South Carolina 2025-2026 Regular Session Status: In Committee 1 R cosponsors

H 3603 — Domestic Violence

Last action — Member(s) request name added as sponsor: Bauer

Track this bill free

No card. One bill, free forever — alerts when it moves.

  1. ✓
    Introduced
  2. 2
    In Committee
  3. 3
    Passed House
  4. 4
    Passed Senate
  5. 5
    To Executive
  6. 6
    Enacted

This bill is in committee in the House. Introduced December 12, 2024. It must pass committee before a floor vote.

Next likely step: a committee vote, then a floor vote in the House.

Prognosis

Stalled 26% · moderate confidence

Where this bill stands today.

Odds of enactment

Low

How often bills like it became law.

  • In Committee

    Current position in the legislative process.

  • 6 sponsors

    6 primary, 0 co-sponsors signed on.

  • Single-party support

    Sponsorship is currently within one party (1 R).

Prognosis reads this bill's own signals — stage, sponsorship breadth, committee status, recorded votes and cross-state momentum. Odds come from a model trained on which bills have become law.

Summary

A BILL TO AMEND THE SOUTH CAROLINA CODE OF LAWS BY AMENDING SECTION 20-4-20, RELATING TO DEFINITIONS, SO AS TO CHANGE THE DEFINITION OF "HOUSEHOLD MEMBER" AND TO DEFINE "DATING RELATIONSHIP"; AND BY AMENDING SECTION 20-4-40, RELATING TO PETITIONS FOR AN ORDER OF PROTECTION, SO AS TO DESIGNATE PEOPLE WHO CAN APPLY FOR AN ORDER OF PROTECTION ON BEHALF OF A MINOR.

Bill Text

What changed in the latest version

69 added · 6 removed

Plain-language change summary

The amendment to Bill H 3603 changes the definition of "household member" to now include individuals who are in or have been in a dating relationship. Additionally, it introduces a clear definition of "dating relationship" as a romantic relationship between two individuals, regardless of sexual involvement. The bill also allows specific people to apply for orders of protection on behalf of minors. This matters because it broadens the scope of who can seek protection and clarifies relationships that can in influence legal protections, potentially helping more individuals in need.

→
Previous
Latest
PK oZ#CÓ-• z customXml/item4.xmlÍYmÚÆþ~…Ňî—u˜ß¶„^ƒ‡…lj›V«&²ÆöxƒÂË ØM«ªRþÂý~ïŸË/¹Ç6CLJB·ŠX>çyÎ<ž—sfLë‡ßæ3éI¬ÖÓåâå~®$±ˆ—ÉtqÿòjôdãJZoø"á³åB¼¼Z,¯~hÿ«5{)‰ Oø†Kd±~Ùx»Ù<Ü4›ëø­˜óõ‹åƒX€']®æ|·«ûæßñ{Ñ$iÍù–Þ,¢É»ûF»e»ÝɈ9A܍Y»3ÍZÍC[«72DZöw³Í÷Ù7ÎĂÏÅw÷pßV³„´v[hjLˆªÊjšD2U¨*G1Á²Â C# Ö±ž¶š lag0†°où~à ^1k8l÷øl-ZÍzçž3ð­nð ¸°¡~´º¯Ø ìÖwÀ€‡·³Ü®ëøÁ ˜×©ãŸ@V£uÝÑhŒylìzu*Ž‡l§v§û9úä€?ñÀ´ƒÕãk먂m6¬š ûÒ³z§»µê­²Nà¹ö¤ËìOõT|UÊÈò^1{2®i¥tà™w!jЅ£Š{,›¸5bJOî±\#ŒÖØrêçÃ'*?`#Ë»«!î};†„?3ÏςDTaÓ ¡›ü##~ËpÉûîÄ/ôØVÀ*Qö´c̞ü¼:ʮӶ$*cŸ © Øќ,ók¸} g2ê0¯KÞ)Ä>‚ÏüüÑ1Ñ*¬u;Ý©ÈwÌòò¨`sÛⱟ&Ìv×65’D’Ê‚J±XWea"-1(åÂ0ËXÇä2hèzƒÛ
2025-2026 Bill 3603 Text of Previous Version (Dec.
12, 2024) - South Carolina Legislature Online South Carolina General Assembly126th Session, 2025-2026Bill 3603Indicates Matter StrickenIndicates 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 DEFINITIONS, SO AS TO CHANGE THE DEFINITION OF "HOUSEHOLD MEMBER" AND TO DEFINE "DATING RELATIONSHIP";
AND BY AMENDING SECTION 20-4-40, RELATING TO PETITIONS FOR AN ORDER OF PROTECTION, SO AS TO DESIGNATE PEOPLE WHO CAN APPLY FOR AN ORDER OF PROTECTION ON BEHALF OF A MINOR.
  Be it enacted by the General Assembly of the State of South Carolina:
  SECTION 1.  Section 20-4-20(b) of the S.C.
Code is amended to read:
      (b) "Household member" means:
       (i)(1) a spouse;
       (ii)(2) a former spouse;
       (iii)(3) persons who have a child in common;
       (iv) a male and female who are cohabiting or formerly have cohabited.(4) persons who are cohabiting or formerly have cohabited;
or        (5) persons who are presently in or have formerly been in a dating relationship together.
  SECTION 2.  Section 20-4-20 of the S.C.
Code is amended by adding:
      (g)(1) "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 when determining 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.
       (2) "Dating relationship" does not include a casual relationship or ordinary fraternization between two individuals in a business or social context.
  SECTION 3.  Section 20-4-40 of the S.C.
Code is amended to read:
      Section 20-4-40.
(A) There is created an action known as a "Petition for an Order of Protection" in cases of abuse to a household member.
    (a)(B) A petition for relief under this section may be made by any household members in need of protection or by any household membersa parent, guardian, custodian, legal counsel, or other appropriate adult on behalf of minor household members.
    (b)(C) A petition for relief must allege the existence of abuse to a household member.  It must state the specific time, place, details of the abuse, and other facts and circumstances upon which relief is sought and must be verified.
    (c)(D) The petition must inform the respondent of the right to retain counsel.
    (d)(E) In a pending action for divorce or separate support and maintenance, the petition for relief shall be brought in the form of a motion for further relief and shall be served on counsel of record, if any.  Where no action is pending, the petition shall be filed and served as an independent action.  A pending motion or petition for relief shall not be dismissed solely because the underlying action is dismissed.
    (e)(F) The clerk of court must provide simplified forms which will facilitate the preparation and filing of a petition under this section by any person not represented by counsel, including motions and affidavits to proceed in forma pauperis.
    (f)(G) The clerk of court may not charge a fee for filing a petition for an order for protection from domestic abuse.
  SECTION 4.  This act takes effect upon approval by the Governor.
----XX---- This web page was last updated on December 12, 2024 at 04:42 PM
⬇ Download PDF
View plain text versions (2)
  • 12/12/2024 View text Current html
  • Introduced Filed vnd.openxmlformats-officedocument.wordprocessingml.document

Action History

  1. Member(s) request name added as sponsor: Bauer

  2. Member(s) request name added as sponsor: Schuessler

  3. Member(s) request name added as sponsor: Magnuson, T.Moore

  4. Referred to Committee on Judiciary

  5. Introduced and read first time

  6. Referred to Committee on Judiciary

  7. Prefiled

Sponsors

Sponsorship breakdown

Export CSV (upgrade) →

6 sponsors · 0 co-sponsors · 164 not signed on

Sponsors (6)

Co-sponsors (0)

None.

Not signed on (164)

164 members have not signed on to this bill.

Show all 164 →

"Not signed on" means a member has not sponsored or co-sponsored this bill — it does not imply opposition. Members flagged Voted No have a recorded No vote on this bill.

Whip count is in markup. Polling the chamber and every recorded vote this session. Only the first open is slow. It’s instant for you after this. Calling the roll · Tallying · Engrossing

Subjects

public-safety civil-rights
Cross-referencing the record. Reading this bill against every other bill in the corpus by meaning, not keywords. Only the first open is slow. It’s instant for you after this. Matching · Ranking · Engrossing

Frequently asked questions

What does H 3603 do?
A BILL TO AMEND THE SOUTH CAROLINA CODE OF LAWS BY AMENDING SECTION 20-4-20, RELATING TO DEFINITIONS, SO AS TO CHANGE THE DEFINITION OF "HOUSEHOLD MEMBER" AND TO DEFINE "DATING RELATIONSHIP"; AND BY AMENDING SECTION 20-4-40, RELATING TO PETITIONS FOR AN ORDER OF PROTECTION, SO AS TO DESIGNATE PEOPLE WHO CAN APPLY FOR AN ORDER OF PROTECTION ON BEHALF OF A MINOR.
Who sponsors H 3603?
H 3603 is sponsored by Representative Beth E. Bernstein, Representative Paula Rawl Calhoon, Representative Josiah Magnuson, Representative Travis A. Moore, Carla M. Schuessler (Republican), and Representative Heather Bauer.
What is the current status of H 3603?
This bill is in committee in the House. Introduced December 12, 2024. It must pass committee before a floor vote.
Where can I track H 3603?
Track H 3603 free on One Click Politics — get push/email alerts when it moves.

Make your voice heard on H 3603

Find the representatives who decide this bill and tell them where you stand — for yourself, or mobilize your whole list in one click with One Click Politics advocacy software.

Find my representatives → Run a campaign

Stay ahead of H 3603

Last checked for changes 2 months ago · updated continuously

One Click Politics tracks every bill in Congress and all 50 states.

Track this bill →