2016 South Carolina Code of Laws
Title 63 - South Carolina Children's Code
CHAPTER 13 - CHILDCARE FACILITIES
Section 63-13-430. License renewal.

(A) Regular licenses may be renewed upon application and approval. Notification of a childcare center or group childcare home regarding renewal is the responsibility of the department.

(B) Application for renewal must be made on forms supplied by the department in the manner it prescribes.

(C) Before renewing a license the department shall conduct an investigation of the childcare center or group childcare home. If the results of the investigation verify that the provisions of this chapter and the applicable regulations promulgated by the department are satisfied, the license must be renewed. The licensee shall cooperate with the investigation and related inspections by providing access to the physical plant, records, and staff. Failure to comply with the regulations promulgated by the department within the time period specified in this chapter, if adequate notification of deficiencies has been made, is a ground for revocation of the license. The investigation and inspections may involve consideration of any facts, conditions, or circumstances relevant to the operation of the childcare center or group childcare home.

(D) No license may be renewed for any operator who has been convicted of:

(1) a crime listed in Chapter 3 of Title 16, Offenses Against the Person;

(2) a crime listed in Chapter 15 of Title 16, Offenses Against Morality and Decency;

(3) the crime of contributing to the delinquency of a minor, contained in Section 16-17-490;

(4) the felonies classified in Section 16-1-10(A);

(5) the offenses enumerated in Section 16-1-10(D); or

(6) a criminal offense similar in nature to the crimes listed in this subsection committed in other jurisdictions or under federal law.

This section does not prohibit renewal when a conviction or plea of guilty or nolo contendere for one of the crimes enumerated in this subsection has been pardoned. However, notwithstanding the entry of a pardon, the department may consider all information available, including the person's pardoned convictions or pleas and the circumstances surrounding them, to determine whether the person is unfit or otherwise unsuited to be an operator.

(E) Application forms for license renewals issued under this section must include, at the top of the form in large bold type, a statement indicating that a person who has been convicted of a crime enumerated in subsection (D) who applies for a license renewal as operator is guilty of a misdemeanor and, upon conviction, must be fined not more than five thousand dollars or imprisoned not more than one year, or both.

(F) A licensee seeking license renewal under this section, its employees, and its caregivers, who have not done so previously, on the first renewal after June 30, 1995, shall undergo a state fingerprint review to be conducted by the State Law Enforcement Division to determine any state criminal history and a fingerprint review to be conducted by the Federal Bureau of Investigation to determine any other criminal history.

(G) No facility may employ or engage the services of an employee or caregiver who has been convicted of one of the crimes listed in this section.

HISTORY: 2008 Act No. 361, Section 2.