South Carolina H 3525: Victims' Services and Compensation

Bill Text

2025-2026 Bill 3525 Text of Previous Version (Apr. 02, 2025) - South Carolina Legislature Online 

South Carolina General Assembly
126th Session, 2025-2026

Bill 3525

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

Amended

April 1, 2025

H. 3525

Introduced by Reps. J. E. Johnson, Spann-Wilder, 
Gilliard, Anderson, Rivers, Williams and J. Moore 

S. Printed 4/1/25--H. [SEC 
4/2/2025 2:15 PM]

Read the first time January 14, 2025

________ 

A bill

TO AMEND THE SOUTH CAROLINA CODE OF LAWS BY AMENDING 
SECTION 14-1-211.5, RELATING TO TRAINING AND TECHNICAL ASSISTANCE FOR 
MUNICIPALITIES AND COUNTIES REGARDING CRIME VICTIM FUNDS, SO AS TO CHANGE A 
REFERENCE FROM THE DEPARTMENT OF CRIME VICTIM ASSISTANCE GRANTS TO THE 
DEPARTMENT OF CRIME VICTIM COMPENSATION; BY AMENDING SECTION 16-3-1200, 
RELATING TO COMPENSATION OF CRIME VICTIMS AND CONDUCT OF A VICTIM OR INTERVENOR 
CONTRIBUTING TO INFLICTION OF INJURY, SO AS TO UPDATE A REFERENCE TO THE 
DEFINITION OF "INTERVENOR"; by amending section 16-3-1420, relating to 
definitions for purposes of the article on crime victim services training, 
Provider certification, and statistical analysis, so as to remove an 
unnecessary definition of "witness"; BY AMENDING SECTION 16-3-1430, RELATING TO 
VICTIM ASSISTANCE SERVICES, SO AS TO REMOVE REFERENCES TO SPOUSE ABUSE AND 
REFERENCE DOMESTIC VIOLENCE AND UPDATE THE STATUTE TO REFLECT VICTIM SERVICES, 
TO REPLACE REPRESENTATIVES OF THE STATE OFFICE OF VICTIM ASSISTANCE WITH 
REPRESENTATIVES APPOINTED BY THE CHAIR OF THE VICTIM SERVICES COORDINATING 
COUNCIL, AND TO MAKE OTHER TECHNICAL CHANGES; BY AMENDING SECTION 16-3-1510, 
RELATING TO DEFINITIONS FOR PURPOSES OF VICTIM AND WITNESS SERVICES, SO AS TO 
REVISE THE DEFINITION OF "CRIMINAL OFFENSE"; AND BY AMENDING SECTION 17-25-45, 
RELATING TO LIFE SENTENCES FOR PERSONS CONVICTED OF CERTAIN CRIMES AND THE LIST 
OF "MOST SERIOUS OFFENSE," SO AS TO DELETE AN OBSOLETE REFERENCE.

 Amend Title To Conform

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

SECTION 1. Section 14-1-211.5 of the S.C. Code is amended to read:

 Section 
14-1-211.5. The Department of Crime Victim Assistance 
GrantsCompensation shall offer training and 
technical assistance to each municipality and county annually on the acceptable 
use of both priority one and priority two funds and funds available for 
competitive bid.

SECTION 2. Section 16-3-1200 of the S.C. Code is amended to read:

 Section 
16-3-1200. In determining the amount of an award, the 
Deputy Director, the Board, or its panel shall determine whether because of his 
conduct the victim or intervenor of such crime contributed to the infliction of 
his injury, and the Deputy Director, the Board, or its panel may reduce the 
amount 

of the award or reject the claim altogether in 
accordance with such determination; provided, however, the Deputy Director, 
the Board, or its panel may disregard for this purpose the contribution of an 
intervenor for his own injury or death where the record shows that the 
contribution was attributable to efforts by the intervenor as set forthprovided in subsection (8) of §Section 
16-3-1110(9).

SECTION 3. Section 16-3-1420 of the S.C. Code is amended to read:

 Section 
16-3-1420. For purposes of this article:,

 (1) "Victimvictim service provider" means a person:

 (a) 
who is employed by a local government or state agency and whose job duties 
involve providing victim assistance as mandated by South Carolina law; or

 (b) 
whose job duties involve providing direct services to victims and who is 
employed by an organization that is incorporated in South Carolina, holds a 
certificate of authority in South Carolina, or is registered as a charitable 
organization in South Carolina, and the organization's mission is victim 
assistance or advocacy and the organization is privately funded or receives 
funds from federal, state, or local governments to provide services to victims.

 "Victim service 
provider" does not include a municipal court judge, magistrates court judge, 
circuit court judge, special circuit court judge, or family court judge.

 (2) "Witness" means a 
person who has been or is expected to be summoned to testify for the 
prosecution or who by reason of having relevant information is subject to call 
or likely to be called as a witness for the prosecution, whether or not an 
action or proceeding is commenced.

SECTION 
4.A. Section 16-3-1430(A) of the S.C. Code is 
amended to read:

 (A) The Department of Crime Victim 
Services Training, Provider Certification, and Statistical Analysis, in 
collaboration with the Department of Crime Victim Compensation, is authorized 
to provide 

the following victim assistance services, contingent 
upon the availability of funds in the Victim Compensation Fund:

 (1) 
provide information,