COLUMBIA, S.C. (AP) - The South Carolina Senate approved a bill Thursday to protect children from parents who abuse drugs and debated whether to formally disapprove of the Department of Social Services director. A no-confidence vote could come next week.
The bill is named for 22-month-old Jaidon Morris, who died in 2008 of a drug overdose a week after being returned to his parents from foster care.
Sponsoring Rep. Mike Forrester, R-Spartanburg, said he hopes his bill prevents other children’s deaths. If children are removed from their home because of drug use, the measure would require drug tests before a court rules on parents regaining custody. It also gives the Department of Social Services greater ability to end visits between a parent and child.
“At the end of the day, we’ll have something benefiting the children who can’t look out for themselves,” Forrester said.
The bill now returns to the House.
The Senate’s approval followed an amendment requiring the children’s welfare agency to tell lawmakers annually how many children are in the agency’s care and on social workers’ caseloads. Another Senate amendment requires audits of the agency every three years. The additions come as a Senate panel investigates potential problems at the agency. A growing number of senators are calling for the ousting of its director, Lillian Koller. Gov. Nikki Haley continues to support her. DSS is a Cabinet agency.
Haley’s office has dismissed the calls for resignation or firing as election-year politics. On Tuesday, three House Democrats introduced a resolution seeking a no-confidence vote in Koller. It was quickly discarded in the Republican-led House.
But the effort is increasingly bipartisan in the Senate.
A resolution introduced Thursday by three Republicans and three Democrats says the agency under Koller’s leadership has failed to protect the state’s abused and neglected children. The Senate unanimously agreed to put the resolution directly on the calendar, bypassing the committee process and allowing a vote on the no-confidence measure Tuesday.
“It’s time,” said Sen. Katrina Shealy, R-Lexington, a member of the panel looking into DSS. “All the problems are not Koller’s fault. But they haven’t gotten any better. They’re not going to get any better.”
The panel has asked Koller to return for a third day of testimony next Wednesday.
Senators have focused on the deaths of two children in Richland County and one in Charleston County. Koller acknowledged last week that many caseworkers’ loads are too large. She said the agency is working to set practical goals to make caseloads manageable for social workers.
The agency has repeatedly said the average caseload statewide is six, but senators say some employees complain of being responsible for up to 100 cases. Panel members browsing a folder of data last week said it showed few workers with less than 10 cases. DSS still has not provided that packet to reporters.
The Legislature can’t force Koller out. That is a decision for Haley, who appointed her in 2011. But Sen. Joel Lourie, D-Columbia, said the Senate will reform the agency with or without Koller, in next year’s budget process. The panel he sits on will make recommendations on the appropriate number of social workers and their salaries.
Senate President Pro Tem John Courson, R-Columbia, called for Koller’s resignation last month. However, he doesn’t support the resolution, saying Thursday he doesn’t want to set a Senate precedent.
In response to Thursday’s Senate action, the agency released a statement saying it supports any effort to help DSS better serve South Carolina’s children and families.
“DSS will always welcome the opportunity to work with our legislators and community partners about the countless hours and complex decisions our front-line workers make every day to protect the at-risk children of our state,” the statement reads. “We are dedicated to delivering the most innovative services possible and will never stop working for ways improve our methods and practices.”
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