(A) There is created a State Child Fatality Advisory Committee composed of:

(1) the Director of the South Carolina Department of Social Services;

(2) the Director of the South Carolina Department of Health and Environmental Control;

(3) the State Superintendent of Education;

(4) the Executive Director of the South Carolina Criminal Justice Academy;

(5) the Chief of the State Law Enforcement Division;

(6) the Director of the Department of Alcohol and Other Drug Abuse Services;

(7) the Director of the State Department of Mental Health;

(8) the Director of the Department of Disabilities and Special Needs;

(9) the Director of the Department of Juvenile Justice;

(10) the Chief Executive Officer of the Children's Trust of South Carolina;

(11) one senator to be appointed by the President of the Senate;

(12) one representative to be appointed by the Speaker of the House of Representatives;

(13) an attorney with experience in prosecuting crimes against children;

(14) a county coroner or medical examiner;

(15) a board certified or eligible for board certification child abuse pediatrician, appointed from recommendations submitted by the State Chapter of the American Academy of Pediatrics;

(16) a solicitor;

(17) a forensic pathologist;

(18) two members of the public at large, one of whom shall represent a private nonprofit organization that advocates children services; and

(19) the State Child Advocate.

(B) Those members in items (1)-(12) shall serve ex officio and may appoint a designee to serve in their place from their particular departments or agencies who have administrative or program responsibilities for children and family services. The Governor shall appoint the remaining members, including the coroner or medical examiner and solicitor who shall serve ex officio for terms of four years and until their successors are appointed and qualify.

(C) The committee shall elect a chairman and vice chairman by a majority vote of the membership, each for a term of two years.

(D) The committee shall hold meetings at least quarterly. A majority of the committee, excluding the committee members in subsection (A)(11) and (12) or their designees, constitutes a quorum.

(E) Each ex officio member shall provide sufficient staff and administrative support to carry out the responsibilities of this article.

HISTORY: 2008 Act No. 361, Section 2; 2014 Act No. 203 (H.4408), Section 1, eff June 2, 2014; 2018 Act No. 160 (S.805), Section 10, eff July 1, 2019; 2019 Act No. 1 (S.2), Section 78, eff January 31, 2019.

Effect of Amendment

2014 Act No. 203, Section 1, added subsections (A)(10), (A)(11), and (A)(12), and redesignated the subsections accordingly; in subsection (A)(15), substituted "a board certified or eligible for board certification child abuse pediatrician" for "a pediatrician with experience in diagnosing and treating child abuse and neglect"; in subsection (A)(18), substituted "whom shall" for "which must"; and rewrote subsections (B), (C), and (D).

2018 Act No. 160, Section 10, in (A), added (19), relating to the State Child Advocate.

2019 Act No. 1, Section 78, in (A)(11), substituted "President of the Senate" for "President Pro Tempore of the Senate".