Nursing Homes TB Tests

2025-2026 Bill 819: Nursing Homes TB Tests

South Carolina General Assembly

126th Session, 2025-2026

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A174, R153, S819

STATUS INFORMATION

General Bill

Sponsors: Senator Verdin

Document Path: SR-0458KM26.docx

Introduced in the Senate on January 15, 2026

Introduced in the House on March 4, 2026

Last Amended on February 26, 2026

Currently residing in the House

Governor's Action: May 18, 2026, Signed

Summary: Nursing Homes TB Tests

HISTORY OF LEGISLATIVE ACTIONS

Date

Body

Action Description with journal page number

1/15/2026

Senate

Introduced and read first time (
Senate Journal-page 5
)

1/15/2026

Senate

Referred to Committee on
Medical Affairs
(
Senate Journal-page 5
)

2/24/2026

Senate

Committee report: Favorable with amendment
Medical Affairs
(
Senate Journal-page 9
)

2/26/2026

Senate

Committee Amendment Adopted (
Senate Journal-page 17
)

2/26/2026

Senate

Read second time (
Senate Journal-page 17
)

2/26/2026

Senate

Roll call Ayes-39 Nays-0 (
Senate Journal-page 17
)

3/3/2026

Senate

Read third time and sent to House (
Senate Journal-page 8
)

3/4/2026

House

Introduced and read first time (
House Journal-page 8
)

3/4/2026

House

Referred to Committee on
Medical, Military, Public and Municipal Affairs
(
House Journal-page 8
)

5/5/2026

House

Committee report: Favorable
Medical, Military, Public and Municipal Affairs
(
House Journal-page 5
)

5/7/2026

House

Debate adjourned (
House Journal-page 86
)

5/12/2026

House

Read second time (
House Journal-page 69
)

5/12/2026

House

Roll call Yeas-112 Nays-0 (
House Journal-page 69
)

5/13/2026

House

Read third time and enrolled (
House Journal-page 21
)

5/14/2026

Ratified R 153

5/18/2026

Signed By Governor

5/27/2026

Effective date 05/18/26

5/27/2026

Act No. 174

View the latest
legislative information
at the website

VERSIONS OF THIS BILL

01/15/2026
02/24/2026
02/26/2026
05/05/2026

(Text matches printed bills. Document has been reformatted to meet World Wide Web specifications.)

NOTE: THIS IS A TEMPORARY VERSION. THIS DOCUMENT WILL REMAIN IN THIS VERSION UNTIL FINAL APPROVAL BY THE LEGISLATIVE COUNCIL.

(A174, R153, S819)

AN ACT TO AMEND THE SOUTH CAROLINA CODE OF LAWS BY ADDING SECTION 44-31-45 SO AS TO ESTABLISH A PROCEDURE FOR TUBERCULOSIS TESTING OF APPLICANTS AND NEW EMPLOYEES AT NURSING HOMES AND COMMUNITY RESIDENTIAL CARE FACILITIES.

Be it enacted by the General Assembly of the State of South Carolina:

Tuberculosis

SECTION 1. Chapter 31, Title 44 of the S.C. Code is amended by adding:

Section 44-31-45. (A) For the purposes of this section:

(1) "Authorized healthcare provider" means a physician, nurse practitioner, physician assistant, or registered nurse acting under written standing orders or a protocol approved by a physician.

(2) "Blood assay for mycobacterium tuberculosis" means an interferon-gamma release assay or other blood tests for tuberculosis infection approved by the FDA.

(B)(1) Prior to an applicant for employment having resident contact at a nursing home or community residential care facility, as defined in Section 44-7-130, a facility shall:

(a) conduct an annual tuberculosis risk assessment using a high, medium, or low risk standard in accordance with CDC guidelines to determine the facility's risk classification and appropriate screening measures;

(b) request and receive from an authorized healthcare provider a signed, written declaration that the applicant:

(i) has received a negative tuberculosis screening test, either a single skin test or a single blood assay for mycobacterium tuberculosis within three months prior to resident contact; or

(ii) documentation of a negative tuberculosis screening test within the previous twelve months; and

(iii) exhibits no signs or symptoms of active tuberculosis disease.

(2) Upon receipt of documentation from an authorized healthcare provider that the applicant satisfied the provisions contained in subsection (B)(1)(b), the applicant may begin work at the nursing home or residential care facility subject to the following conditions:

(a) If the documented negative tuberculosis test was a tuberculin skin test, the nursing home or community residential care facility must place and read the second step skin test within the first fourteen days of resident contact.

(b) No further testing is required if the applicant received a negative blood assay for mycobacterium tuberculosis within three months prior to resident contact, no further testing is required. If the applicant received a negative blood assay for mycobacterium more than three months prior to resident contact, a single tuberculin skin test or single blood assay for mycobacterium tuberculosis can be administered within the first fourteen days of resident contact to serve as the baseline.

(C) Applicants with a prior positive or newly positive tuberculosis test result or who exhibits symptoms of tuberculosis including, but not limited to, cough, weight loss, night sweats, or fever, shall immediately undergo a chest radiograph to exclude tuberculosis disease. If a physician is unable to exclude tuberculosis disease after the chest radiograph, then the applicant must be excluded from work until he is cleared by the department's tuberculosis control program. The applicant must also be evaluated for treatment of tuberculosis disease or latent tuberculosis infection pursuant to the department's and CDC's guidelines.

Time effective

SECTION 2. This act takes effect upon approval by the Governor.

Ratified the 14th day of May, 2026.

Approved the 18th day of May, 2026.

__________

This web page was last updated on
June 2, 2026 at 11:21 AM