H 4739

South Carolina General Assembly
126th Session, 2025-2026
Bill 4739
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 ADDING ARTICLE
4 TO CHAPTER 101, TITLE 59 SO AS TO REQUIRE EACH PUBLIC COLLEGE, UNIVERSITY,
AND TECHNICAL COLLEGE IN THIS STATE AND EACH INDEPENDENT INSTITUTION OF HIGHER
EDUCATION IN THIS STATE THAT RECEIVES CERTAIN LOTTERY SCHOLARSHIP-FUNDED
TUITION PAYMENTS TO IMPLEMENT A SAFETY TRAINING PROGRAM FOR ALL NEW STUDENTS,
TO PROVIDE EXCLUSIONS FROM THE PROGRAMS, TO PROVIDE REQUIREMENTS OF THE
PROGRAMS, TO REQUIRE EACH INSTITUTION TO COMPILE AND ANNUALLY REPORT CERTAIN
CAMPUS CRIME STATISTICS, AMONG OTHER THINGS, TO PROVIDE ADDITIONAL REPORTING
REQUIREMENTS, AND TO PROVIDE ENFORCEMENT MECHANISMS.
Be it enacted by the
General Assembly of the State of South Carolina:
SECTION 1.  Chapter 101, Title 59 of the S.C. Code is amended by
adding:
Article 4
College Safety Training Programs for Students
    Section
59-101-810.  As used in this article:
       (1)
"Institution of higher learning" means each public college, public university,
private college, private university, and technical college in this State that
receives tuition payments from a South Carolina Education Lottery-funded
scholarship or grant.
       (2)
"Public safety director" means the director or equivalent designated leader of
a campus public safety department.
       (3)
"Campus public safety department" means the division of an institution of
higher learning that provides law enforcement and safety services to the institution.
    Section
59-101-820.  (A) Each institution
of higher learning shall develop and implement a safety training program for
all new students. The training must be administered during the student's
initial orientation or within the first thirty days of the student's arrival on
campus. The provisions of this subsection apply to undergraduate and graduate
students who are enrolled on a full-time or part-time basis and physically
attend class on campus. The provisions of this subsection do not apply to:
       (1)
students who are only enrolled in adult education, dual enrollment, or
certificate programs;
       (2)
continuing education students; and
       (3)
transient students.
    (B)(1) The training program for an
institution of higher learning to which the provisions of this article apply
pursuant to subsection (A) must be developed by the institution's public safety
director, in coordination with the institution's president and governing board.
In the absence of a campus public safety department, a technical college or an
independent institution of higher learning to which the provisions of this
article apply pursuant to subsection (A) shall contract with the security
personnel that it uses on campus to develop and implement the student safety
training in coordination with the president and governing board.
       (2)
Notwithstanding the provisions of item (1), the president of the University of
South Carolina system, in coordination with the governing board, shall work
with the appropriate administrative personnel, public safety personnel, or both
at each system institution to ensure that each campus implements a training
program as required by this chapter.
        (3)
The content, format, and delivery method of the training must be determined by
each institution and may include orientation programs, first-year experience
courses, online modules, or any other methods considered appropriate by the institution.
    (C)
A student safety training program must include information and instruction on
the following topics:
       (1)
personal safety and situational awareness on campus;
       (2)
emergency procedures, including evacuation, lockdown, and shelter-in-place
protocols;
       (3)
how to access campus security services, emergency alerts, and communication
systems;
       (4)
prevention of and response to sexual assault, dating violence, domestic
violence, and stalking, including Title IX rights and reporting procedures;
       (5)
the role and contact information of the institution's behavioral intervention
team or threat assessment team, if applicable; and
       (6)
bystander intervention strategies and safe reporting practices.
    (D) Institutions
may tailor their training to the unique needs, size, and resources of their
campus, and may include additional topics as considered appropriate.
    (E)(1) Before January thirty-first of
each academic year:
  (a)
each public college and university and each independent institution of higher
learning to which the provisions of this article apply pursuant to subsection
(A) shall submit an annual report to the Commission on Higher Education; and
  (b)
each technical college shall submit an annual report to the State Board for
Technical and Comprehensive Education.
       (2)
The report required in item (1) must include a summary of the student safety
training program, the methods of delivery, and any associated training
materials.
    Section
59-101-830.  (A)(1) Each
institution of higher learning in this State shall compile and report campus
crime statistics on an annual basis to the Commission on Higher Education or
the State Board of Technical and Comprehensive Education, as appropriate, no
later than January thirty-first of each year. Each institution shall:
  (a)
post its report on its internet website when it provides the report to the
commission or state board no later than January thirty-first of each year; and
  (b)
email the report to students before the first day of the class during the following
fall semester, excluding students enumerated in Section 59-101-820(A)(1)-(3).
       (2)
The commission and board shall:
  (a)
make these reports publicly available on their respective websites no later
than February fifteenth of each year; and
  (b)
provide a composite summary report of each of these reports to provide to the respective
chairs of the House Education and Public Works Committee, Senate Education Committee,
House Ways and Means Committee, and Senate Finance Committee no later than
March first of each year.
    (B)
Each institution shall collect and maintain data on crimes reported to have
occurred on property owned, leased, or controlled by the institution, including
buildings, grounds, and other facilities regularly used by students, faculty,
or staff.
    (C)
The annual report required under subsection (A) must include, for the preceding
calendar year, a detailed accounting of the number and type of crimes reported
to have occurred on campus, divided:
       (1)
by crime category including, but not limited to, homicide, sexual assault,
robbery, aggravated assault, burglary, motor vehicle theft, arson, and any
other category designated by the State Law Enforcement Division or the United
States Department of Education for campus safety reporting purposes;
       (2)
by status of the alleged offender, identifying whether the offender was:
  (a)
a student;
  (b)
a member of the institution's faculty or staff; or
  (c)
a visitor or other nonaffiliated person;
       (3)
by status of the victim, identifying whether the victim was:
  (a)
a student;
  (b)
a member of the institution's faculty or staff; or
  (c)
a visitor or other nonaffiliated person.
    (D)
Each annual report must also include a summary analysis of the number of
crimes, for each crime category, in the following relationship categories:
       (1)
student-on-student crimes;
       (2)
student-on-visitor crimes;
       (3)
student-on-school-personnel crimes;
       (4)
visitor-on-student crimes;
       (5)
visitor-on-visitor crimes;
       (6)
visitor-on-school-personnel crimes;
       (7)
school-personnel-on-school-personnel crimes;
       (8)
school-personnel-on-student crimes; and
       (9)
school-personnel-on-visitor crimes.
    (E)
Institutions shall collect and maintain the data required by this section on at
least a quarterly basis to ensure accuracy and timeliness of reporting.
    (F)
Although the reporting obligation under this section is annual, if the chairman
of any standing committee of the South Carolina General Assembly determines
that concerns exist regarding campus safety or crime reporting, that chairman
may submit a written request for the most recent quarterly data maintained by
an institution. Upon such a request, the institution must provide the requested
data within thirty calendar days after receipt of the request.
    (G)
Nothing in this section shall be construed to require disclosure of personally
identifiable information or information that would compromise an ongoing
criminal investigation.
    (H)
The reporting requirements established pursuant to this section are in addition
to, and not in substitution for, any crime reporting obligations imposed under
federal law including, but not limited to, the Jeanne Clery Disclosure of
Campus Security Policy and Campus Crime Statistics Act, 20 U.S.C. section
1092(f), and any regulations promulgated thereunder.
    (I)
Nothing in this section may be construed to limit, modify, or otherwise affect
the duties of institutions of higher learning under the Jeanne Clery Disclosure
of Campus Security Policy and Campus Crime Statistics Act, 20 U.S.C. section
1092(f), or to relieve any institution from complying with all applicable
federal reporting and disclosure requirements.
    (J)
The reports required by this section shall be prepared and published separately
from the annual security report required by the Jeanne Clery Disclosure of
Campus Security Policy and Campus Crime Statistics Act, 20 U.S.C. section
1092(f), unless the institution elects to include the additional data required
by this section within the annual report, provided that such inclusion is
clearly identified and presented in a distinct section.
    (K)
Data collected and reported pursuant to this section must be retained for a
period seven years.
    Section
59-101-840.  (A) Each institution
shall make publicly available on its website its campus safety plan or plans,
to the extent that such plans are not confidential, sensitive, or otherwise
protected from public disclosure under state or federal law.
    (B)
If an institution does not currently have a campus safety plan, it shall
develop and implement one in coordination with the institution's public safety
director, president, and board of trustees. The institution shall then post the
nonconfidential portions of the plan on its website.
    (C) Institutions
must review and update their posted safety plans at least once per academic
year. A posted safety plan must include the date of its issuance and most
recent update if any update has been made.
    Section
59-101-850.  (A) The Commission on
Higher Education and State Board for Technical and Comprehensive Education
respectively shall maintain a record of institutions that submit the annual
reports required pursuant to Section 59-101-820(E) and Section 59-101-830.
    (B)
By December first of each year, the Commission on Higher Education and State
Board for Technical and Comprehensive Education shall determine whether each
institution under its respective purview has complied with the provisions of
this article for that calendar year.
    (C)
By January first of each year, the Commission on Higher Education and State
Board for Technical and Comprehensive Education shall notify the respective
chairmen of the House Education and Public Works Committee, the House Ways and
Means Committee, the Senate Education Committee, and the Senate Finance
Committee of any institution that is not in compliance with the provisions of
this article. The House Education and Public Works Committee, the Senate
Finance Committee, or both may:
       (1)
recommend a reduction or suspension in institutional funding for the following
fiscal year to the House Ways and Means Committee and the Senate Finance
Committee; and
       (2)
refer a finding of noncompliance to the Attorney General who may bring an
enforcement action in the circuit court of appropriate jurisdiction.
SECTION 2.  This act takes effect upon approval
by the Governor and first applies to students enrolling for the academic year
beginning in the fall of 2027.
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This web page was last updated on December 17, 2025 at 01:43 PM