South Carolina S 6: Independent Reapportionment Commission

Bill Text

2025-2026 Bill 6 Text of Previous Version (Dec. 11, 2024) - South Carolina Legislature Online 

South Carolina General Assembly
126th Session, 2025-2026

Bill 6

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 30-4-30, RELATING TO THE RIGHT TO INSPECT OR COPY PUBLIC RECORDS, SO AS 
TO PROVIDE FOR A TIMELINE OF FIVE DAYS FOR PROVIDING RECORDS WITH CERTAIN RESPONSES, 
TO PROVIDE THAT THE APPROPRIATE COURT CAN BE PETITIONED FOR ADDIITIONAL TIME TO 
RESPOND, AND TO PROVIDE THAT A FAILURE TO RESPOND TO A REQUEST IS DEEMED A 
DENIAL AND A VIOLATION OF THIS CHAPTER.

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

SECTION 1. Section 30-4-30 of the S.C. Code is amended to read:

 Section 
30-4-30. (A)(1) A person has a right 
to inspect, copy, or receive an electronic transmission of any public record of 
a public body, except as otherwise provided by Section 30-4-40, or other state 
and federal laws, in accordance with reasonable rules concerning time and place 
of access. This right does not extend to individuals serving a sentence of 
imprisonment in a state or county correctional facility in this State, in 
another state, or in a federal correctional facility; however, this may not be 
construed to prevent those individuals from exercising their constitutionally 
protected rights, including, but not limited to, their right to call for 
evidence in their favor in a criminal prosecution under the South Carolina 
Rules of Criminal Procedure.

 (2) 
A public body is not required to create an electronic version of a public 
record when one does not exist to fulfill a records request.

 (B) 
The public body may establish and collect fees as provided for in this section. 
The public body may establish and collect reasonable fees not to exceed the 
actual cost of the search, retrieval, and redaction of records. The public body 
shall develop a fee schedule to be posted online. The fee for the search, 
retrieval, or redaction of records shall not exceed the prorated hourly salary 
of the lowest paid employee who, in the reasonable discretion of the custodian 
of the records, has the necessary skill and training to perform the request. 
Fees charged by a public body must be uniform for copies of the same record or 
document and may not exceed the prevailing commercial rate for the producing of 
copies. Copy charges may not apply to records that are transmitted in an 
electronic format. If records are not in electronic format and the public body 
agrees to produce them in electronic format, the public body may charge for the 
staff time required to transfer the documents to electronic format. However, 
members of the General Assembly may receive copies of records or documents at 
no charge from public bodies when their request relates to their legislative 
duties. The records must be furnished at the lowest possible cost to the person 
requesting the records. Records must be provided in a form that is both 
convenient and practical for use by the person requesting copies of the records 
concerned, if it is equally convenient for the public body to provide the 
records in this form. Documents may be furnished when appropriate without 
charge or at a reduced charge where the agency determines that waiver or 
reduction of the fee is in the public interest because furnishing the 
information can be considered as primarily benefiting the general public. Fees 
may not be charged for examination and review to determine if the documents are 
subject to disclosure. A deposit not to exceed twenty-five percent of the total 
reasonably anticipated cost for reproduction of the records may be required 
prior to the public body searching for or making copies of records.

 (C) 
Each public body, upon written request for records made under this chapter, 
shall promptly, but in all cases within ten five days (excepting 
Saturdays, Sundays, and legal public holidays) of the receipt of the request, provide the requested records to the requester or make one of 
the following responses in writing:

 (1) The requested records are being 
entirely withheld. Such response shall identify with reasonable particularity 
the volume and subject matter of withheld records, and cite, regarding each 
category of withheld records, the specific Code section that authorizes the 
withholding of the records.

 (2) The requested records are being 
provided in part and are being withheld in part. Such response shall identify 
with reasonable particularity the subject matter of withheld portions, and 
cite, as to each category of withheld records, the specific Code section that 
authorizes the withholding of the records.

 (3) The requested records could not be 
found or do not exist. However, if the public body that received the request 
knows that another public body has