Vaccine Exemptions

2025-2026 Bill 1029: Vaccine Exemptions - South Carolina Legislature Online

South Carolina General Assembly
126th Session, 2025-2026
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S. 1029
STATUS INFORMATION
General Bill
Sponsors: Senators Garrett and Corbin
Document Path: SR-0127CEM26.docx
Introduced in the Senate on March 18, 2026
Currently residing in the Senate Committee on
Medical Affairs
Summary: Vaccine Exemptions
HISTORY OF LEGISLATIVE ACTIONS

Date

Body

Action Description with journal page number

3/18/2026

Senate

Introduced and read first time (
Senate Journal-page 4
)

3/18/2026

Senate

Referred to Committee on
Medical Affairs
(
Senate Journal-page 4
)

View the latest
legislative information
at the website
VERSIONS OF THIS BILL
03/18/2026

A bill

TO AMEND THE SOUTH CAROLINA CODE OF LAWS BY AMENDING
SECTION
44-29-40
, RELATING TO THE DEPARTMENT OF PUBLIC HEALTH'S GENERAL
SUPERVISION OF VACCINATION, SCREENING, AND IMMUNIZATION, SO AS TO ALLOW THE
DEPARTMENT OF PUBLIC HEALTH TO HAVE GENERAL SUPERVISION OF EXEMPTIONS TO
VACCINATIONS, SCREENING, AND IMMUNIZATION; BY ADDING SECTION
44-29-45
SO AS TO
ALLOW A PARENT OR GUARDIAN OF A MINOR CHILD TO SEEK A PERSONAL EXEMPTION FROM
ANY VACCINATION OR IMMUNIZATION REQUIRED TO ATTEND A PUBLIC INSTITUTION,
SCHOOL, OR DAY CARE; AND BY AMENDING SECTION
44-29-180
, RELATING TO THE
VACCINATION OR IMMUNIZATION OF CHILDREN IN DAY CARE, SO AS TO INCLUDE A
CERTIFICATE OF PERSONAL EXEMPTION.

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

S
ECTION 1.
S
ection
44-29-40
(A) of the S.C. Code is amended to
read:

(
A) The Department of
Public
Health
and Environmental
Control
shall have general direction and supervision of vaccination,
screening, and immunization in this State.
The Department
of Public Health shall have general direction and supervision of exemptions to
vaccinations, screenings, and immunizations in this State.
The
Department of
Public
Health
and
Environmental Control
has the authority to promulgate regulations
concerning vaccination, screening,
and
immunization
requirements
, and exemptions to immunization requirements
.

S
ECTION 2.
C
hapter 29, Title 44 of the S.C. Code is amended by
adding:

S
ection
44-29-45
. The Department of Public Health shall allow for the parent or
guardian of a minor child to seek a personal exemption from any vaccination or
immunization required to attend a public institution, school, or day care
facility in this State. A parent or guardian of a minor child may obtain a
South Carolina Certificate of Personal Exemption from the local health
department.

S
ECTION 3.
S
ection
44-29-180
of the S.C. Code is amended to read:

S
ection
44-29-180
.
(
A) No superintendent of

an
a public
institution
of learning, no school board or principal of a
public
school,
and no owner or operator of a public
or private
childcare
facility as defined in Section
63-13-20
may admit as a pupil or enroll or
retain a child or person who cannot produce satisfactory evidence of having
been vaccinated or immunized so often as directed by the Department of
Public
Health
and Environmental
Control
. Records of vaccinations or immunizations must be maintained by
the institution, school, or day care facility to which the child or person has
been admitted.

(
B)
The Department of
Public
Health
and Environmental Control
shall monitor the immunization
status of each child who is enrolled or retained in a
licensed
public
child day care facility
or a
registered church or religious child day care facility
. The monitoring
of day care facilities shall consist of a review of the immunization or
vaccination records to insure that required immunizations are complete as
recommended and routinely provided by the Department of
Public

Health
and Environmental Control
for all
infants and children.

(
C)
South Carolina Department of
Public
Health
and Environmental Control
Regulation
61-8
60-8
, as amended,
"Vaccination, Screening and Immunization Regarding Contagious Diseases", and
its exemptions apply to this section.

(
D)
A South Carolina Certificate of Special Exemption signed by the school
principal, authorized representative, or day care director may be issued to
transfer students while awaiting arrival of medical records from their former
area of residence or to other students who have been unable to secure
immunizations or documentation of immunizations already received. A South
Carolina Certificate of Special Exemption may be issued only once and is valid
for only thirty calendar days from date of enrollment. At the expiration of
this special exemption, the student must present a valid South Carolina
Certificate of Immunization, a valid South Carolina Certificate of Medical
Exemption,
a valid South Carolina Certificate of Personal
Exemption,
or a valid South Carolina Certificate of Religious Exemption.

(
E)
Registered family day care homes are exempt from requirements of this section.

(
F)
(
1) Notwithstanding the requirements
of this section, the governing body of a private childcare facility as defined
in Section
63-13-20
, a registered church or religious child day care facility,
or a private school as defined in Section
59-1-110
may adopt vaccination or
immunization requirements other than those set forth in subsection (A) for
admission or enrollment in the facility, provided that records of vaccinations
or immunizations are maintained by the school or day care facility for each
child or person who has been admitted.

(
2) During a public health emergency,
the department may isolate or quarantine a child or person enrolled at the
school or day care facility who is not vaccinated or immunized so often as
directed by the department against the contagious disease for which the public
health emergency was declared and the child or person has been diagnosed with
or exposed to the contagious disease for which the public health emergency was
declared.

S
ECTION 4. This act takes effect upon approval
by the Governor.

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This web page was last updated on March 18, 2026 at 1:32 PM