South Carolina H 3480: Community Violence Intervention and Prevention Act

Bill Text

2025-2026 Bill 3480 Text of Previous Version (Feb. 05, 2025) - South Carolina Legislature Online 

South Carolina General Assembly
126th Session, 2025-2026

Bill 3480

Indicates Matter Stricken
Indicates New Matter

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

A bill

TO AMEND THE SOUTH CAROLINA CODE OF LAWS by enacting THE 
"HEALTHCARE WORKPLACE SECURITY ACT"; BY AMENDING SECTION 16-3-600, RELATING TO 
ASSAULT AND BATTERY OFFENSES AND DEFINITIONS, SO AS TO INCLUDE ASSAULT AND BATTERY 
OFFENSES COMMITTED WITHIN HEALTHCARE FACILITIES UPON HEALTHCARE WORKERS, TO 
DEFINE "HEALTHCARE FACILITY" AND "HEALTHCARE WORKER," AND TO PROVIDE THAT THE 
HEALTHCARE FACILITY'S ADDRESS SHALL SERVE AS THE ADDRESS OF A HEALTHCARE WORKER 
WHO IS A VICTIM OF ASSAULT AND BATTERY WITHIN A HEALTHCARE FACILITY.

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

SECTION 1. This act may be cited as the "Healthcare Workplace Security Act."

SECTION 2. Section 16-3-600 of the S.C. Code is amended to read:

 Section 
16-3-600. (A) For purposes of this 
section:

 (1) 
"Great bodily injury" means bodily injury which causes a substantial risk of 
death or which causes serious, permanent disfigurement or protracted loss or 
impairment of the function of a bodily member or organ.

 (2) "Healthcare facility" has the same 
meaning as in Section 44-7-130 and includes reception and administrative areas 
of a healthcare facility and a healthcare professional's or physician's office.

 (3) "Healthcare worker" means a person 
licensed as a healthcare provider pursuant to Title 40, a person registered 
under the laws of this State to provide healthcare services, or an employee of 
a healthcare facility as defined in this subsection.

 (2)(4) "Moderate bodily injury" means physical injury that 
involves prolonged loss of consciousness, or that causes temporary or moderate 
disfigurement or temporary loss of the function of a bodily member or organ, or 
injury that requires medical treatment when the treatment requires the use of 
regional or general anesthesia or injury that results in a fracture or 
dislocation. Moderate bodily injury does not include one-time treatment and 
subsequent observation of scratches, cuts, abrasions, bruises, burns, splinters, 
or any other minor injuries that do not ordinarily require extensive medical 
care.

 (3)(5) "Private parts" means the genital area or buttocks of 
a male or female or the breasts of a female.

 (B)(1) A person commits the offense of 
assault and battery of a high and aggravated nature if the person unlawfully 
injures another person, and:

 (a) 
great bodily injury to another person results; or

 (b) 
the act is accomplished by means likely to produce death or great bodily injury; or

 (c) the act is committed within a 
healthcare facility upon a healthcare worker and the person knowingly causes 
great bodily injury or the likelihood of death or great bodily injury results, 
involves the use of display of a deadly weapon, or involves strangulation or 
attempted strangulation.

 (2) 
A person who violates this subsectionthe provisions of item (1)(a) or (b) is guilty of a 
felony, and, upon conviction, must be imprisoned for not more than twenty 
years. A person who violates the provisions of item (1)(c) 
is guilty of a felony and, upon conviction, must be fined not more than fifty 
thousand dollars and imprisoned not less than a mandatory minimum of ninety 
days and not more than fifteen years. No part of the ninety-day mandatory 
minimum may be suspended nor probation granted. 

 (3) 
Assault and battery of a high and aggravated nature is a lesser-included 
offense of attempted murder, as defined in Section 16-3-29.

 (C)(1) A person commits the offense of 
assault and battery in the first degree if the person unlawfully:

 (a) 
injures another person, and the act:

 (i) 
involves nonconsensual touching of the private parts of a person, either under 
or above clothing, with lewd and lascivious intent; or

 (ii) occurred during the commission of 
a robbery, burglary, kidnapping, or theft; or

 (b) 
offers or attempts to injure another person with the present ability to do so, 
and the act:

 (i) 
is accomplished by means likely to produce death or great bodily injury; or

 (ii) occurred during the commission of 
a robbery, burglary, kidnapping, or theft.

 (2) 
A person who violates this subsection is guilty of a felony, and, upon 
conviction, must be imprisoned for not more than ten years.

 (3) 
Assault and battery in the first degree is a lesser-included offense of assault 
and battery of a high and aggravated nature, as defined in subsection (B)(1), 
and attempted murder, as defined in Section 16-3-29.

 (D)(1) A person commits the offense of 
assault and battery in the second degree if the person unlawfully injures 
another person, or offers or attempts to injure another person with the present 
ability to do so, and: