South Carolina S 1043: Civil Air Patrol Leave Act

Bill Text

2025-2026 Bill 1043 Text of Previous Version (May. 15, 2026) - South Carolina Legislature Online 

South Carolina General Assembly
126th Session, 2025-2026

Bill 1043

Indicates Matter Stricken
Indicates New Matter

(Text matches printed bills. Document has been reformatted to meet World Wide Web specifications.)

Amended

May 14, 2026

S. 1043

Introduced 
by Senators Adams, Zell, Leber and Graham 

S. Printed 5/14/26--H. [SEC 
5/15/2026 10:02 AM]

Read the first time May 13, 2026

________

A bill

TO AMEND THE SOUTH CAROLINA CODE OF LAWS SO AS TO ENACT 
THE "CIVIL AIR PATROL LEAVE ACT"; BY ADDING CHAPTER 23 TO TITLE 25 SO AS TO 
DEFINE TERMS RELATED TO THE CIVIL AIR PATROL LEAVE ACT, TO PROVIDE FOR THE 
CREATION AND ADMINISTRATION OF CIVIL AIR PATROL LEAVE, TO PRESCRIBE THE DUTIES 
OF EMPLOYEES AND RIGHTS OF EMPLOYERS REGARDING CIVIL AIR PATROL LEAVE, TO 
PROVIDE EXCEPTIONS, AND TO PROVIDE ANTI-DISCRIMINATION AND EMPLOYEE BENEFITS 
PROTECTIONS.

 Amend Title To Conform

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

SECTION 1. This act may be cited as the "Civil Air Patrol Leave Act".

SECTION 2. Title 25 of the S.C. Code is amended by adding:

CHAPTER 23

Civil Air Patrol Leave Act

 Section 
25-23-10. As used in this section:

 (1) 
"Civil Air Patrol leave" means leave requested under the provisions of this act 
by an employee who is a Civil Air Patrol member.

 (2) 
"Civil Air Patrol member" means an individual who is a member of the official 
civilian auxiliary of the United States Air Force known as the Civil Air 
Patrol, primarily represented within the State by the South Carolina Wing of 
Civil Air Patrol.

 (3) 
"Emergency service operation" means any Air Force-assigned mission, Civil Air Patrol 
National Operations-assigned mission, state of emergency or disaster declared 
by the President of the United States or Governor of South Carolina that 
encompasses any part of the State of South Carolina, or any request for 
assistance by any department, agency, instrumentality, or political subdivision 
of the State.

 (4) 
"Employee" includes a resident individual receiving wages, as defined in 
Section 12-8-520(D), for services, regardless of where the services are 
rendered, and a nonresident individual receiving wages, as defined in Section 
12-8-520(D), for services rendered in this State.

 (5) "Employee 
benefits" means anything of value that an employee may receive from an employer 
in addition to wages. This term includes, but is not limited to, any health 
benefits, disability benefits, death benefits, group accidental death and 
dismemberment benefits, paid holidays, paid sick leave, paid vacation leave, 
paid personal necessity leave, retirement benefits, and profit-sharing 
benefits.

 (6) 
"Mutual aid request" means any request from another state or political 
subdivision of a state seeking assistance for an emergency service operation.

 Section 
25-23-20. (A) Public and private 
employers shall provide a minimum of thirty days per calendar year of Civil Air 
Patrol leave to employees for the purpose of response to an emergency service 
operation of the Civil Air Patrol. This leave may be used in support of mutual 
aid requests by other states or Civil Air Patrol units outside the employee's 
chain of command with prior approval of his employer and the employee's wing 
commander or his designee.

 (B) 
Public and private employers shall provide a minimum of ten days per year of 
Civil Air Patrol leave to employees for the purpose of training and proficiency 
activities, which may be administered by the Civil Air Patrol, the United 
States Air Force, the Federal Emergency Management Agency, or other emergency 
management-related organizations.

 (C) 
Employers shall have discretion to grant additional days leave beyond the 
requirements listed above or permit employees to utilize up to five days of 
Civil Air Patrol leave from one category for the purposes of the other, in the 
event that the desired leave category has an insufficient balance.

 (D) 
Public employers shall pay employees for all Civil Air Patrol leave taken 
during a calendar year at the employee's current pay rate. Private employers 
may provide Civil Air Patrol leave as paid or unpaid leave. Unused Civil Air 
Patrol leave shall not be paid out when an employee leaves employment with his 
employer.

 (E) 
Civil Air Patrol leave shall be available in a lump sum at the start of each 
calendar year to eligible employees. Unused leave shall be forfeited at the end 
of calendar year and will not be carried over to a new calendar year.

 Section 
25-23-30. (A) An employee shall:

 (1) 
notify his employer of his Civil Air Patrol membership within thirty days of 
accepting a job with a public or private employer;

 (2) 
within eight hours of ending participation in an emergency service operation, 
inform his employer of his intent to return;

 (3) 
return to work within eighteen hours of ending participa