South Carolina S 267: Duties of the AG

Bill Text

2025-2026 Bill 267 Text of Previous Version (Jan. 28, 2025) - South Carolina Legislature Online 

South Carolina General Assembly
126th Session, 2025-2026

Bill 267

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 1-7-920, RELATING TO COMMISSION MEMBERSHIP, SO AS TO RECONFIGURE THE 
MEMBERSHIP OF THE COMMISSION AND TO ADD THE ATTORNEY GENERAL AS A NON-VOTING 
ADVISORY MEMBER; BY AMENDING SECTION 1-7-940, RELATING TO DUTIES, SO AS TO 
CLARIFY THE RESPONSIBILITIES OF THE COMMISSION; AND BY AMENDING SECTION 
24-3-550, RELATING TO WITNESSES AT A STATE EXECUTION, SO AS TO ADD THE ATTORNEY 
GENERAL OR HIS DESIGNEE TO THOSE WHO MAY BE PRESENT AT A STATE EXECUTION.

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

SECTION 1. Section 1-7-920 of the S.C. Code is amended to read:

 Section 
1-7-920. The commission is composed of the following persons for terms as indicated:

 (1) five judicial circuit solicitors 
appointed by the Governor for a term of four years. If a solicitor appointed to 
the commission is not reelected, the vacancy must be filled pursuant to the 
provisions of Section 1-7-930; and

 (2) seven non-voting advisory members to 
include:

 (1)(a) the Chairmen of the 
Senate and House Judiciary Committees for the terms for which they are elected 
or their legislative designees;

 (b) the Attorney General for the term for 
which he is elected;

 (2)(c) the Chief of the 
South Carolina Law Enforcement Division for the term for which he is appointed;

 (3)(d) the Director of the 
Department of Public Safety shall serve during the term for which he is 
appointed;

 (4)(e) a director of a 
Judicial Circuit Pretrial Intervention Program appointed by the Governor for a 
term of two years; and

 (5)(f) a Judicial Circuit 
Victim-Witness Assistance Advocate appointed by the Governor for a term of two 
years;.

 (6) five judicial circuit 
solicitors appointed by the Governor for a term of four years. However, upon 
initial appointment, the Governor shall select one for a two-year term, two for 
a three-year term, and two for a four-year term. If a solicitor appointed to 
the commission is not re-elected, a vacancy occurs and it must be filled 
pursuant to the provisions of Section 1-7-930.

SECTION 2. Section 1-7-940 of the S.C. Code is amended to read:

 Section 
1-7-940. (A) The commission has the following dutiesshall:

 (1) 
coordinate all administrative functions of the sixteen 
circuit solicitors' offices of the solicitors and 
any affiliate services operating in conjunction with the solicitors' offices;

 (2) 
submit the budgets of the circuit solicitors and 
their affiliate services to the General Assembly; and

 (3) 
encourage and develop legal education programs and 
training programs for the sixteen circuit 
solicitors and their affiliate services, organize and provide seminars to help 
increase the effectiveness and efficiency of the prosecution 
of criminal cases in this Statefunctions of the 
sixteen circuit solicitors' offices, and act 
as a clearinghouse and distribution source for publications involving the sixteen circuit solicitors and their affiliate 
services, and provide legal updates to the sixteen circuit solicitors on matters of law 
affecting the prosecution of cases in this State;.

 (4) provide blank 
indictments for the circuit solicitors.

 (B) 
Nothing in this section may be construed to displace or otherwise affect the 
functions and responsibilities of the State Victim/Witness Assistance Program 
as established in Section 16-3-1410.

SECTION 3. Section 24-3-550 of the S.C. Code is amended to read:

 Section 
24-3-550. (A) To carry out an 
execution properly, the executioner and necessary staff must be present at the 
execution. In addition, the following persons may be present:

 (1) 
three representatives, approved by the director, of the family of a victim of 
the crime for which a death penalty was imposed, provided that, if there is 
more than one victim, the director may reduce the number of family 
representatives to one representative for each victim's family; provided further, that, if there are more than two 
victims, the director may restrict the total number of victims' representatives 
present in accordance with the space limitations of the Capital Punishment 
Facility;

 (2) 
the solicitor, or an assistant solicitor or former solicitor designated by the 
solicitor, for the county where the offense occurred;

 (3) 
a group of not more than three representatives of the South Carolina media, one 
of whom must represent the dominant wire service, one of whom must represent 
the print media, and one of whom must represent the electronic news media;

 (4) 
the chief law enforcement officer, or an officer designated by the chief, from 
the law enforcement agency that had original juri