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H4696 • 2026

Infant Save Haven Placement

Infant Save Haven Placement

Active

The official status still shows this bill as active or still awaiting another formal step.

Sponsor
Reps. McCravy, Pope, Chumley, Edgerton and White
Last action
2026-01-20
Official status
Member(s) request name added as sponsor: White
Effective date
Not listed

Plain English Breakdown

Using official source text because the generated explanation was unavailable or could not be confirmed against the official bill text.

Infant Save Haven Placement

Infant Save Haven Placement

What This Bill Does

  • Infant Save Haven Placement

Limits and Unknowns

  • This entry is temporarily using official source text because the generated explanation could not be confirmed against the official bill text during the last sync.

Bill History

  1. 2026-01-20 House

    Member(s) request name added as sponsor: White

  2. 2026-01-13 House

    Introduced and read first time ( House Journal-page 59 )

  3. 2026-01-13 House

    Referred to Committee on Judiciary ( House Journal-page 59 )

  4. 2025-12-16 House

    Prefiled

  5. 2025-12-16 House

    Referred to Committee on Judiciary

Official Summary Text

Infant Save Haven Placement

Current Bill Text

Read the full stored bill text 
2025-2026 Bill 4696: Infant Save Haven Placement - South Carolina Legislature Online

South Carolina General Assembly
126th Session, 2025-2026
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This Bill
in Microsoft Word Format
Indicates Matter Stricken
Indicates New Matter
H. 4696
STATUS INFORMATION
General Bill
Sponsors: Reps. McCravy, Pope, Chumley, Edgerton and White
Document Path: LC-0362DG26.docx
Introduced in the House on January 13, 2026
Currently residing in the House
Summary: Infant Save Haven Placement
HISTORY OF LEGISLATIVE ACTIONS

Date

Body

Action Description with journal page number

12/16/2025

House

Prefiled

12/16/2025

House

Referred to Committee on
Judiciary

1/13/2026

House

Introduced and read first time (
House Journal-page 59
)

1/13/2026

House

Referred to Committee on
Judiciary
(
House Journal-page 59
)

1/20/2026

House

Member(s) request name added as sponsor: White

View the latest
legislative information
at the website
VERSIONS OF THIS BILL
12/17/2025

A bill

TO AMEND THE SOUTH CAROLINA CODE OF LAWS BY AMENDING
SECTION
63-7-40
, RELATING TO SAFE HAVENS FOR ABANDONED BABIES, SO AS TO
INCREASE THE AGE UP TO THE AGE OF ONE WHEN AN INFANT MAY BE LEFT AT A SAFE
HAVEN.

B
e it enacted by the
General Assembly of the State of South Carolina:

S
ECTION 1.
S
ection
63-7-40
(G) and (J) of the S.C. Code is amended
to read:

(
G) A person who leaves an infant at a
safe haven or directs another person to do so must not be prosecuted for any
criminal offense on account of such action if:

(
1)
the person is a parent of the infant or is acting at the direction of a parent;

(
2)
the person leaves the infant in the physical custody of a staff member or an
employee of the safe haven; and

(
3)
the infant is not more than
sixty days

one year
old or the infant is reasonably determined by
the hospital or hospital outpatient facility to be not more than
sixty days
one year
old.

T
his subsection does
not apply to prosecution for the infliction of any harm upon the infant other
than the harm inherent in abandonment.

(
J) For purposes of this section:

(
1)
"infant" means a person not more than
sixty days
one year
old; and

(
2)
"safe haven" means a hospital or hospital outpatient facility, a law
enforcement agency, a fire station, an emergency medical services station, or
any staffed house of worship during hours when the facility is staffed.

S
ECTION 2. This act takes effect upon approval
by the Governor.

----XX----

This web page was last updated on January 13, 2026 at 2:43 PM