South Carolina H 3969: Competitive Education Employment Act

Bill Text

2025-2026 Bill 3969 Text of Previous Version (Mar. 06, 2025) - South Carolina Legislature Online 

South Carolina General Assembly
126th Session, 2025-2026

Bill 3969

Indicates Matter Stricken
Indicates New Matter

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

Introduced

March 6, 2025

H. 3969

Introduced by Reps. Rutherford, Ballentine, 
Bauer, Bernstein, Garvin, Grant, Hart, Howard, J. L. Johnson, McDaniel, Reese 
and Rose 

S. Printed 3/6/25--S.

Read the first time March 6, 2025

________

A bill

TO provide for the operation of personal delivery devices 
in richland county.

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

SECTION 1. (A) 
As contained in this SECTION:

 (1) "Personal delivery 
device" means an electrically powered device intended for transporting cargo 
that is equipped with automated driving technology that enables device 
operation with or without the remote support and supervision of a human and 
that does not exceed: (a) a weight of one hundred fifty pounds, excluding 
cargo; (b) a length of thirty-six inches; and (c) a width of thirty inches.

 (2) "Agent" 
means a director, officer, employee, or other person authorized to act on 
behalf of a business entity.

 (3) "Business 
entity" means a corporation, limited liability company, partnership, sole 
proprietorship, or other legal entity authorized to conduct business under the 
laws of this State.

 (4) "Operator" 
means an agent who is at least sixteen years old and is charged with the 
responsibility of monitoring and operating a personal delivery device.

 (5) "Pedestrian 
area" means a sidewalk, crosswalk, school crosswalk, school crossing zone, or 
safety zone.

 (B) In Richland 
County a business entity may operate a personal delivery device in a pedestrian 
area or on a highway, with the rights and duties applicable to a pedestrian, 
subject to the requirements and restrictions contained in this act. Except as 
authorized in this SECTION, a person shall not operate a personal delivery 
device in a pedestrian area or on a highway.

 (C) In Richland 
County the operation of a personal delivery device must:

 (1) be 
monitored by an operator who is able to exercise remote control over the 
navigation and operation of the personal delivery device;

 (2) not be 
operated in a pedestrian area at a speed greater than ten miles an hour; and

 (3) not be 
operated on a highway except as necessary to cross a highway or along a highway 
if a sidewalk is not provided or accessible.

 (D) When operating 
along a highway in Richland County, the personal delivery device must: 

 (1) be operated 
on the shoulder or as close as practicable to the extreme right of the highway 
in the direction of authorized traffic movement and shall yield the right of 
way to all vehicles;

 (2) not be 
operated on a highway at a speed greater than ten miles an hour; and

 (3) must not be 
operated on a highway with a speed limit greater than thirty-five miles per 
hour.

 (E) The personal 
delivery device shall:

 (1) obey all 
traffic and pedestrian-control devices and signs;

 (2) yield the 
right of way to all human pedestrians;

 (3) not 
unreasonably interfere with any vehicle or pedestrian; and

 (4) not 
transport materials regulated under the federal Hazardous Materials 
Transportation Act.

 (F) A personal 
delivery device shall be equipped with:

 (1) a marker 
that clearly states the name and contact information of the owner;

 (2) a braking 
system that enables the device to come to a controlled stop; and

 (3) when 
operated at night, lights on the front and rear that are visible and 
recognizable under normal atmospheric conditions from at least five hundred 
feet on all sides of the personal delivery device.

 (G) For the 
purpose of assuring the safety of persons using highways and sidewalks, a local 
government having jurisdiction over public streets, sidewalks, alleys, bridges, 
and other ways of public passage in Richland County, by ordinance, may regulate 
the time and place of the operation of a personal delivery device, but shall 
not prohibit its use.

 (H) A business 
entity that operates a personal delivery device in Richland County shall 
maintain an insurance policy that includes general liability coverage of not 
less than five hundred thousand dollars per claim for damages arising from its 
operation.

 (I) The provisions 
contained in this SECTION are repealed three years after their enactment.

SECTION 2. This act takes effect upon approval 
by the Governor.

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This web page was last updated on March 06, 2025 at 03:24 PM