1. (A) The Office of Research and Statistics must be comprised of an Economic Research division and an Office of Precinct Demographics division.
2. (B) The Economic Research division shall maintain the organizational and procedural framework under which it is operating, and exercise its powers, duties, and responsibilities, as of the effective date of this section.

3. (C) The Office of Precinct Demographics shall:

   1. (1) review existing precinct boundaries and maps for accuracy and develop and rewrite descriptions of precincts for submission to the legislative process;
   2. (2) consult with members of the General Assembly or their designees on matters related to precinct construction or discrepancies that may exist or occur in precinct boundary development in the counties they represent;
   3. (3) develop a system for originating and maintaining precinct maps and related data for the State;
   4. (4) represent the General Assembly at public meetings, meetings with members of the General Assembly, and meetings with other state, county, or local governmental entities on matters related to precincts;
   5. (5) assist the appropriate county officials in the drawing of maps and writing of descriptions or precincts preliminary to these maps and descriptions being filed in this office for submission to the United States Department of Justice;
   6. (6) coordinate with the Census Bureau in the use of precinct boundaries in constructing census boundaries and the identification of effective uses of precinct and census information for planning purposes; and
   7. (7) serve as a focal point for verifying official precinct information for the counties of South Carolina.

HISTORY: 2014 Act No. 121 (S.22), Pt VI, Section 8.A, eff July 1, 2014.