South Carolina H 3580: Inmate sentences

Bill Text

2025-2026 Bill 3580 Text of Previous Version (Dec. 12, 2024) - South Carolina Legislature Online 

South Carolina General Assembly
126th Session, 2025-2026

Bill 3580

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 
40-33-31 SO AS TO PROVIDE THE BOARD OF NURSING MAY GRANT FULL PRACTICE 
AUTHORITY TO ADVANCED PRACTICE REGISTERED NURSES WHO MEET CERTAIN CRITERIA, TO 
PROVIDE REQUIREMENTS OF THE BOARD, AND TO PROVIDE DEFINITIONS; BY AMENDING 
SECTION 40-33-20, RELATING TO DEFINITIONS CONCERNING THE PRACTICE OF NURSING, 
SO AS TO MAKE CONFORMING CHANGES AND OTHER REVISIONS; BY AMENDING SECTION 
40-33-34, RELATING TO ADVANCED PRACTICE REGISTERED NURSE APPLICATION REQUIREMENTS, 
PRACTICE AGREEMENTS, ALLOWED MEDICAL ACTS, AND PRESCRIPTIVE AUTHORITY, AMONG 
OTHER THINGS, SO AS TO MAKE CONFORMING CHANGES AND OTHER CHANGES; BY AMENDING 
SECTION 40-33-42, RELATING TO DELEGATION OF TASKS TO UNLICENSED ASSISTIVE 
PERSONNEL, SO AS TO MAKE CONFORMING CHANGES; and BY AMENDING SECTION 40-33-110, 
RELATING TO GROUNDS FOR DISCIPLINE OF LICENSEES, SO AS TO MAKE CONFORMING 
CHANGES.

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

SECTION 1. Article 1, Chapter 33, Title 40 of the S.C. Code is 
amended by adding:

 Section 
40-33-31. (A) The board may grant 
full practice authority to an APRN who meets the requirements of subsection 
(B). An APRN who is granted such full practice authority may independently 
perform medical acts as provided in subsection (E) without a practice 
agreement.

 (B) To 
attain full practice authority, an APRN shall:

 (1) 
complete two thousand clinical hours in advanced practice nursing after 
attaining initial licensure as an APRN by the board; 

 (2) 
possess malpractice insurance;

 (3) 
attest his compliance with item (1) to the board;

 (4) 
provide documentation of his compliance with item (3) to the board; and

 (5) 
receive full practice authority approval from the board.

 (C) An 
APRN who has received full practice authority shall notify the board of a 
change in practice settings within fifteen days to indicate practice without a 
practice agreement.

 (D) 
The board shall timely review an application for full practice authority 
submitted pursuant to this section to ensure compliance with the requirements 
of subsection (B)(2) and (3) and shall grant full practice authority to an 
applicant who has demonstrated such compliance to the satisfaction of the 
board.

 (E) A 
provision of this chapter or regulation authorized by it that references the applicability 
or requirement of a practice agreement must be construed to not impose either 
of those two requirements on an APRN who has attained full practice authority.

 (F) For 
purposes of this chapter, "full practice authority" means authority granted by 
the board to an APRN pursuant to this section to independently perform 
specified medical acts and nonmedical acts without a practice agreement 
including, but not limited to:

 (1) 
ordering and interpreting diagnostic data, assessment, diagnosing, prescribing 
medications, interventions and therapies under the APRN licensure, and 
delegating and assigning therapeutic measures to assistive personnel;

 (2) 
prescribing medication, treatments, and therapies as authorized by law 
including, but not limited to, those listed in Section 40-33-34 and 
notwithstanding federal statute and the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid 
Services;

 (3) 
performing nonmedical acts considered to be the practice of registered nursing 
or advanced practice such as population health management, quality improvement 
or research projects within a healthcare system, and analysis of data and 
corresponding system recommendations, revisions, developments, or informatics; 
and

 (4) 
performing acts included under full practice authority as described in National 
Council State Boards of Nursing Model Practice Act, national scope of practice 
and standards for advanced practice nursing as published by the national 
nursing organizations for advanced practice nursing and recognized by the board 
for advanced practice registered nurses.

SECTION 2. Section 40-33-20(3), (5), (11), (17), (18), (20), (44) 
and (45) of the S.C. Code is amended to read:

 (3) "Additional acts" means activities 
performed by a nurse that expand the scope of practice, as established in law. 
The following must be submitted in writing to the board for approval before a 
nurse implements additional acts:

 (a) 
additional activity being requested;

 (b) 
statement with rationale as to how the activity will improve client outcomes;

 (c) 
documentation based on the literature review to support the nurse's performing 
the additional activity;

 (d) 
qualification requirements, including educational background and experience 
needed;

 (e) 
special training