State Benefits Forfeiture

2025-2026 Bill 734: State Benefits Forfeiture - South Carolina Legislature Online

South Carolina General Assembly
126th Session, 2025-2026
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S. 734
STATUS INFORMATION
General Bill
Sponsors: Senators Kennedy, Leber, Bright and Fernandez
Document Path: LC-0416SA26.docx
Introduced in the Senate on January 13, 2026
Currently residing in the Senate Committee on
Finance
Summary: State Benefits Forfeiture
HISTORY OF LEGISLATIVE ACTIONS

Date

Body

Action Description with journal page number

12/10/2025

Senate

Prefiled

12/10/2025

Senate

Referred to Committee on
Finance

1/13/2026

Senate

Introduced and read first time (
Senate Journal-page 35
)

1/13/2026

Senate

Referred to Committee on
Finance
(
Senate Journal-page 35
)

View the latest
legislative information
at the website
VERSIONS OF THIS BILL
12/10/2025

A bill

TO AMEND THE SOUTH CAROLINA CODE OF LAWS BY ADDING SECTION
9-1-110
SO AS TO PROVIDE THAT CERTAIN STATE RETIREMENT BENEFITS AND HEALTH
BENEFITS MAY BE FORFEITED IF STATE EMPLOYEES ARE CONVICTED OF ANY CRIME
INVOLVING CRIMINAL SEXUAL MISCONDUCT WITH A MINOR OR THE POSSESSION OR
DISTRIBUTION OF CHILD SEXUAL ABUSE MATERIALS.

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

S
ECTION 1.
A
rticle 1, Chapter 1, Title 9 of the S.C. Code is
amended by adding:

S
ection
9-1-110
.
(
A)
(
1) If a state employee is convicted of,
pleads guilty or nolo contendere to any crime involving criminal sexual misconduct
with a minor or any crime involving the possession or distribution of child
sexual abuse material, including child sexual abuse material that is artificial
intelligence generated, then the state employee forfeits retirement benefits
and health benefits attributable to the person's state employment. If the
provisions of this section are utilized, the applicable
retirement
system must refund the person's employee contributions attributable to the
person's service.

(
2)
A state employee who has his retirement benefits or health benefits forfeited
pursuant to this section is entitled to receive twenty-five percent of the lost
benefit if he moves to a different state that does not share a border with a
state that borders the State of South Carolina.

(
B) For
purposes of this section:

(
1)
"Health benefits" means any benefit received through an insurance program
administered by the employee insurance program established pursuant to Article
5, Chapter 11, Title 1.

(
2)
"Retirement benefits" means any benefit received by any retirement system
administered pursuant to this title.

(
3)
"Retirement system" means any retirement system administered pursuant to this
title.

(
4)
"State employee" means any individual employed by this State.

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

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This web page was last updated on January 13, 2026 at 1:09 PM