South Carolina General Assembly
117th Session, 2007-2008

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Bill 577

Indicates Matter Stricken
Indicates New Matter


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

Indicates Matter Stricken

Indicates New Matter

HOUSE AMENDMENTS AMENDED

June 3, 2008

S. 577

Introduced by Senator Sheheen

S. Printed 6/3/08--S.

Read the first time March 14, 2007.

            

A BILL

TO AMEND SECTION 22-3-560, CODE OF LAWS OF SOUTH CAROLINA, 1976, RELATING TO JURISDICTION AND PROCEDURE IN MAGISTRATES' COURTS, SO AS TO PROVIDE THAT A MAGISTRATE MAY PUNISH BY FINE NOT EXCEEDING ONE THOUSAND DOLLARS OR IMPRISONMENT FOR A TERM NOT EXCEEDING SIXTY DAYS, OR BOTH, ALL ASSAULTS AND BATTERIES AGAINST SPORTS OFFICIALS AND COACHES.

Amend Title To Conform

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

SECTION    1.    Section 22-3-560 of the 1976 Code is amended to read:

"Section 22-3-560.    (A)    Magistrates may punish by fine not exceeding five hundred dollars or imprisonment for a term not exceeding thirty days, or both, all assaults and batteries and other breaches of the peace when the offense is neither an assault and battery against school personnel pursuant to Section 16-3-612 nor an assault and battery of a high and aggravated nature requiring, in their judgment or by law, greater punishment.

(B)    Magistrates may punish by fine not exceeding one thousand dollars or imprisonment for a term not exceeding sixty days, or both, all assaults and batteries against sports officials and coaches when, in committing an assault and battery, the offender knows the individual assaulted to be a sports official or coach at any level of competition and the act causing the assault and battery to the sports official or coach occurred within an athletic facility or an indoor or outdoor playing field or within the immediate vicinity of the athletic facility or an indoor or outdoor playing field at which the sports official or coach was an active participant in the athletic contests held at the athletic facility. For the purposes of this subsection, 'sports official' means a person at an athletic contest who enforces the rules of the contest, such as an umpire, referee, scorekeeper, and 'coach' means a person recognized as a coach by the sanctioning authority that conducted the athletic contest."

SECTION    2.    Chapter 15, Title 17 of the 1976 Code is amended by adding:

"Section 17-15-90.    A person released pursuant to the provisions of Chapter 15, Title 17 who wilfully fails to appear before the court as required must:

(1)    if he was released in connection with a charge for a felony or while awaiting sentencing after conviction, be fined not more than five thousand dollars or imprisoned for not more than five years, or both; or

(2)    if he was released in connection with a charge for a misdemeanor for which the maximum possible sentence was at least one year, be fined not more than one thousand dollars or imprisoned for not more than one year, or both."

SECTION    3.    Section 38-53-50 of the 1976 Code is amended to read:

"Section 38-53-50.    (A)    A surety desiring to be relieved on a bond for "good cause" or the nonpayment of fees shall file with the clerk of court a motion to be relieved on the bond. A copy of the motion must be served upon the defendant, his attorney, and the solicitor's office. The court then shall then schedule a hearing to determine if the surety should be relieved on the bond and advise notify all parties of the hearing date. At the time of the filing of the motion, a fee of twenty dollars must be paid to the clerk of court to be retained by the clerk for use in the operation of the clerk's office. The fee will cover the cost of copies of the motion required by the surety.

(B)    If the circumstances warrant immediate incarceration of the defendant to prevent imminent violation of any one of the specific terms of the bail bond, or if the defendant has violated any one of the specific terms of the bond, the surety may take the defendant to the appropriate detention facility for holding until the court orders that the surety be relieved. The surety, within three business days following recommitment, must immediately file with the detention facility and the court an affidavit clocked in with the clerk of court on a form provided by the Division of Court Administration stating the facts to support the surrender of the defendant for good cause or the nonpayment of fees. Nonpayment of fees alone is not sufficient cause to warrant immediate incarceration of the defendant. When the defendant and the affidavit are presented at the appropriate detention facility, the facility shall take custody of the defendant. When the affidavit is filed with the court, the surety must also shall file a motion to be relieved on the bond pursuant to subsection (A). A surety who surrenders a defendant and files an affidavit which does not show good cause or the nonpayment of fees is subject to penalties imposed for perjury as provided for in Article 1, Chapter 9 of , Title 16.

(C)    If the defendant is incarcerated by the surety or a law enforcement agency as a result of a bench warrant, the surety shall file an affidavit with the court stating that the defendant is incarcerated in the appropriate detention facility as a result of the bench warrant as well as the violation of the specific term or terms of the bail bond stated in the bench warrant. Once the affidavit pursuant to the provisions of this subsection has been filed, the surety is relieved of all liability on the bail bond by the court.

(D)    After the surety has been relieved by order of the court, a new undertaking must be filed with the appropriate court in order to secure the re-release subsequent release of the defendant. The undertaking must contain the same conditions included in the original bond unless the conditions have been changed by the court."

SECTION    4.    Section 38-53-70 of the 1976 Code, as last amended by Act 329 of 2002, is further amended to read:

"Section 38-53-70.    If a defendant fails to appear at a court proceeding to which he has been summoned, the court must shall issue a bench warrant for the defendant. The court shall make available for pickup by the surety or the representative of the surety who executed the bond on their behalf, a true copy of the bench warrant within seven days of its issuance at the clerk of court's office. If the surety fails to surrender the defendant or place a hold on the defendant's release from incarceration, commitment, or institutionalization within thirty ninety days of the issuance of the bench warrant, the bond shall be is forfeited. At any time before execution is issued on a judgment of forfeiture against a defendant or his surety, the court may direct that the judgment be remitted in whole or in part, upon conditions as the court may impose, if it appears that justice requires the remission of part or all of the judgment. In making a determination as to remission of the judgment, the court shall consider the costs to the State or any a county or municipality resulting from the necessity to continue or terminate the defendant's trial and the efforts of law enforcement officers or agencies to locate the defendant. The court, in its discretion, may permit the surety to pay the estreatment in installments for a period of up to six months; however, the surety must shall pay a handling fee to the court in an amount equal to four percent of the value of the bond. If at any time during the period in which installments are to be paid the defendant is surrendered to the appropriate detention facility and the surety complies with the re-commitment procedures, the surety is relieved of any further liability."

SECTION    5.    Section 22-5-110 of the 1976 Code is amended to read:

"Section 22-5-110.    (A)    Magistrates shall cause to be arrested all persons found within their counties charged with any offense and persons who after committing any an offense within the county escape out of it, examine into treasons, felonies, grand larcenies, high crimes and misdemeanors, commit or bind over for trial those who appear to be guilty of crimes or offenses not within their jurisdiction and punish those guilty of such offenses within their jurisdiction.

(B)    Notwithstanding another provision of law, a person charged with any misdemeanor offense requiring a warrant signed by non-law enforcement personnel to ensure the arrest of a person must be given a courtesy summons."

SECTION    6.    Section 22-2-5(A) of the 1976 Code is amended to read:

"(A)    The South Carolina Court Administration, in cooperation with the technical college system, shall select and administer an eligibility examination to test basic skills of persons seeking an initial appointment as magistrate on or after July 1, 2001. In determining the persons to be recommended to the Governor for initial appointments as magistrates on or after July 1, 2001, a senatorial delegation must use the results of these eligibility examinations to assist in its selection of nominees. No person is eligible to be appointed as a magistrate unless he receives a passing score on the eligibility examination. The results of these eligibility examinations are valid for six months one year before and six months one year after the time the appointment is to be made."

SECTION    7.    Section 22-3-330 of the 1976 Code, as added by an act of 2008 bearing Ratification Number 314 (S. 1221), is repealed.

SECTION    8.    If any section, subsection, paragraph, subparagraph, sentence, clause, phrase, or word of this act is for any reason held to be unconstitutional or invalid, such holding shall not affect the constitutionality or validity of the remaining portions of this act, the General Assembly hereby declaring that it would have passed this act, and each and every section, subsection, paragraph, subparagraph, sentence, clause, phrase, and word thereof, irrespective of the fact that any one or more other sections, subsections, paragraphs, subparagraphs, sentences, clauses, phrases, or words hereof may be declared to be unconstitutional, invalid, or otherwise ineffective.

SECTION    9.    The repeal or amendment by this act of any law, whether temporary or permanent or civil or criminal, does not affect pending actions, rights, duties, or liabilities founded thereon, or alter, discharge, release or extinguish any penalty, forfeiture, or liability incurred under the repealed or amended law, unless the repealed or amended provision shall so expressly provide. After the effective date of this act, all laws repealed or amended by this act must be taken and treated as remaining in full force and effect for the purpose of sustaining any pending or vested right, civil action, special proceeding, criminal prosecution, or appeal existing as of the effective date of this act, and for the enforcement of rights, duties, penalties, forfeitures, and liabilities as they stood under the repealed or amended laws.

SECTION    10.    Section 5-7-12(A) of the 1976 Code is amended to read:

"(A)    The governing body of a municipality or county may upon the request of another governing body or of another political subdivision of the State, including school districts, designate certain officers to be assigned to the duty of a school resource officer and to work within the school systems of the municipality or county. The person assigned as a school resource officer shall have statewide jurisdiction to arrest persons committing crimes in connection with a school activity or school-sponsored event. In all circumstances in which a school resource officer arrests a student for a misdemeanor offense, the officer may issue a courtesy summons to appear to a student involved in the particular incident in connection with a school activity or school-sponsored event. Notwithstanding another provision of law, a student arrested for a misdemeanor offense by a school resource officer must have a bond hearing in magistrate court within twenty-four hours of his arrest. When acting pursuant to this section and outside of the sworn municipality or county of the school resource officer, the officer shall enjoy all authority, rights, privileges, and immunities, including coverage under the workers' compensation laws that he would have enjoyed if operating in his sworn jurisdiction."

SECTION    11.    This act takes effect upon approval by the Governor.

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