South Carolina H 3009: Alimony

Bill Text

2025-2026 Bill 3009 Text of Previous Version (Dec. 06, 2024) - South Carolina Legislature Online 

South Carolina General Assembly
126th Session, 2025-2026

Bill 3009

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 ADDING SECTION 
20-3-165 SO AS TO AUTHORIZE THE DEPARTMENT OF SOCIAL SERVICES' DIVISION OF 
CHILD SUPPORT ENFORCEMENT TO ENFORCE CERTAIN ALIMONY OBLIGATIONS; BY AMENDING 
SECTION 20-3-130, RELATING TO AWARD OF ALIMONY, SO AS TO MAKE CONFORMING 
CHANGES; BY AMENDING SECTIONS 63-17-710, 63-17-720, 63-17-730, 63-17-750, 
63-17-760, 63-17-850, 63-17-1010, 63-17-1020, 63-17-1050, 63-17-1210, 
63-17-1410, 63-17-1510, 63-17-1810, 63-17-1890, 63-17-1910, 63-17-2310, 
63-17-2320, 63-17-2330, AND ARTICLE 21 OF CHAPTER 17, TITLE 63, ALL RELATING IN 
PART TO CHILD SUPPORT ENFORCEMENT, SO AS TO MAKE CONFORMING CHANGES; BY 
AMENDING SECTIONS 20-1-350, 27-23-10, 41-35-140, 44-63-60, 44-63-80, 44-63-84, 
44-63-86, AND 44-63-110, RELATING TO MARRIAGE LICENSES, FRAUDULENT CONVEYANCES, 
UNEMPLOYMENT COMPENSATION, AND VITAL RECORDS, ALL SO AS TO MAKE CONFORMING CHANGES; 
BY ALLOWING RETROACTIVE APPLICATION OF THE ACT; AND FOR OTHER PURPOSES.

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

SECTION 1. Article 1, Chapter 3, Title 20 of the S.C. Code is 
amended by adding:

 Section 20-3-165. Notwithstanding 
Section 63-3-530 or another provision of law, the Department of Social Services 
or its designee has jurisdiction to enforce an alimony obligation pursuant to 
Chapter 17, Title 63 upon referral of an alimony enforcement action by the 
family court.

SECTION 2. Section 20-3-130 of the S.C. Code is amended by adding:

 (I) An administrative or judicial order 
which includes a provision for alimony shall set forth the social security 
numbers, or the alien identification numbers assigned to resident aliens who do 
not have social security numbers, of the obligor and the obligee.

 (J) The 
family court has the authority to enforce the provisions of any decree, 
judgment, or order regarding alimony of a court of this State, or refer to the 
Department of Social Services for enforcement pursuant to Section 20-3-165.

SECTION 
3.A. Section 63-17-710 of the S.C. Code is amended 
to read:

 Section 
63-17-710. Notwithstanding Section 63-3-530 and any other provision of law, the 
Child Support Enforcement Division of the Department of Social Services, or its 
designee, also has jurisdiction to establish paternity, to establish and 
enforce child support, and to administratively 
change the payee in cases brought pursuant to Title IV-D of the Social Security 
Act, and to enforce alimony in accordance with this 
article.

B. Section 63-17-720 (9) and (12) of the S.C. Code is 
amended to read:

 (9) "Monthly support obligation" means 
the monthly amount of current child support, alimony, or 
both, that an obligor is ordered to pay by the court or by the division 
pursuant to this article or Article 1, Chapter 3, Title 20.

 (12) 
"Order" means an administrative order that involves the establishment of 
paternity and/or the establishment and enforcement of an order for child 
support and/or medical support and/or enforcement of an 
order of alimony issued by the Child Support Enforcement Division of the 
State Department of Social Services or the administrative agency of another 
state or comparable jurisdiction with similar authority.

C. Section 63-17-730 of the S.C. Code is amended to read:

 Section 
63-17-730. The director shall issue a notice of 
financial responsibility to an obligor who owes a child support debt or alimony debt who is responsible for the support of a 
child on whose behalf the custodian of that child is receiving support 
enforcement services from the division pursuant to Title IV-D of the Social 
Security Act. The notice shall state that:

 (1) 
the obligor is required to appear at the time and location indicated in the 
notice for a negotiation conference to determine the obligor's duty of support;

 (2) 
the division may issue an order of default setting forth the amount of the 
obligor's duty of support, if the obligor:

 (a) 
fails to appear for the negotiation conference as scheduled in the notice;

 (b) 
fails to reschedule a negotiation conference before the date and time stated in 
the notice or within thirty days of service of the notice of financial 
responsibility, whichever is later; or

 (c) 
fails to send the division a written request for a court hearing before the 
time scheduled for the negotiation conference or within thirty days of service 
of the notice of financial responsibility, whichever is later;

 (3) 
the obligor may request a court hearing within thirty days after the receipt of 
the notice of financial responsibility pursuant to Section 63-17-780;

 (4) 
the order of default must be filed with the