South Carolina S 819: Nursing Homes TB Tests

Bill Text

2025-2026 Bill 819 Text of Previous Version (May. 05, 2026) - South Carolina Legislature Online 

South Carolina General Assembly
126th Session, 2025-2026

Bill 819

Indicates Matter Stricken
Indicates New Matter

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

Committee Report

May 5, 2026

S. 819

Introduced 
by Senator Verdin 

S. Printed 5/5/26--H.

Read the first time March 4, 2026

________

The committee on House Medical, 
Military, Public and Municipal Affairs

To whom was referred a Bill (S. 819) to amend 
the South Carolina Code of Laws by adding Section 44-31-45 so as to establish a 
procedure for tuberculosis testing of applicants and new employees at nursing, 
etc., respectfully

Report:

That they have duly and carefully considered 
the same, and recommend that the same do pass:

S.H. DAVIS for Committee.

_______

A bill

TO AMEND THE SOUTH CAROLINA CODE OF LAWS BY ADDING SECTION 
44-31-45 SO AS TO ESTABLISH A PROCEDURE FOR TUBERCULOSIS TESTING OF APPLICANTS 
AND NEW EMPLOYEES AT NURSING HOMES AND COMMUNITY RESIDENTIAL CARE FACILITIES.

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

SECTION 1. Chapter 31, Title 44 of the S.C. Code is amended by 
adding:

 Section 
44-31-45. (A) For the purposes of 
this section:

 (1) 
"Authorized healthcare provider" means a physician, nurse practitioner, 
physician assistant, or registered nurse acting under written standing orders 
or a protocol approved by a physician.

 (2) 
"Blood assay for mycobacterium tuberculosis" means an interferon-gamma release 
assay or other blood tests for tuberculosis infection approved by the FDA.

 (B)(1) Prior to an applicant for 
employment having resident contact at a nursing home or community residential 
care facility, as defined in Section 44-7-130, a facility shall:

 (a) 
conduct an annual tuberculosis risk assessment using a high, medium, or low 
risk standard in accordance with CDC guidelines to determine the facility's 
risk classification and appropriate screening measures;

 (b) 
request and receive from an authorized healthcare provider a signed, written 
declaration that the applicant:

 (i) 
has received a negative tuberculosis screening test, either a single skin test 
or a single blood assay for mycobacterium tuberculosis within three months 
prior to resident contact; or

 (ii) 
documentation of a negative tuberculosis screening test within the previous 
twelve months; and

 (iii) exhibits no signs or symptoms 
of active tuberculosis disease.

 (2) 
Upon receipt of documentation from an authorized healthcare provider that the 
applicant satisfied the provisions contained in subsection (B)(1)(b), the 
applicant may begin work at the nursing home or residential care facility 
subject to the following conditions:

 (a) 
If the documented negative tuberculosis test was a tuberculin skin test, the 
nursing home or community residential care facility must place and read the 
second step skin test within the first fourteen days of resident contact.

 (b) 
No further testing is required if the applicant received a negative blood assay 
for mycobacterium tuberculosis within three months prior to resident contact, 
no further testing is required. If the applicant received a negative blood 
assay for mycobacterium more than three months prior to resident contact, a 
single tuberculin skin test or single blood assay for mycobacterium 
tuberculosis can be administered within the first fourteen days of resident 
contact to serve as the baseline.

 (C) 
Applicants with a prior positive or newly positive tuberculosis test result or 
who exhibits symptoms of tuberculosis including, but not limited to, cough, 
weight loss, night sweats, or fever, shall immediately undergo a chest 
radiograph to exclude tuberculosis disease. If a physician is unable to exclude 
tuberculosis disease after the chest radiograph, then the applicant must be 
excluded from work until he is cleared by the department's tuberculosis control 
program. The applicant must also be evaluated for treatment of tuberculosis 
disease or latent tuberculosis infection pursuant to the department's and CDC's 
guidelines.

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

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This web page was last updated on May 05, 2026 at 08:07 PM