2023 South Carolina Code of Laws › Title 1 - Administration of the Government › Chapter 30 - Departments Of State Government › Section 1-30-10. Departments of State Government.

(A) There are hereby created, within the executive branch of the state government, the following departments:
1. Department of Administration
2. Department of Agriculture
3. Department of Alcohol and Other Drug Abuse Services
4. Department of Commerce
5. Department of Corrections
6. Department of Disabilities and Special Needs
7. Department of Education
Text of (A)8 effective until July 1, 2024.
8. Department of Health and Environmental Control
Text of (A)8 effective July 1, 2024.
8. Department of Public Health
9. Department of Health and Human Services
10. Department of Insurance
11. Department of Juvenile Justice
12. Department of Labor, Licensing and Regulation
13. Department of Mental Health
14. Department of Motor Vehicles
15. Department of Natural Resources
16. Department of Parks, Recreation and Tourism
17. Department of Probation, Parole and Pardon Services
18. Department of Public Safety
19. Department of Revenue
20. Department of Social Services
21. Department of Transportation
22. Department of Employment and Workforce
23. Department on Aging
24. Department of Veterans' Affairs.
Text of (A)25 effective July 1, 2024.
25. Department of Environmental Services
Text of (B)(1) effective until the approval and ratification of an amendment to Section 7, Article VI of the South Carolina Constitution. The referendum to amend Section 7, Article VI failed on November 6, 2018. See Editor's Note.
(B)(1) The governing authority of each department shall be:
(i) a director or a secretary, who must be appointed by the Governor with the advice and consent of the Senate, subject to removal from office by the Governor pursuant to provisions of Section 1-3-240(B); or
(ii) a board to be appointed and constituted in a manner provided for by law; or
(iii) in the case of the Department of Agriculture and the Department of Education, the State Commissioner of Agriculture and the State Superintendent of Education, respectively, elected to office under the Constitution of this State; or
(iv) in the case of the Department of Transportation, a seven member commission constituted in a manner provided by law, and a Secretary of Transportation appointed by and serving at the pleasure of the Governor.
Text of (B)(1) effective upon the approval and ratification of an amendment to Section 7, Article VI of the South Carolina Constitution. The referendum to amend Section 7, Article VI failed on November 6, 2018. See Editor's Note.
(B)(1) The governing authority of each department shall be:
(i) a director or a secretary, who must be appointed by the Governor with the advice and consent of the Senate, subject to removal from office by the Governor pursuant to provisions of Section 1-3-240(B); or
(ii) a board to be appointed and constituted in a manner provided for by law; or
(iii) in the case of the Department of Agriculture, the State Commissioner of Agriculture elected to office under the Constitution of this State; or
(iv) in the case of the Department of Education, the State Superintendent of Education appointed by the Governor with the advice and consent of the Senate, serving at the pleasure of the Governor; or
(v) in the case of the Department of Transportation, a seven member commission constituted in a manner provided by law, and a Secretary of Transportation appointed by and serving at the pleasure of the Governor.
(2) In making an appointment for a governing authority of a department, race, gender, and other demographic factors should be considered to assure nondiscrimination, inclusion, and representation to the greatest extent possible of all segments of the population of this State; however, consideration of these factors in no way creates a cause of action or basis for an employee grievance for a person appointed or for a person who fails to be appointed. The Governor in making the appointments provided for by this section shall endeavor to appoint individuals who have demonstrated exemplary managerial skills in either the public or private sector.
(C) Each department shall be organized into appropriate subdivisions by the governing authority of the department through further consolidation or further subdivision. The power to organize and reorganize the department into divisions lies with the General Assembly in furtherance of its mandate pursuant to Article XII of the South Carolina Constitution, 1895. The dissolution of any division must likewise be statutorily approved by the General Assembly.
(D) The governing authority of a department is vested with the duty of overseeing, managing, and controlling the operation, administration, and organization of the department. The governing authority has the power to create and appoint standing or ad hoc advisory committees in its discretion or at the direction of the Governor to assist the department in particular areas of public concern or professional expertise as is deemed appropriate. Such committees shall serve at the pleasure of the governing authority and committee members shall not receive salary or per diem, but shall be entitled to reimbursement for actual and necessary expenses incurred pursuant to the discharge of official duties not to exceed the per diem, mileage, and subsistence amounts allowed by law for members of boards, commissions, and committees.
(E) The governing authority of a department may appoint deputies to head the divisions of their department, with each deputy managing one or more of the divisions; in the case of the Department of Commerce, the Secretary of Commerce may appoint a departmental executive director and also may appoint directors to manage the various divisions of the Department of Commerce. In making appointments race, gender, and other demographic factors should be considered to assure nondiscrimination, inclusion, and representation to the greatest extent possible of all segments of the population of this State; however, consideration of these factors in making an appointment in no way creates a cause of action or basis for an employee grievance for a person appointed or for a person who fails to be appointed. Deputies serve at the will and pleasure of the governing authority. The deputy of a division is vested with the duty of overseeing, managing, and controlling the operation and administration of the division under the direction and control of the department's governing authority and performing such other duties as delegated by the department's governing authority.
(F) In the event a vacancy occurs in the office of the department's governing authority at a time when the General Assembly is not in session, the Governor temporarily may fill the vacancy pursuant to Section 1-3-210.
(G)(1) Department and agency governing authorities must, no later than the first day of the 2015 Legislative Session and every twelve months thereafter, submit to the Governor and General Assembly reports giving detailed and comprehensive recommendations for the purposes of merging or eliminating duplicative or unnecessary divisions, programs, or personnel within each department to provide a more efficient administration of government services. If an agency or department has no recommendations for restructuring of divisions, programs, or personnel, its report must contain a statement to that effect. Upon their receipt by the President of the Senate and the Speaker of the House of Representatives, these reports must be referred as information to the standing committees of the respective bodies most jurisdictionally related in subject matter to each agency. Alternatively, the House and Senate may provide by rule for the referral of these reports. The Governor periodically must consult with the governing authorities of the various departments and upon such consultation, the Governor must submit a report of any restructuring recommendations to the General Assembly for its review and consideration.
(2) Department and agency governing authorities must, no later than the first day of the 2015 Legislative Session, and, as a part of the agency's seven-year oversight study and investigation conducted pursuant to Chapter 2, Title 2, submit to the Governor and the General Assembly a seven-year plan that provides initiatives and/or planned actions that implement cost savings and increased efficiencies of services and responsibilities within the projected seven-year period.
(H) [Repealed].
HISTORY: 1993 Act No. 181, Section 1; 1994 Act No. 281, Section 1; 1994 Act No. 361, Sections 1, 2; 1995 Act No. 83, Sections 6, 7; 2007 Act No. 114, Section 1, eff June 27, 2007; 2010 Act No. 146, Section 3, eff March 30, 2010; 2012 Act No. 222, Section 1, eff June 7, 2012; 2014 Act No. 121 (S.22), Pt III, Section 3, eff July 1, 2015; 2014 Act No. 121 (S.22), Pt IV, Section 6.A, eff January 1, 2015; 2018 Act No. 178 (S.27), Section 2, eff upon contingency; 2018 Act No. 261 (S.107), Pt I, Section 2, eff January 1, 2019; 2019 Act No. 26 (H.3438), Section 1, eff July 1, 2019; 2023 Act No. 60 (S.399), Sections 6.A, 6.B, eff July 1, 2024.
Code Commissioner's Note
Pursuant to the directive to the Code Commissioner in 2010 Act No. 146, Section 114, "Department of Employment and Workforce" was substituted for "Department of Workforce".
At the direction of the Code Commissioner in 2011, the provisions of subsection (B)(2) were restored to correct the inadvertent deletion of those provisions in 2007.
Editor's Note
2012 Act No. 222, Section 15, provides as follows:
"SECTION 15. Notwithstanding any other provision of law to the contrary, any person elected or appointed to serve, or serving, as a member of any board, commission, or committee to represent a congressional district, whose residency is transferred to another district by a change in the composition of the district, may serve, or continue to serve, the term of office for which he was elected or appointed; however, the appointing or electing authority shall appoint or elect an additional member on that board, commission, or committee from the district which loses a resident member on it as a result of the transfer to serve until the term of the transferred member expires. When a vacancy occurs in the district to which a member has been transferred, the vacancy must not be filled until the full term of the transferred member expires."
2018 Act No. 178, Sections 4 and 6, provide as follows:
"SECTION 4. The person elected State Superintendent of Education in the 2018 General Election shall serve out his term; however, if the person vacates that office before the term expires in January 2023, any successors must: (1) be appointed as provided in Section 1-30-10(B)(1)(iv); and (2) must satisfy the experience requirements of Section 59-3-10(B)."
"SECTION 6. The provisions of Section 59-3-10(B), as contained in SECTION 1, take effect upon approval by the Governor. The remaining provisions of this act take effect upon approval and ratification of an amendment to Section 7, Article VI of the South Carolina Constitution, 1895, providing for the appointment of the State Superintendent of Education by the Governor, with the advice and consent of the Senate, and are applicable beginning with the 2018 General Election."
The referendum to amend Article VI, Section 7 failed on November 6, 2018.
2019 Act No. 26, Section 4, provides as follows:
"SECTION 4. (A) All classified or unclassified personnel employed by these offices on the effective date of this act, either by contract or by employment at will, shall become employees of the Department of Veterans' Affairs, with the same compensation, classification, and grade level, as applicable. The Department of Administration shall cause all necessary actions to be taken to accomplish this transfer in accordance with state laws and regulations.
"(B) Regulations promulgated by the Division of Veterans' Affairs as it formerly existed under the Department of Administration are continued and are considered to be promulgated by the newly created Department of Veterans' Affairs.
"(C) The Code Commissioner is directed to change or correct all references to Division of Veterans' Affairs within the Department of Administration in the 1976 Code, to reflect the transfer of it to the Department of Veterans' Affairs. References to the Division of Veterans' Affairs in the 1976 Code or other provisions of law are considered to be and must be construed to mean appropriate reference to the Department of Veterans' Affairs. This authority shall not be construed to remove any authority from the Department of Administration for approval of statewide policies, procedures, regulations, rates and fees, or specific actions requiring Department of Administration approval."
2023 Act No. 60, Section 1, provides as follows:
"SECTION 1. On July 1, 2024:
"(1) There is created the Department of Public Health to be headed by a director who is appointed by the Governor pursuant to Section 1-30-10, with the advice and consent of the Senate; provided, however, until the Governor appoints the initial director after creation of the Department of Public Health, the Director of the Department of Health and Environmental Control shall serve as the Director of the Department of Public Health.
"(2) There is created the Department of Environmental Services to be headed by a director who is appointed by the Governor pursuant to Section 1-30-10, with the advice and consent of the Senate; provided, however, until the Governor appoints the initial director after creation of the Department of Environmental Services, the Director of Environmental Affairs of the Department of Health and Environmental Control shall serve as the Director of the Department of Environmental Services.
"(3) The South Carolina Department of Health and Environmental Control and the South Carolina Board of Health and Environmental Control are abolished.
"(4) The food safety program in the Division of Food and Lead Risk Assessment and the Milk and Dairy Lab of the Department of Health and Environmental Control shall become a division of the Department of Agriculture with the director of that department being deemed the head of the division unless otherwise specified, and all relevant powers and duties assigned to the Department of Health and Environmental Control being transferred to and devolved upon the Department of Agriculture.
"(5) The authority to establish, manage, and operate veterans homes shall be transferred to the Department of Veterans' Affairs, and all powers and duties assigned to the Department of Mental Health regarding veterans homes being transferred to and devolved upon the Department of Veterans' Affairs. To the extent, the Department of Mental Health owns the grounds upon which these veterans homes are located, title shall be transferred to the Department of Veterans' Affairs.
"(6) The hydrology and aquatic nuisance species programs of the Land, Water and Conservation Division of the Department of Natural Resources shall become a division of the Department of Environmental Services, and all relevant powers and duties assigned to the Department of Natural Resources being transferred to and devolved upon the Department of Environmental Services."
Effect of Amendment
The 2007 amendment added subparagraph (B)(1)(iv) relating to the Department of Transportation.
The 2010 amendment added subparagraph (A)20, relating to creation of the Department of Employment and Workforce.
The 2012 amendment removed "seven member" from subsection (B)(1)(ii).
2014 Act No. 121, Section 3, in subsection (A), added "Department of Administration" and "Department of Motor Vehicles", and renumbered the paragraphs accordingly.
2014 Act No. 121, Section 6.A, rewrote subsections (B), (C), (E), (F), (G), and deleted former subsection (H).
2018 Act No. 178, Section 2, in (B)(1), in (iii), deleted "and the Department of Education" following "Department of Agriculture" and "and the State Superintendent of Education, respectively," following "State Commissioner of Agriculture", inserted (iv), and redesignated (iv) as (v).
2018 Act No. 261, Section 2, in (A), added 23 relating to the Department on Aging, and made a nonsubstantive change.
2019 Act No. 26, Section 1, in (A), added 24, relating to the Department of Veterans' Affairs.
2023 Act No. 60, Section 6.A, in (A)8, substituted "Department of Public Health" for "Department of Health and Environmental Control".
2023 Act No. 60, Section 6.B, in (A), added 25.