South Carolina General Assembly
120th Session, 2013-2014

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A280, R316, H3014

STATUS INFORMATION

General Bill
Sponsors: Reps. J.E. Smith, Bernstein, M.S. McLeod, McEachern, Weeks, Hart and Gilliard
Document Path: l:\council\bills\ggs\22467zw13.docx

Introduced in the House on January 8, 2013
Introduced in the Senate on April 23, 2013
Last Amended on May 21, 2014
Passed by the General Assembly on June 5, 2014
Governor's Action: June 10, 2014, Signed

Summary: Veterans Treatment Court Program Act

HISTORY OF LEGISLATIVE ACTIONS

     Date      Body   Action Description with journal page number
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------
  12/11/2012  House   Prefiled
  12/11/2012  House   Referred to Committee on Judiciary
    1/8/2013  House   Introduced and read first time (House Journal-page 44)
    1/8/2013  House   Referred to Committee on Judiciary 
                        (House Journal-page 44)
   1/10/2013  House   Member(s) request name added as sponsor: M.S.McLeod
   4/10/2013  House   Member(s) request name added as sponsor: McEachern, Weeks
   4/10/2013  House   Committee report: Favorable with amendment Judiciary 
                        (House Journal-page 34)
   4/17/2013  House   Member(s) request name added as sponsor: Hart, Gilliard
   4/17/2013  House   Amended (House Journal-page 33)
   4/17/2013  House   Read second time (House Journal-page 33)
   4/17/2013  House   Roll call Yeas-114  Nays-0 (House Journal-page 41)
   4/18/2013  House   Read third time and sent to Senate 
                        (House Journal-page 45)
   4/23/2013  Senate  Introduced and read first time (Senate Journal-page 9)
   4/23/2013  Senate  Referred to Committee on Judiciary 
                        (Senate Journal-page 9)
   4/25/2013  Senate  Referred to Subcommittee: Massey (ch), Bennett, McElveen
   5/29/2013  Senate  Committee report: Favorable with amendment Judiciary 
                        (Senate Journal-page 20)
    6/5/2013  Senate  Committee Amendment Amended and Adopted 
                        (Senate Journal-page 45)
   5/21/2014  Senate  Amended (Senate Journal-page 68)
   5/22/2014          Scrivener's error corrected
    6/4/2014  Senate  Read second time (Senate Journal-page 69)
    6/4/2014  Senate  Roll call Ayes-41  Nays-0 (Senate Journal-page 69)
    6/5/2014  Senate  Read third time and returned to House with amendments 
                        (Senate Journal-page 8)
    6/5/2014  Senate  Roll call Ayes-41  Nays-0 (Senate Journal-page 8)
    6/5/2014  House   Concurred in Senate amendment and enrolled 
                        (House Journal-page 85)
    6/5/2014  House   Roll call Yeas-99  Nays-0
    6/9/2014          Ratified R 316
   6/10/2014          Signed By Governor
   6/17/2014          Effective date 06/10/14
   6/26/2014          Act No. 280

View the latest legislative information at the LPITS web site

VERSIONS OF THIS BILL

12/11/2012
4/10/2013
4/17/2013
5/29/2013
6/5/2013
5/21/2014
5/22/2014


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

(A280, R316, H3014)

AN ACT TO AMEND THE CODE OF LAWS OF SOUTH CAROLINA, 1976, BY ADDING CHAPTER 29 TO TITLE 14 SO AS TO ENACT THE "VETERANS TREATMENT COURT PROGRAM ACT"; TO AUTHORIZE CIRCUIT SOLICITORS TO ESTABLISH VETERANS TREATMENT COURT PROGRAMS; TO PROVIDE THAT EACH CIRCUIT SOLICITOR THAT ACCEPTS STATE FUNDING FOR THE IMPLEMENTATION OF A VETERANS TREATMENT COURT PROGRAM MUST ESTABLISH AND ADMINISTER AT LEAST ONE VETERANS TREATMENT COURT PROGRAM FOR THE CIRCUIT WITHIN ONE HUNDRED EIGHTY DAYS OF RECEIPT OF FUNDING; AND TO PROVIDE THAT THE CIRCUIT SOLICITOR MUST ADMINISTER THE PROGRAM AND ENSURE THAT ALL ELIGIBLE PERSONS ARE PERMITTED TO APPLY FOR ADMISSION.

Whereas, researchers have shown that a significant number of members of the United States Armed Forces who have served in Iraq and Afghanistan will suffer, as a result of their military service, mental health injuries, such as post-traumatic stress disorder, depression, anxiety and acute stress, and injuries that affect brain function, such as traumatic brain injury; and

Whereas, while the vast majority of returning members of the United States Armed Forces do not have contact with the criminal justice system, and most veterans and members of the United States Armed Forces are well-adjusted, contributing members of society, psychiatrists and law enforcement officials agree that combat-related injuries have led to instances of criminality; and

Whereas, as a grateful State, we must continue to honor the military service of our men and women by providing them with an alternative to incarceration when feasible, permitting them instead to obtain proper treatment for mental health and substance abuse problems that have resulted from military service. Now, therefore,

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

Veterans Treatment Courts

SECTION    1.    Title 14 of the 1976 Code is amended by adding:

"CHAPTER 29

Veterans Treatment Court Program

Section 14-29-10.    This chapter may be cited as the 'Veterans Treatment Court Program Act'.

Section 14-29-20.    The General Assembly recognizes the success of various other states' veterans court initiatives in rehabilitating certain nonviolent offenders who are veterans of a military conflict in which the United States military is or has been involved. The purpose of this chapter is to divert qualifying nonviolent military veteran offenders away from the criminal justice system and into appropriate treatment programs, thereby reserving prison space for violent criminals and others for whom incarceration is the only reasonable alternative.

Section 14-29-30.    Each circuit solicitor may establish a veterans treatment court program. Each circuit solicitor that accepts state funding for the implementation of a veterans treatment court program must establish and administer at least one veterans treatment court program for the circuit within one hundred eighty days of receipt of funding. The circuit solicitor must administer the program and ensure that all eligible persons are permitted to apply for admission to the program."

Savings Clause

SECTION    2.    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.

Severability

SECTION    3.    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.

Time effective

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

Ratified the 9th day of June, 2014.

Approved the 10th day of June, 2014.

__________


This web page was last updated on August 8, 2014 at 9:47 AM