription drugs, weapons, household cleaning products, chemicals, or items that appear nonusable, including, but not limited to:

(a) electric components that appear to have been skeletonized, where parts have been removed and are no longer in working order; or

(b) items that have been broken up and only pieces exist may be destroyed by the jurisdiction holding the property.

(2) The sheriff or chief of police may use any property recovered by his jurisdiction if the property is placed on the jurisdiction's inventory as property of the jurisdiction.

(3) The sheriff or chief of police, with the consent of the appropriate governing body, may turn over to any organization exempt from tax under Section 501(c)3 of the Internal Revenue Code of 1986, items of abandoned or recovered property that may be used for the betterment of that organization. However, the accrued value of the items given to an individual organization as provided above by a sheriff or chief of police shall not exceed a value of one thousand dollars in the respective government entity's fiscal year.

(D) A jurisdiction recovering property pursuant to the provisions of this section shall maintain a permanent record of all property recovered and its disposition."

Drug paraphernalia

SECTION 2. Notwithstanding the provisions of Section 27-21-20 of the 1976 Code or any other provision of law, if any glassware or other drug paraphernalia which is unclaimed and which would be useful in a science laboratory is recovered pursuant to Section 27-21-20, it must be made available first to the public schools and second to the public institutions of higher learning in the State for use in their science programs or courses before it may be sold at public auction or otherwise disposed of in accordance with that section.

Property of evicted tenants

SECTION 3. The 1976 Code is amended by adding:

"Section 27-40-735. Personal property belonging to a tenant removed from a premises as a result of an eviction proceeding under this chapter which is placed on a public street or highway may be removed by the appropriate municipal or county officials after a period of forty-eight hours, excluding Saturdays, Sundays, and holidays, and may also be removed by these officials in the normal course of debris or trash collection before or after a period of forty-eight hours. The notice of eviction must clearly inform the tenant of the provisions of this section. The municipality or county and the appropriate officials or employees thereof have no liability in regard to the tenant if he is not informed in the notice of eviction of the provisions of this section."

Time effective

SECTION 4. This act takes effect upon approval by the Governor.

Approved the 1st day of June, 1992.