South Carolina H 3612: A HOUSE RESOLUTION TO RECOGNIZE THE IMPORTANCE OF THE F-35 AIRCRAFT TO THE UNITED STATES AND SOUTH CAROLINA, AND TO ENCOURAGE CONGRESSIONAL SUPPORT FOR FULL FUNDING OF THE F-35 LIGHTNING II JOINT STRIKE FIGHTER PROGRAM.

Bill Text

2025-2026 Bill 3612 Text of Previous Version (Dec. 12, 2024) - South Carolina Legislature Online 

South Carolina General Assembly
126th Session, 2025-2026

Bill 3612

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 63-7-2570, RELATING TO GROUNDS FOR 
TERMINATION OF PARENTAL RIGHTS TO A CHILD, SO AS TO CLARIFY THE GROUNDS OF 
WILFUL FAILURE TO VISIT THE CHILD AND WILFUL FAILURE TO SUPPORT THE CHILD IN 
THE CASE OF AN INCARCERATED PARENT.

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

SECTION 1. Section 63-7-2570 (3) and (4) of the S.C. Code is 
amended to read:

 (3) The child has lived outside the 
home of either parent for a period of six months, and during that time the 
parent has wilfully failed to visit the child. The court may attach little or 
no weight to incidental visitations, but it must be shown that the parent was 
not prevented from visiting by the party having custody or by court order. The 
distance of the child's placement from the parent's home must be taken into 
consideration when determining the ability to visit. For 
an incarcerated parent, the court shall take into consideration the nature of 
the parent-child relationship during the time when the parent was not 
incarcerated, including the extent of parent-child contact before 
incarceration, and during the time the parent is incarcerated, when determining 
whether the parent's failure to visit while incarcerated reflects a settled 
purpose to forego the parental duty to visit the child. If the incarcerated 
parent does not have the ability to visit or communicate with the child while 
incarcerated, the court may not determine that the parent's failure to visit 
while incarcerated reflects a settled purpose to forego parental duty to visit 
the child. It is presumed that the incarcerated parent does not have the 
ability to visit or communicate with the child who is in the custody of the 
department.

 (4) 
The child has lived outside the home of either parent for a period of six 
months, and during that time the parent has wilfully failed to support the 
child. Failure to support means that the parent has failed to make a material 
contribution to the child's care. A material contribution consists of either 
financial contributions according to the parent's means or contributions of 
food, clothing, shelter, or other necessities for the care of the child 
according to the parent's means. The court may consider all relevant 
circumstances in determining whether or not the parent has wilfully failed to 
support the child, including requests for support by the custodian and the 
ability of the parent to provide support. For an 
incarcerated parent, the court shall take into consideration the nature of the 
parent-child relationship during the time when the parent was not incarcerated, 
including whether the parent made material contributions to the child's care 
before incarceration, and during the time the parent is incarcerated, when 
determining whether the parent's failure to support while incarcerated reflects 
a settled purpose to forego the parental duty to support the child. If the 
incarcerated parent does not have the ability to make a material contribution 
to the child's care while incarcerated, the court may not determine that the 
parent's failure to support while incarcerated reflects a settled purpose to 
forego the parental duty to support the child. It is presumed that the 
incarcerated parent may not have the ability to support the child who is in the 
custody of the department. In determining whether the incarcerated parent has 
provided support, the court may consider any third-party support paid on behalf 
of the incarcerated parent.

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

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This web page was last updated on December 12, 2024 at 04:47 PM