Special Purpose Districts Retirement

2025-2026 Bill 980: Special Purpose Districts Retirement - South Carolina Legislature Online

South Carolina General Assembly
126th Session, 2025-2026
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S. 980
STATUS INFORMATION
General Bill
Sponsors: Senator Turner
Document Path: SR-0520KM26.docx
Introduced in the Senate on March 5, 2026
Currently residing in the Senate Committee on
Finance
Summary: Special Purpose Districts Retirement
HISTORY OF LEGISLATIVE ACTIONS

Date

Body

Action Description with journal page number

3/5/2026

Senate

Introduced and read first time (
Senate Journal-page 6
)

3/5/2026

Senate

Referred to Committee on
Finance
(
Senate Journal-page 6
)

View the latest
legislative information
at the website
VERSIONS OF THIS BILL
03/05/2026

A bill

TO AMEND THE SOUTH CAROLINA CODE OF LAWS BY AMENDING
SECTION
9-20-10
, RELATING TO STATE OPTIONAL RETIREMENT PROGRAM DEFINITIONS, SO
AS TO INCLUDE SPECIAL PURPOSE DISTRICTS IN THE DEFINITION OF "EMPLOYER".

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

S
ECTION 1.
S
ections
9-20-10
(1) and (2) of the S.C. Code are
amended to read:

(
1) "Employer" means:

(
a)
a school district that receives funding from the State from the annual
appropriation to the Department of Education for Aid to School
Districts-Employer Contributions in the annual general appropriations act;

(
b)
a four-year and postgraduate institution of higher education supported and
under the control of the State;

(
c)
a technical college supported and under the control of the State;

(
d)
the State or any of its departments, agencies, bureaus, commissions, and
institutions, provided that such entity does not meet the definition of item
(1)(a), (b), or (c) of this section
.
; or

(
e) a special purpose district, as
defined in Section
6-11-1610
, that participates as an employer in the South
Carolina Retirement System.

(
2)
"Eligible employee" means:

(
a)
a person hired on or after July 1, 2001, by an employer as defined in Section
9-20-10
(1)(a) to fill a permanent full-time position;

(
b)
a person hired on or after July 1, 2002, by an employer as defined in Section
9-20-10
(1)(b), (c), or (d) to fill a permanent full-time position;

(
c)
a person hired on or after July 1, 2003, by an employer as defined in Section
9-20-10
(1)
(a), (b), (c), or (d)
to fill a temporary
position or a part-time permanent position;

(
d)
a person employed by an employer as defined in Section
9-20-10
(1) who, as of
June 30, 2001, was a participant of the Optional Retirement Program for
Teachers and School Administrators or who, as of June 30, 2002, was a
participant of the Optional Retirement Program for Publicly Supported Four-Year
and Postgraduate Institutions of Higher Education;
or

(
e)
an employee, hired on or after January 1, 2003, by the State or any of its
departments, agencies, bureaus, commissions, or institutions who is not covered
by the State Employee Grievance Procedure but who is eligible to participate in
either the South Carolina Retirement System or the Police Officers Retirement
System
.
; or

(
f) an employee, hired after June 30,
2027, by an employer as defined in Section
9-20-10
(1)(e).

H
owever, an employee
who exercises an option to not participate in the South Carolina Retirement
System under Section
9-1-550
is not eligible to participate in the State
Optional Retirement Program.

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

----XX----

This web page was last updated on March 5, 2026 at 11:44 AM