South Carolina H 4729: Roger Brasley's community service

Bill Text

2025-2026 Bill 4729 Text of Previous Version (Dec. 17, 2025) - South Carolina Legislature Online 

South Carolina General Assembly
126th Session, 2025-2026

Bill 4729

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 40-69-20, RELATING TO THE INVESTIGATIVE REVIEW COMMITTEE OF THE BOARD 
OF VETERINARY EXAMINERS, SO AS TO REVISE THE COMPOSITION OF THE COMMITTEE AND 
ITS FUNCTIONS; BY AMENDING SECTION 40-69-90, RELATING TO PROCEDURES FOR 
HANDLING COMPLAINTS BY THE BOARD OF VETERINARY EXAMINERS, SO AS TO REQUIRE THE 
BOARD TO IMPLEMENT COMMITTEE RECOMMENDATIONS AND GIVE THE BOARD DISCRETION over 
CERTAIN OTHER RELATED MATTERS; AND BY AMENDING SECTION 40-69-120, RELATING TO 
SANCTIONS FOR VIOLATIONS BY LICENSEES OF THE BOARD, SO AS TO PROVIDE CERTAIN 
MANDATORY SANCTIONS FOR VIOLATIONS FOR ENGAGING IN INCOMPETENT OR NEGLIGENT 
CONDUCT IN THE PRACTICE OF VETERINARY MEDICINE.

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

SECTION 1. Section 40-69-20(8) of the S.C. Code is amended to 
read:

 (8) "Investigative Review Committee" 
(IRC) means an investigative review panel appointed by the board chairman, in 
consultation with the other members of the board. The IRC must be comprised of four members who are former board members or other experienced 
licensed veterinarians one physician actively 
licensed to practice medicine in this State by the State Board of Medical 
Examiners, one attorney actively licensed to practice law in this State by the 
South Carolina Supreme Court, one person appointed to represent a nonprofit 
animal protection organization in this State, two members of the general public 
with a demonstrated interest in animal protection, and two experienced 
veterinarians licensed in this State who have not previously served as members 
of the State Board of Veterinary Medical Examiners. The board chairman 
must appoint the Chairman of the IRC. Veterinarian members of the IRC must have 
a current license issued pursuant to this chapter to be eligible to serve. The 
IRC shall review any complaint against a licensed veterinarian or veterinary 
technician and make a recommendation as to whether the board should proceed 
with formal action. The board must consider the 
recommendation of the IRC, but the final determination whether to proceed with 
formal action must be made by the board.

SECTION 2. Section 40-69-90(A) of the S.C. Code is amended to 
read:

 (A) The department may receive 
complaints against a licensee from any person, including the board, and shall 
require the complaints to be submitted in writing and to be signed by the 
complainant. The person who is the subject of the complaint must be provided a 
notice of the complaint including the substance of the allegations within five 
days after the department begins its investigation. The department shall 
investigate the allegations in the complaint to the extent that there is a 
potential violation of this chapter. The department must submit its 
investigative findings to the IRC, as provided for in Section 40-69-20(8), 
along with any other additional information related to the investigation 
requested by any IRC member. The IRC must review the investigation and 
recommend to the board whether to proceed with formal action. If the IRC recommends that the board proceed with formal action, 
the board shall proceed with formal action accordingly, but if the IRC does not 
recommend that the board proceed with formal action, the board either may 
disregard the recommendation and proceed with a formal action or accept the 
recommendation and not proceed with a formal action. If the board is directed to proceed further or desires to proceed 
further, it mayshall 
direct the department to file a formal complaint charging the licensee with a 
violation of this chapter or a regulation promulgated pursuant to this chapter. 
If the department files a formal complaint,The 
department must make the formal complaint and any answer filed by the licensee 
available for public inspection. The licensee must be provided a copy of the 
formal complaint prior to making any complaint available for public inspection. 
The board administrator shall notify the licensee in writing not less than 
sixty days before the disciplinary hearing. The formal complaint and the 
hearing notice must be served personally or sent to the licensee by mail, 
return receipt requested, directed to the last mailing address furnished to the 
board. The post office receipt signed by the licensee, the licensee's agent, or 
a responsible member of the licensee's household or office staff or if not 
accepted by the person to whom addressed, the postal authority stamp showing 
the notice refused is prima facie evidence of service of the notice. Informal 
disposition may be made of any complaint, for