H 3830

South Carolina General Assembly
126th Session, 2025-2026
Bill 3830
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 20-4-20, RELATING TO TERMS DEFINED IN
THE "PROTECTION FROM DOMESTIC ABUSE ACT," SO AS TO CHANGE THE DEFINITION FOR
"HOUSEHOLD MEMBER" AND TO ADD A DEFINITION FOR "DATING RELATIONSHIP."
Be it enacted by the
General Assembly of the State of South Carolina:
SECTION
1.A.  Section 20-4-20(b) of the S.C. Code is amended
to read:
    (b) "Household member" means:
       (i)
a spouse;
       (ii)
a former spouse;
       (iii)
persons who have a child in common;
       (iv)
a male and female who are cohabiting or formerly have cohabited; or
       (v) persons who are presently or were
recently in a dating relationship together.
B. Section 20-4-20 of the S.C. Code is amended by adding:
    (g)(i)
"Dating relationship" means a romantic, courtship, or engagement relationship
between two individuals that need not include sexual involvement. In addition
to any other factors the court deems relevant, the court may consider the
following factors in making a determination of whether a relationship exists or
existed:
  (A)
the length of the relationship;
  (B)
the nature or type of the relationship;
  (C)
the frequency of interaction between the two individuals involved in the
relationship; and
  (D)
the time since termination of the relationship, if applicable.
       (ii)
"Dating relationship" does not include a casual relationship or ordinary
fraternization between two individuals in a business or social context.
SECTION 2.  This act takes effect upon approval
by the Governor.
----XX----
This web page was last updated on January 29, 2025 at 03:00 PM