(A) The Office of South Carolina First Steps to School Readiness shall develop and require local partnerships to adopt and implement a standard fiscal accountability system including, but not limited to, a uniform, standardized system of accounting, internal controls, payroll, fidelity bonding, chart of accounts, and contract management and monitoring. Additionally, the accountability system shall require competitive bids for the purchase or procurement of goods and services of ten thousand dollars or more. A bid other than the lowest bid may be accepted by a majority vote of the partnership board if other considerations outweigh the cost factor; however, written justification must be filed with the Office of First Steps. The Office of First Steps may contract with outside firms to develop and ensure implementation of this standard fiscal accountability system, and the Office of First Steps may inspect fiscal and program records of partnerships and developing partnerships to ensure their compliance with the required system. The Office of First Steps may contract with a state entity with existing means for developing contracts and disbursing funds in order to make use of the existing infrastructure, if it is efficient and not administratively burdensome to partnerships.

(B) Each local First Steps partnership shall expend funds through the South Carolina First Steps to School Readiness Board of Trustees or its fiscal designees until the capacity of the local partnership to manage its fiscal and administrative responsibilities in compliance with the standard accountability system has been reviewed and certified by the South Carolina First Steps to School Readiness Board of Trustees or its designee.

(C) All private and nonstate funds sought by local partnerships must be used exclusively for meeting the goals and purpose of First Steps as specified in Section 59-152-20 and Section 59-152-30. Private funds received by a First Steps partnership must be deposited in a separate fund subject to review by the Office of First Steps and the State Board.

(D) Disbursements may be made only on the written authorization of the individual designated by the partnership board and only for the purposes specified. A person violating this section is guilty of a misdemeanor and, upon conviction, must be fined five thousand dollars or imprisoned for six months, or both.

(E) The offenses of misuse, misappropriation, and embezzlement of public funds apply to this chapter.

HISTORY: 1999 Act No. 99, Section 2; 2014 Act No. 287 (H.3428), Section 18, eff June 18, 2014.

Editor's Note

2018 Act No. 152, Section 8, provides as follows:

"SECTION 8. Section 20B. of Act 287 of 2014 [reauthorizing the South Carolina First Steps to School Readiness Act until July 1, 2016] is repealed. Act 99 of 1999, South Carolina First Steps to School Readiness Act, as amended by this act, is reauthorized until June 30, 2025."

Effect of Amendment

2014 Act No. 287, Section 18, in subsection (A), inserted "South Carolina" following "The Office of", inserted "local" following "develop and require", and twice deleted "county" before "partnership"; in subsection (B), substituted "local First Steps partnership" for "County First Steps Partnership", and substituted "local partnership" for "County First Steps Partnership"; rewrote subsection (C); in subsection (D), deleted "county" before "partnership"; and in subsection (E), inserted a comma following "funds".