Policy News and Information for South Carolina's Children
Policy Post
Feb. 11, 2016 

Bills Related to Children's Issues Introduced Last Week in Legislature
Children's Trust tracks legislation that affects child well-being on a variety of issues. The following bills related to children's issues were introduced in the General Assembly last week.
 
H. 4835 - Rep. Shannon Erickson and others: A bill allowing a parent with legal custody of a child to delegate to an adult caregiving authority (by a properly executed power of attorney) regarding the child for a period not to exceed one year (exceptions including to subvert child abuse investigation); in an investigation of suspected child abuse or neglect that does not result in the placement of the child outside of the home, the department shall provide information to the parent about community service programs that provide respite care, voluntary guardianship, or other support services for families in crisis. This is the companion to S. 1041, introduced by Sen. Shealy and Sen. Young.  
 
S. 1053 - Sen. Thomas Alexander: A Senate resolution declaring Feb. 2016 as Teen Dating Violence Awareness Month, which includes creating more family and community resources and services as well as intervention and prevention policies in schools.
DSS Oversight to Hear More on Domestic Violence Interventions
The Legislative Oversight Healthcare subcommittee met last week to receive updates from the Department of Social Services on steps being taken to protect children and families statewide. Agency representatives outlined new measures of support to foster families, including dedicated caseworkers specific to each family and focused separately on licensing and support functions.
 
DSS also set a new goal of 120 days (rather than the required 180) to move a family through licensing for foster services. The committee expressed additional interest in DSS handling of cases involving domestic violence, and it determined data and accountability measures related to domestic violence as the focus of the next meeting, which has yet to be scheduled.
Committee on Children Discusses Child Passenger Safety and Early Education
The Joint Citizens and Legislative Committee on Children met last week to clarify priorities and discuss emerging issues regarding child safety and well-being. The group reviewed public testimony on several issue areas, including strategies for decreasing childhood obesity, supports for early education, and interventions to weaken the school-to-prison pipeline.

Continued support was expressed for bills endorsed by the group in the last legislative session before they turned attention to 2016 priorities, including S. 464 to align state child passenger safety law with American Academy of Pediatrics recommendations and H. 3767 to require background checks on employees of child care facilities operating less than four hours a day. The group also moved to support DSS efforts to fund and maintain kinship care as a primary support for at-risk children, prioritize S.C. First Steps reauthorization, and require mandatory instruction of CPR in schools.
S.C. House to Take Furlough Next Week
In addition to the unpaid furlough planned on the weeks of March 28 and April 4, S.C. House members will now be taking off the week of Feb. 15 in order to make the case that the six-month legislative session is too long. House Speaker Jay Lucas (R-Darlington) stated the break will save taxpayers an estimated $77,000.
Federal Bill to Mark Sex Offender Passports Meets Opposition
The U.S. House and Senate reached agreement on a bill this week meant to make it harder for pedophiles to travel abroad. The bill, known as the "International Megan's Law," will require that individuals convicted of sex offenses involving minors notify law enforcement of their travel plans at least 21 days in advance and obtain a unique identifier on their passports that would alert immigration authorities in other countries of their prior convictions. 

Criminal rights advocacy groups have pushed back against the measure, stating that it violates constitutional rights and could be a slippery slope to discriminatory measures against other groups in the future.
Child Welfare News From Across the Country
For the third year in a row, Pennsylvania lawmakers will work on rewriting a child protection statue to determine who needs a background check to work with kids.
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Policy Post is published by Children's Trust of South Carolina.
Children's Trust of South Carolina is the only statewide organization focused on the prevention of child abuse, neglect and injury. The organization trains and educates professionals who work directly with families and also funds, supports and monitors proven prevention programs. Children's Trust is the voice for South Carolina's children and advocates for strong, well-founded policies that positively impact child well-being. Children's Trust is home to Prevent Child Abuse South Carolina, KIDS COUNT South Carolina and Safe Kids South Carolina.
Children's Trust of South Carolina  |  info@scchildren.org  |  scChildren.org