S 697

South Carolina General Assembly
126th Session, 2025-2026
Bill 697
Indicates Matter Stricken
Indicates New Matter
(Text matches printed bills. Document has been reformatted to meet World Wide Web specifications.)
Indicates Matter Stricken
Indicates New Matter
Committee Report
April 22, 2026
S. 697
Introduced
by Senator Gambrell
S. Printed 4/22/26--H.
Read the first time February 24, 2026
________
The committee on House Labor,
Commerce and Industry
To whom was referred a Bill (S. 697) to
transfer the South Carolina 211 Network to the Department of Consumer Affairs;
to amend the South Carolina Code of Laws by adding Section 37-6-515 so as to
create, etc., respectfully
Report:
That they have duly and carefully
considered the same, and recommend that the same do pass:
WILLIAM HERBKERSMAN for
Committee.
_______
A bill
TO TRANSFER THE SOUTH CAROLINA 211 NETWORK TO THE
DEPARTMENT OF CONSUMER AFFAIRS; TO AMEND THE SOUTH CAROLINA CODE OF LAWS BY
ADDING SECTION 37-6-515 SO AS TO CREATE THE SOUTH CAROLINA 211 NETWORK WITHIN
THE DEPARTMENT OF CONSUMER AFFAIRS; AND BY AMENDING SECTION 1-11-770, RELATING
TO the SOUTH CAROLINA 211 NETWORK, SO AS TO MAKE CONFORMING CHANGES.
Be it enacted by the
General Assembly of the State of South Carolina:
SECTION
1.  Effective July 1, 2026, the South Carolina 211 Network, created within the
Budget and Control Board pursuant to Section 1-11-770 by Act 339 of 2002, is
transferred to the Department of Consumer Affairs.
SECTION
2.  Chapter 6, Title 37 of the S.C. Code is amended
by adding:
Part 7
211
    Section
37-6-710.  (A) As used in this
section:
       (1)
"211" means the abbreviated dialing code assigned by the Federal Communications
Commission for consumer access to community information and referral services.
       (2)
"211 services" means information and referral services provided through the use
of 2-1-1 and intended to promote and provide access to health and human
services and to aid in disaster response and recovery.
       (3)
"Approved 211 service provider" means a public or nonprofit agency or other
organization designated by the lead entity to provide 211 services.
       (4)
"Lead entity" means a South Carolina 501(c)(3) nonprofit agency or organization
designated by the department to manage the use of the 211 dialing code for the
purposes of providing the public access to information about services provided
by government, nonprofit, or other designated organizations to ensure the
health and well-being of South Carolina residents and to aid in disaster
response and recovery.
    Section
37-6-720.  (A) Subject to
appropriations, the department is authorized to implement the statewide South
Carolina 211 Network, which must serve as the single point of coordination for
information and referral for health and human services. The objectives for the
South Carolina 211 Network are to:
       (1)
provide comprehensive and cost-effective access to health and human services
information;
       (2)
improve access to accurate information by simplifying and enhancing state and
local health and human services information and referral systems and by
fostering collaboration among information and referral systems;
       (3)
electronically connect local information and referral systems to each other, to
service providers, and to consumers of information and referral services;
       (4)
establish and promote standards for data collection and for distributing
information among state and local organizations;
       (5)
promote the use of a common dialing access code and the visibility and public
awareness of the availability of information and referral services;
       (6)
provide a management and administrative structure to support the South Carolina
211 Network and establish technical assistance, training, and support programs
for information and referral-service programs;
       (7)
test methods for integrating information and referral services with local and
state health and human services programs and for consolidating and streamlining
eligibility and case-management processes;
       (8)
provide access to standardized, comprehensive data to assist in identifying
gaps and needs in health and human services programs; and
       (9)
provide a unified systems plan with a developed platform, taxonomy, and
standards for data management and access.
    Section
37-6-730.  (A)(1) The department shall contract with
the state's established 211 lead entity for the continuation of services
required by this section.
       (2)
The lead entity shall:
  (a) implement, study, support,
coordinate, and evaluate a statewide 211 system;
  (b) establish standards consistent with
prevailing national standards established for providing information about and
referrals to human services agencies to 211 callers. The standards shall
prescribe the technology or manner of delivering 211 calls and shall not exceed
any requirements for 211 systems set by the Federal Communications Commission.
The standards shall be consistent with the Americans with Disabilities Act,
ensuring accessibility for users of Teletypewriters for the Deaf (TTY);
  (c) develop and maintain a statewide
resources database for the 211 system that meets prevailing national standards
for information and referral systems databases and that are integrated with
databases maintained by approved 211 providers;
  (d) provide periodic programmatic and
fiscal reports to the department. The initial report shall be submitted on or
before December 31, 2026. Thereafter, the lead entity shall provide a report to
the department on or before March first each year for the prior calendar year's
activities. The report must include, at a minimum, the following:
  (i) call volume and interactions. The
total number of inquiries, including calls, chats, texts, or web inquiries,
along with trends in monthly, quarterly, and annual call volumes, and average
response times for handling inquiries;
  (ii) caller demographics. The
demographic information of callers, including age, gender, and location, and
any other relevant identifiers, highlighting any notable shifts or patterns in
demographic data over time;
  (iii) reasons for contact. A
breakdown of inquiries by category or type of referral request, including the
demand for, and need for, human services;
  (iv) referrals made and service
outcomes. The total number of referrals made, specifying the programs or
services to which clients were referred;
  (v) service referral gaps. The total
number of requests for services or programs for which referral to an existing
service provider is not able to be made, including description of services
requested; and
  (vi) trends and comparisons.
Year-over-year trends of the data outlined in subitems (i) through (v).
       (3)
The Department of Consumer Affairs shall report annually to the Governor and
the General Assembly on the number of individuals by region and county of the State
using the system and the type of inquiries made.
    (B)
The department shall seek the assistance and guidance of the Public Service
Commission and the Federal Communications Commission in resolving any disputes
arising over jurisdiction related to 211 numbers.
    (C)
The procurement of services necessary to implement the 211 Network shall be
exempt from the entirety of the South Carolina Procurement Code and all of its
attendant regulations.
    Section
37-6-740   (A) Only a service
provider approved by the lead entity may provide 211 telephone services. The
lead entity shall approve 211 service providers after considering all of the
following:
       (1)
the ability of the proposed 211 service provider to meet the prevailing
national 211 standards and receive and retain accreditation;
       (2)
the financial stability and health of the proposed 211 service provider;
       (3)
the community support for the proposed 211 service provider and the
relationships with other information and referral services;
       (4)
ability of the proposed 211 service provider to demonstrate that programs,
policies, and procedures are in place to adequately provide for the
confidentiality, integrity, and availability of the information systems;
       (5)
ability of the proposed 211 service provider to comply with all applicable
state and federal laws, including the Health Insurance Portability and
Accountability Act of 1996 (HIPAA); and
       (6)
any other criteria as the lead entity and department deems appropriate.
    (B)
A lead entity may remove an approved 211 service provider for failure to meet
or otherwise maintain minimum qualifications or for failure to perform
activities required in this section or its contract with the lead entity.
SECTION
3.  Section 1-11-770 of the S.C. Code is amended to
read:
    Section
1-11-770.  (A) Subject to appropriations, the General
Assembly authorizes the board to plan, develop, and implement a statewide South
Carolina 211 Network, which must serve as the single point of coordination for
information and referral for health and human services. The objectives for
establishing the South Carolina 211 Network are to:
       (1) provide
comprehensive and cost-effective access to health and human services
information;
       (2) improve
access to accurate information by simplifying and enhancing state and local
health and human services information and referral systems and by fostering
collaboration among information and referral systems;
       (3)
electronically connect local information and referral systems to each other, to
service providers, and to consumers of information and referral services;
       (4) establish and
promote standards for data collection and for distributing information among
state and local organizations;
       (5) promote the
use of a common dialing access code and the visibility and public awareness of
the availability of information and referral services;
       (6) provide a
management and administrative structure to support the South Carolina 211
Network and establish technical assistance, training, and support programs for
information and referral-service programs;
       (7) test methods
for integrating information and referral services with local and state health
and human services programs and for consolidating and streamlining eligibility
and case-management processes;
       (8) provide
access to standardized, comprehensive data to assist in identifying gaps and
needs in health and human services programs;  and
       (9) provide a
unified systems plan with a developed platform, taxonomy, and standards for
data management and access.
    (B) In order to participate in the
South Carolina 211 Network, a 211 provider must be certified by the board. The
board must develop criteria for certification and must adopt the criteria as
regulations.
       (1) If any
provider of information and referral services or other entity leases a 211
number from a local exchange company and is not certified by the agency, the
agency shall, after consultation with the local exchange company and the Public
Service Commission, request that the Federal Communications Commission direct
the local exchange company to revoke the use of the 211 number.
       (2) The agency
shall seek the assistance and guidance of the Public Service Commission and the
Federal Communications Commission in resolving any disputes arising over
jurisdiction related to 211 numbers.The South
Carolina 211 Network program authorized by this section is transferred to the
Department of Consumer Affairs and is established thereto as set forth in
Section 37-6-710.
SECTION 4.  This act takes effect on July 1,
2026.
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This web page was last updated on April 22, 2026 at 07:47 PM