South Carolina H 3559: Inmate wages

Bill Text

2025-2026 Bill 3559 Text of Previous Version (Dec. 06, 2024) - South Carolina Legislature Online 

South Carolina General Assembly
126th Session, 2025-2026

Bill 3559

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 AMENDING SECTION 24-3-40, RELATING TO THE DISPOSITION 
OF THE WAGES OF PRISONERS ALLOWED TO WORK, SO AS TO PROVIDE PRISONERS WHO ARE 
PAID LESS THAN THE FEDERALLY ESTABLISHED MINIMUM WAGE SHALL NOT HAVE THE COST 
FOR ROOM AND BOARD DEDUCTED FROM THEIR WAGES, AND TO PROVIDE FOR THE 
DISPOSITION OF THIS PORTION OF THEIR WAGES.

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

SECTION 1. Section 24-3-40(A)(3) of the S.C. Code is amended to 
read:

 (3) Thirty-five percent must be used to 
pay the prisoner's child support obligations pursuant to law, court order, or 
agreement of the prisoner. These child support monies must be disbursed to the 
guardian of the child or children or to appropriate clerks of court, in the 
case of court ordered child support, for application toward payment of child 
support obligations, whichever is appropriate. If there are no child support 
obligations, then twenty-five percent must be used by the Department of 
Corrections to defray the cost of the prisoner's room and board. Furthermore, 
if there are no child support obligations, then ten percent must be made 
available to the inmate during his incarceration for the purchase of 
incidentals pursuant to subsection (4). This is in addition to the ten percent 
used for the same purpose in subsection (4).

 Notwithstanding 
the provisions contained in this item, a prisoner who participates in the 
prison industries program who is paid less than the federally established 
minimum wage, and does not have child support obligations, shall not have 
twenty-five percent of his wages used to defray the cost of his room and board. 
This amount must be made available to him during his incarceration for the 
purchase of incidentals in addition to the ten percent used for the same 
purpose pursuant to item (4).

SECTION 2. This act takes effect upon approval 
by the Governor.

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This web page was last updated on December 06, 2024 at 12:41 PM