Central Service Technicians

2025-2026 Bill 5066: Central Service Technicians - South Carolina Legislature Online

South Carolina General Assembly
126th Session, 2025-2026
Download
This Bill
in Microsoft Word Format
Indicates Matter Stricken
Indicates New Matter
H. 5066
STATUS INFORMATION
General Bill
Sponsors: Reps. M.M. Smith and Wooten
Document Path: LC-0604WAB26.docx
Introduced in the House on January 29, 2026
Currently residing in the House
Summary: Central Service Technicians
HISTORY OF LEGISLATIVE ACTIONS

Date

Body

Action Description with journal page number

1/29/2026

House

Introduced and read first time (
House Journal-page 16
)

1/29/2026

House

Referred to Committee on
Medical, Military, Public and Municipal Affairs
(
House Journal-page 16
)

3/3/2026

House

Member(s) request name added as sponsor: Wooten

View the latest
legislative information
at the website
VERSIONS OF THIS BILL
01/29/2026

A bill

TO AMEND THE SOUTH CAROLINA CODE OF LAWS BY ADDING SECTION
44-7-375
SO AS TO PROVIDE REQUIREMENTS FOR WORKING AS CENTRAL SERVICE
TECHNICIANS, to provide requirements for HEALTHCARE FACILITIES TO EMPLOY OR
RETAIN CENTRAL SERVICE TECHNICIANS, TO PROVIDE EXCEPTIONS, AND TO PROVIDE
DEFINITIONS, AMONG OTHER THINGS.

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

S
ECTION 1.
A
rticle 3, Chapter 7, Title 44 of the S.C. Code is
amended by adding:

S
ection
44-7-375
.
(
A)(1) The purpose and
intent of this section are to ensure that central service technicians:

(
a)
employed in this State meet minimum requirements for safe practice as a member
of a surgical care team; and

(
b)
failing to meet certain minimum competencies or otherwise presenting a danger
to the public health and safety be prohibited from providing central service
technician services in this State.

(
2)
As used in this section:

(
a)
"Central service technician" means a person who decontaminates, inspects,
assembles, packages, and sterilizes reusable medical instruments or devices
being used by a healthcare facility in this State.

(
b)
"Healthcare facility" has the same meaning as found in Section
44-7-130
(15).

(
c)
"Healthcare practitioner" has the same meaning as found in Section
44-7-510
(5).

(
B)
(
1) A healthcare facility may not
employ or otherwise retain the services of a central service technician unless
he provides evidence to the satisfaction of the facility that he:

(
a)
has successfully passed a nationally accredited central service exam for
central service technicians and holds and maintains one of the following
credentials administered by a nationally accredited central service technician
credentialing organization:

(
i)
the certified registered central service technician credential;

(
ii)
the certified sterile processing and distribution technician credential; or

(
iii) a substantially equivalent
credential; or

(
b)
was employed as a central service technician by a healthcare facility or was
retained to provide the services of a central service technician by a
healthcare facility before January 1, 2027.

(
2)
A central service technician who does not meet the requirements of subsection
(A) has eighteen months from the date of hire at a healthcare facility to
obtain the certified registered central service technician credential or the
certified sterile processing and distribution technician credential as provided
in subsection (A)(1). During this eighteen month period he may provide central
service technician services in the facility on a probationary basis if he meets
the other requirements of this section, but if he fails to obtain either
credential during this eighteen month period he may not work as a central
service technician in any healthcare facility in this State until he obtains at
least one of the credentials and complies with the other requirements of this
section.

(
C) A
person who qualifies to function as a central service technician in a healthcare
facility pursuant to this section shall annually complete ten hours of
continuing education credits to remain qualified to perform the functions of a
central service technician. This continuing education must be related to the
functions of a central service technician.

(
D)
Nothing in this section prohibits the following persons from performing the
tasks or functions of a central service technician:

(
1)
a healthcare practitioner;

(
2)
a student or intern performing the functions of a central service technician
under the direct supervision of a healthcare practitioner as part of the
student's or intern's training or internship; or

(
3)
a person who holds or maintains a registration, certification, or license by a
nationally accredited credentialing organization to perform healthcare
services.

(
E)
(
1) A healthcare facility that employs
or retains a person to serve as a central service technician shall verify that
the person meets the credentialing requirements of subsection (B) and the
continuing education requirements of subsection (C).

(
2)
A healthcare facility shall supervise each person employed or retained by the
facility to provide central service technician services according to the
facility's policies and procedures to ensure that the person competently
performs delegated tasks according to this section or other applicable
provisions of law.

(
3)
(
a) A healthcare facility shall
maintain a record of each person employed or retained by the facility to
provide central service technician services, including:

(
i)
verification of the requirements of item (1); and

(
ii)
the dates of employment or retention.

(
b)
A person currently or previously employed or retained by a healthcare facility
to provide central service technician services at the facility may provide a
written request of a printed copy of his records maintained by the facility
pursuant to subitem (a) and the facility shall provide a printed copy of such
records to him within three business days of the request at no charge.

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

----XX----

This web page was last updated on January 29, 2026 at 11:04 AM