South Carolina H 4728: Brian DeQuincey Newman, community service

Bill Text

2025-2026 Bill 4728 Text of Previous Version (Dec. 17, 2025) - South Carolina Legislature Online 

South Carolina General Assembly
126th Session, 2025-2026

Bill 4728

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 FEES FOR RECORDS THAT PUBLIC BODIES MAY ESTABLISH 
AND COLLECT UNDER THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT, SO AS TO PROVIDE MEMBERS OF 
THE GENERAL ASSEMBLY MUST RECEIVE COPIES OF RECORDS OR DOCUMENTS AT NO CHARGE 
FOR REQUESTS RELATING TO THEIR LEGISLATIVE DUTIES.

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

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

 (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 maymust 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.

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

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This web page was last updated on December 17, 2025 at 01:27 PM