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2025-2026 Bill 897: Measels Vaccine Required to Attend Public School - South Carolina Legislature Online
South Carolina General Assembly
126th Session, 2025-2026
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S. 897
STATUS INFORMATION
General Bill
Sponsors: Senators Matthews, Sutton and Graham
Document Path: SR-0106CEM26.docx
Introduced in the Senate on February 5, 2026
Currently residing in the Senate Committee on
Medical Affairs
Summary: Measels Vaccine Required to Attend Public School
HISTORY OF LEGISLATIVE ACTIONS
Date
Body
Action Description with journal page number
2/5/2026
Senate
Introduced and read first time (
Senate Journal-page 4
)
2/5/2026
Senate
Referred to Committee on
Medical Affairs
(
Senate Journal-page 4
)
View the latest
legislative information
at the website
VERSIONS OF THIS BILL
02/05/2026
A bill
TO AMEND THE SOUTH CAROLINA CODE OF LAWS BY AMENDING
SECTION
44-29-180
, RELATING TO VACCINATION AND IMMUNIZATION REQUIREMENTS OF
SCHOOL PUPILS AND DAY CARE CENTER CHILDREN, SO AS TO REMOVE THE RELIGIOUS
EXEMPTION FOR THE MMR VACCINE FOR CHILDREN ATTENDING PUBLIC SCHOOLS; BY
AMENDING SECTION
59-8-110
, RELATING TO EDUCATION SCHOLARSHIP TRUST FUND
DEFINITIONS, SO AS TO DEFINE AN ELIGIBLE STUDENT AS ONE WHO HAS HAD A MMR
VACCINE OR A MEDICAL EXEMPTION; BY AMENDING SECTION
59-41-20
, RELATING TO
CHILDREN ELIGIBLE FOR GRANTS, SO AS TO INCLUDE A REQUIREMENT THAT AN ELIGIBLE
CHILD HAS A MMR VACCINE OR MEDICAL EXEMPTION; AND BY ADDING SECTION
59-101-600
SO AS TO MANDATE A PERSON MUST HAVE A MMR VACCINE TO ATTEND A PUBLIC
INSTITUTION OF HIGHER LEARNING.
B
e it enacted by the
General Assembly of the State of South Carolina:
S
ECTION 1.
S
ection
44-29-180
of the S.C. Code is amended to read:
S
ection
44-29-180
.
(
A) No superintendent of
an institution of learning, no school board or principal of a 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 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
only
its exemptions apply to this section
; but the Department of Public Health or a local health
department shall not grant a Certificate of Religious Exemption for the measles,
mumps, and rubella (MMR) vaccine
.
(
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, or a valid South Carolina Certificate of Religious Exemption.
(
E)
Registered family day care homes are exempt from requirements of this section.
S
ECTION 2.
S
ection
59-8-110
(4) of the S.C. Code is amended to
read:
(
4) "Eligible student" means a student
who:
(
a)
is a resident of this State;
and
(
b)
(
i) has attained at least the age of
five on or before September first of the school year in which scholarship funds
are awarded;
(
ii)
in School Year 2025-2026, has a household income that does not exceed three
hundred percent of the federal poverty guidelines; and
(
iii)
in School Year 2026-2027, and all subsequent years has a household income that
does not exceed five hundred percent of the federal poverty guidelines
; and
.
(
c) has a valid South Carolina
Certificate of Immunization that shows the student has been administered at
least two doses of the measles, mumps, and rubella (MMR) vaccine or a valid
South Carolina Certificate of Medcical Exemption.
"
Eligible student"
does not include students participating in the Educational Credit for
Exceptional Needs Children's Fund program, as provided in Section
12-6-3790
or
a student who is not subject to the compulsory attendance requirements of
Section
59-65-10
.
S
ECTION 3.
S
ection
59-41-20
of the S.C. Code is amended to read:
S
ection
59-41-20
. Subject to the terms and provisions of this chapter every school
child in the State who has not yet finished or graduated from high school
, has a valid South Carolina Certificate of Immunization that
shows the student has been administered at least two doses of the measles,
mumps, and rubella (MMR) vaccine or a valid South Carolina Certificate of
Medcical Exemption,
and who desires to attend a private school located
within the State shall be eligible for and entitled to receive a State
scholarship grant in an amount equal to the per pupil cost to the State of
public education as certified by the Governor.
S
ECTION 4.
C
hapter 101, Title 59 of the S.C. Code is amended by
adding:
S
ection
59-101-600
. Notwithstanding any other provision of law, no one may attend a
public institution of higher learning without having been successfully
administered at least two doses of the measles, mumps, and rubella (MMR)
vaccine.
S
ECTION 5. This act takes effect upon approval
by the Governor.
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This web page was last updated on February 5, 2026 at 11:36 AM