SC Senate bill could merge three state agencies
COLUMBIA, S.C. (WSPA) – A bill that passed in the Senate would combine three state agencies into one.
The senate voted 43 to 2 to pass this bill to the House of Representatives, with the goal of streamlining healthcare resources.
A bill that would merge six different state agencies was struck down after it was very close to Governor Henry McMaster's desk last year.
'Concerns raised as the bill moved through the process that we were taking too many agencies and bringing it under one roof, and that might have some implications from a public policy standpoint that were unintended,' said Senator Tom Davis (R – District 46).
Lawmakers said this new bill is more modest, it would combine three state agencies: The Department of Mental Health, Department of Disabilities and Special Needs, and the Department of Alcohol and Other Drug Related Substances.
The new department would be called the Behavioral Health and Developmental Disabilities.
Davis said our state healthcare system needs improvements and this bill would optimize health care outcomes.
'We're the only state in the nation, the only one out of 50, that has this particular structural problem; and in fact, it's a direct quote from the from the report: 'South Carolina has the most fragmented health services structure in the nation,'' Davis said.
The vote to pass the bill was not unanimous. In the original bill, deputies and officers could assist the Public Health Department during a state of Public Health Emergencies.
Senator Tom Corbin (R – District 5) had an issue with that.
'I don't think that we can have in a bill where a Sheriff has to fall under an Agency Director and take orders from an Agency Director, regardless of whether it's a state of emergency or not.'
Davis said those concerns were addressed and taken out of the bill to put the focus back on patients.
'The resulting problem is, a lot of times, South Carolinians don't know where to go to get their services,' Davis said.
Davis said he is unsure about what the exact cost will be to combine these agencies but said there will most likely be savings because they may have to eliminate duplicate positions within staff.
The South Carolina Department of Disabilities and Special Needs sent this statement:
'The South Carolina Department of Disabilities and Special Needs ('DDSN') does not have an opinion on the pending legislation. Regardless of its reporting structure, DDSN remains committed to its mission to support individuals with intellectual disabilities, autism, head and spinal cord injuries, as well as conditions related to these four disabilities.'
The South Carolina Department of Mental Health sent the following statement:
'SCDMH supports legislative efforts to improve patient care.'
The bill will now head over to the House for discussions.
Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
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