South Carolina § 44-4-110 - Legislative findings and intent.

§ 44-4-110. Legislative findings and intent.

The General Assembly finds that:

(1) the government must do more to protect the health, safety, and general well being of our citizens;

(2) new and emerging dangers, including emergent and resurgent infectious diseases and incidents of civilian mass casualties, pose serious and immediate threats;

(3) a renewed focus on the prevention, detection, management, and containment of public health emergencies is called for;

(4) emergency health threats, including those caused by chemical terrorism, radiological terrorism, bioterrorism, and epidemics, require the exercise of extraordinary government functions. Chemical terrorism and bioterrorism pose especial threats to the food supply of the State;

(5) this State must have the ability to respond, rapidly and effectively, to potential or actual public health emergencies;

(6) the exercise of emergency health powers must promote the common good;

(7) emergency health powers must be grounded in a thorough scientific understanding of public health threats and disease transmission;

(8) guided by principles of justice, it is the duty of this State to act with fairness and tolerance toward individuals and groups;

(9) the rights of people to liberty, bodily integrity, and privacy must be respected to the fullest extent possible consistent with the overriding importance of the public's health and security; and

(10) this act is necessary to protect the health and safety of the citizens of this State.

HISTORY: 2002 Act No. 339, SECTION 24, eff July 2, 2002.