Committee gives favorable report to bill aligning fingerprint checks with FBI rules

At a South Carolina legislative committee meeting, members gave a favorable report to Senate Bill 996, a technical amendment to South Carolina Code §63-13-190 intended to align the state's fingerprint and background-check language with Federal Bureau of Investigation requirements.

Conley Ann Ragley, a Department of Social Services representative, told the committee the bill removes a drafting phrase to tighten the statute’s language and to ensure the law supports background checks as originally intended. "We are just deleting the phrase 'or a person' and trying to tighten this again for technical capabilities to bring us into compliance," Ragley said. She said the change would preserve the legislature’s original policy goal while addressing an issue raised by the FBI in coordination with the State Law Enforcement Division (SLED).

Ragley also addressed cost concerns: "There is not [a fiscal impact], because background checks for DSS professionals, volunteers, and contractors, statute already says that they are paid for by the requesting entity," she said. She added the change is technical and is not intended to allow additional unsupervised contacts with children in DSS custody or with children in childcare centers.

Senator Greenfield moved for a favorable report; the motion received a second (the seconding member was not named on the record). The committee voted by voice; the chair reported the motion favorable and noted proxies recorded in favor from Senators Devine, Ott, Cash and Clymer. The committee chair then adjourned the meeting.

The bill was described in testimony as a statutory cleanup to ensure state law is consistent with FBI requirements and with SLED guidance; witnesses said it is aimed at clarifying who is covered by the background-check provisions of §63-13-190. The committee did not record a roll-call vote or provide an exact numeric tally on the record.