Bill 4501

                    Current Status

Bill Number:                    4501
Ratification Number:            483
Act Number:                     395
Type of Legislation:            General Bill GB
Introducing Body:               House
Introduced Date:                19960125
Primary Sponsor:                Fleming
All Sponsors:                   Fleming, Mason, G. Brown, Seithel,
                                Clyburn, S. Whipper, Sandifer, Stoddard,
                                L. Whipper, Vaughn, Littlejohn, Cato,
                                Elliott and R. Smith 
Drafted Document Number:        pfm\7828htc.96
Date Bill Passed both Bodies:   19960530
Date of Last Amendment:         19960515
Governor's Action:              S
Date of Governor's Action:      19960604
Subject:                        Delinquent debt to hospitals

Body    Date      Action Description                       Com     Leg Involved
______  ________  _______________________________________  _______ ____________

------  19960613  Act No. A395
------  19960604  Signed by Governor
------  19960530  Ratified R483
House   19960530  Concurred in Senate amendment, 
                  enrolled for ratification
Senate  19960528  Read third time, returned to House
                  with amendment
Senate  19960515  Amended, read second time, 
                  ordered to third reading 
                  with notice of general amendments
Senate  19960508  Recalled from Committee,                 06 SF
                  placed on the Calendar
Senate  19960227  Introduced, read first time,             06 SF
                  referred to Committee
House   19960222  Read third time, sent to Senate
House   19960221  Amended, read second time
House   19960214  Committee report: Favorable with         25 HJ
                  amendment
House   19960125  Introduced, read first time,             25 HJ
                  referred to Committee

(A395, R483, H4501)

AN ACT TO AMEND SECTION 12-56-20, CODE OF LAWS OF SOUTH CAROLINA, 1976, RELATING TO DEFINITIONS FOR PURPOSES OF THE SETOFF DEBT COLLECTION ACT, SO AS TO EXCLUDE FROM THE DEFINITION OF "DELINQUENT DEBT" SUMS OWED A COUNTY HOSPITAL WHEN THE HOSPITAL AND THE DEBTOR HAVE ENTERED INTO A WRITTEN PAYMENT AGREEMENT AND THE DEBTOR IS CURRENT IN MEETING THE OBLIGATIONS OF THE AGREEMENT AND TO DELETE THE REQUIREMENT THAT A DELINQUENT DEBT BE A "LIQUIDATED" SUM.

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

Hospital bills

SECTION 1. Section 12-56-20(4) of the 1976 Code, as added by Act 76 of 1995, is amended to read:

"(4) `Delinquent debt' means any sum due and owing any claimant agency, including collection costs, court costs, fines, penalties, and interest which have accrued through contract, subrogation, tort, operation of law, or any other legal theory regardless of whether there is an outstanding judgment for that sum which is legally collectible and for which a collection effort has been or is being made. It does not include sums owed to county hospitals when the hospital and the debtor have entered into a written payment agreement and the debtor is current in meeting the obligations of the agreement."

Time effective

SECTION 2. This act takes effect upon approval by the Governor and applies with respect to applicable offsets on and after that date regardless of the taxable year for which the refund is issued.

Approved the 4th day of June, 1996.