S.C. Code Ann. § 8-13-710 – Reporting of particular gifts received by public employee, official, or member on statement of economic interests

(A) Unless provided by subsection (B) and in addition to the requirements of Chapter 17 of Title 2, a public official or public employee required to file a statement of economic interests under Section 8-13-1110 who accepts anything of value from a lobbyist's principal must report the value of anything received on his statement of economic interests pursuant to Section 8-13-1120(A)(9).
(B) A public official, public member, or public employee required to file a statement of economic interests under Section 8-13-1110 who receives, accepts, or takes, directly or indirectly, from a person, anything of value worth twenty-five dollars or more in a day and anything of value worth two hundred dollars or more in the aggregate in a calendar year must report on his statement of economic interests pursuant to Section 8-13-1120 the thing of value from:
1. (1) a person, if there is reason to believe the donor would not give the thing of value but for the public official's public member's, or public employee's office or position;
2. (2) a person, or from an officer or director of a person, if the public official, public member, or public employee has reason to believe the person:
  1. (a) has or is seeking to obtain contractual or other business or financial relationships with the public official's, public member's, or public employee's governmental entity;
  2. (b) conducts operations or activities which are regulated by the public official's, public member's, or public employee's governmental entity.
(C) Nothing in this section requires a public official, public member, or public employee to report a gift from a parent, grandparent, or relative to a child, grandchild, or other immediate family member for love and affection.
ETHICS COMMISSION OPINIONS
1. In General
County officials who receive anything of value from lobbyist principal are required to disclose such transaction on Statement of Economic Interests. Anything of value given by donor who would not have given it but for the recipient's public position, or who is regulated by or who seeks contractual arrangement with recipient's agency, is required to disclose such on Statement of Economic Interests. Whether particular thing of value is given to influence official action must be determined on case-by-case analysis. Op S. C. St Ethics Comm., SEC AO92-092-031, Dec 18, 1991.
Non-profit trade association's ad hoc espousal of position on legislation or other official State action does not constitute lobbying, and neither association nor its board members or officers are lobbyists or lobbyist's principals within meaning of Ethics Reform Act. Op. S.C. St. Ethics Comm., SEC AO94-005, August 18, 1993.