South Carolina 2025-2026 Regular Session Status: In Committee

S 731 — Genetic Information

Last action — Referred to Committee on Labor, Commerce and Industry

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

This bill is in committee in the Senate. Introduced December 10, 2025. It must pass committee before a floor vote.

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

Prognosis

Stalled 14% · 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.

  • 1 sponsor

    1 primary, 0 co-sponsors signed on.

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 ADDING SECTION 39-1-100 SO AS TO PROVIDE THAT A COMPANY OR INDIVIDUAL MAY NOT SELL AN INDIVIDUAL'S GENETIC MATERIAL, TO PROVIDE WRITTEN CONSENT MUST BE OBTAINED THROUGH AN INDEPENDENT DOCUMENT, AND TO PROVIDE FOR PRIVATE RIGHTS OF ACTION.

Bill Text

What changed in the latest version

40 added · 5 removed

Plain-language change summary

The latest version of Bill S 731 includes important changes regarding the sale of an individual's genetic material. It now explicitly states that no company or individual can sell this material without obtaining prior written consent through a separate, independent document. This document must be clear and allow individuals to opt-out of certain types of sharing. This amendment is crucial as it strengthens protections for personal genetic information, ensuring individuals have more control over their own genetic data.

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2025-2026 Bill 731 Text of Previous Version (Dec.
10, 2025) - South Carolina Legislature Online South Carolina General Assembly126th Session, 2025-2026Bill 731Indicates 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 ADDING SECTION 39-1-100 SO AS TO PROVIDE THAT A COMPANY OR INDIVIDUAL MAY NOT SELL AN INDIVIDUAL'S GENETIC MATERIAL, TO PROVIDE WRITTEN CONSENT MUST BE OBTAINED THROUGH AN INDEPENDENT DOCUMENT, AND TO PROVIDE FOR PRIVATE RIGHTS OF ACTION.
  Be it enacted by the General Assembly of the State of South Carolina:
  SECTION 1.  Chapter 1, Title 39 of the S.C.
Code is amended by adding:
      Section 39-1-100.  (A)(1) A company or individual may not sell an individual's genetic material, regardless of how the genetic material was obtained, without prior written consent.
       (2) For the purposes of this section, "genetic material" means the hereditary substance that stores and transmits a person's genetic information, primarily in the form of DNA or, in some cases, RNA.
    (B) Written consent may be obtained only through an independent document.
That independent document may address only the selling or sharing of genetic information and must provide the ability to opt-out of specific levels of sharing the genetic information.
The independent document may not be included in a larger document and must be conspicuous.
    (C) A company has no legal rights to an individual's genetic information or material.
Only the individual may own his genetic information.
    (D) A person or entity may bring a private right of action:
       (1) based on a violation of this section or any regulations prescribed pursuant to this section to enjoin such violation;
       (2) to recover for actual monetary loss from such a violation, or to receive five hundred dollars in damages for each violation, whichever is greater;
or        (3) for both actions described in subitems (a) and (b).
  SECTION 2.  This act takes effect upon approval by the Governor.
----XX---- This web page was last updated on December 10, 2025 at 02:29 PM
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Action History

  1. Referred to Committee on Labor, Commerce and Industry

  2. Introduced and read first time

  3. Referred to Committee on Labor, Commerce and Industry

  4. Prefiled

Sponsors

Sponsorship breakdown

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1 sponsors · 0 co-sponsors · 169 not signed on

Sponsors (1)

Co-sponsors (0)

None.

Not signed on (169)

169 members have not signed on to this bill.

Show all 169 →

"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

civil-rights healthcare technology
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 S 731 do?
A BILL TO AMEND THE SOUTH CAROLINA CODE OF LAWS BY ADDING SECTION 39-1-100 SO AS TO PROVIDE THAT A COMPANY OR INDIVIDUAL MAY NOT SELL AN INDIVIDUAL'S GENETIC MATERIAL, TO PROVIDE WRITTEN CONSENT MUST BE OBTAINED THROUGH AN INDEPENDENT DOCUMENT, AND TO PROVIDE FOR PRIVATE RIGHTS OF ACTION.
Who sponsors S 731?
S 731 is sponsored by Senator Carlisle Kennedy.
What is the current status of S 731?
This bill is in committee in the Senate. Introduced December 10, 2025. It must pass committee before a floor vote.
Where can I track S 731?
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