Signed by Governor Henry McMaster

Vote Smart's Synopsis:

Vote to concur with house amendments and pass a bill that establishes allocations of federal COVID-19 appropriations to the state.

Highlights:

• Specifies that if the 2020-2021 state fiscal year begins with no annual general appropriations bill in effect for that year, the authority to pay the recurring expenses of state government will continue at the levels appropriated in the 2019 budget (Part I, Sec. 1).

• Appropriates $175 million from the 2018-2019 contingency reserve fund to the Office of State Treasurer in order to establish a COVID-19 Response Reserve Account which will be separate and distinct from other accounts (Part II, Sec. 3).

• Appropriates $20 million from the $175 million 2018-2019 contingency fund allocation to the Disaster Trust Fund to be used for disaster relief assistance for a federally declared disaster or state of emergency declared by the governor (Part II, Sec. 3).

• Appropriates $25 million to the Medical University of South Carolina for statewide community COVID-19 testing (Part II, Sec. 3).

• Requires the Medical University of South Carolina to develop and deploy a statewide COVID-19 testing plan within 10 days of this bill’s enactment that emphasizes testing in rural communities, communities with a high prevalence of COVID-19, and demographic characteristics with higher proportions of (Part II, Sec. 3):

• Seniors;

• African Americans; or

• Individuals with chronic lung disease, asthma, serious heart conditions, severe obesity, compromised immune system, diabetes, liver disease, or who are on dialysis.

• Appropriates $1.5 million to the Department of Administration for oversight and compliance of state spending of federal COVID-19 relief funds (Part II, Sec. 3).

• Authorizes the governor to appropriate $15 million from the COVID-19 Response Reserve Account to underwrite the cost of protection for the health and safety of voters, poll workers, and employees of a county election commission related to conducting the 2020 primary, runoff, and general elections (Part II, Sec. 3).

• Specifies that all voluntary support payments made by an employer to a furloughed employee as a result of the COVID-19 crisis will be classified as a form of severance pay and are not wages or subject to repayment by a furloughed employee (Part II, Sec. 10).

• Specifies that the provisions of this act shall take effect upon approval of the governor (Part III, Sec. 15).

Full Bill Text