Lawmaker urges oversight after status report on regional center facility improvements

Committee members received a status report related to proviso language directing facility condition assessments at regional centers under the Department of Behavioral Health and Developmental Disabilities. Staff said firms were engaged to assess facilities and provide recommendations for renovation, reconstruction or demolition, with periodic reporting to the committee.

Matt Bennett (introduced in the record as "Matt Bennett, Central Dorchester") addressed the committee and said the project involves South Carolina’s most vulnerable residents in residential care facilities. He said construction at the Coastal Center is progressing but cautioned that funding mechanisms and accounting at the agency appear poorly constructed and could create shortages that require scaling back work at other centers. He urged stronger follow‑up rather than treating quarterly reports as a checkbox exercise: "We've gotta hold these folks accountable, to the taxpayers of South Carolina...and in this case, hold them accountable to the most vulnerable citizens in South Carolina."

Several committee members agreed the Department of Administration had stepped in to address gaps, and one member suggested taking a broader look at the agency to understand ongoing challenges. The committee received the report as information; members asked staff to follow up where concerns about funding, accounting and staffing turnover were raised.