Attorney General Alan Wilson achieves key legislative win as House passes bill to speed up investigations into child sexual abuse material

(COLUMBIA, S.C.) - Attorney General Alan Wilson announced a major victory today in the fight to protect South Carolina’s children. The House has officially passed Senate Bill 74, the Administrative Subpoena Bill, a top legislative priority this cycle for the Attorney General’s Office and a critical tool in the mission to stop child predators in their tracks. 

“This is a HUGE WIN not only for our office but for South Carolina’s children and families,” said Attorney General Wilson. “S.74 cuts through red tape and empowers our Internet Crimes Against Children (ICAC) Taskforce to move swiftly to issue administrative subpoenas in child sexual exploitation cases, dramatically reducing the time it takes to find child predators and protect children actively being harmed.” 

The passage of this bill would not have been possible without the support of our state legislators. “I want to personally thank the members of the South Carolina House and Senate for recognizing the urgency of this issue and getting it done. Your support is saving lives,” Attorney General Wilson said. 

We also extend deep gratitude to our law enforcement partners across the state. Their relentless work, day in and day out, helped drive this effort forward. Their endorsement of this bill underscores its critical importance in bringing child predators to justice faster and more effectively. 

Charleston County Sheriff Carl Ritchie said, “I am pleased to have offered support of this bill and happy to see it is headed to the Governor's desk. This bill is instrumental in effectively and without delay prosecuting individuals committing internet crimes against children. I appreciate the leadership of Attorney General Alan Wilson and the work of our legislature to get this bill passed.” 

Lexington County Sheriff Jay Koon said, “The partnership between local law enforcement and the Internet Crimes Against Children task force is invaluable when it comes to investigating and arresting criminals who prey on our children. Allowing the Attorney General to sign administrative subpoenas will speed up our ability to catch these criminals and hold them accountable. This bill is critical to protect children and get predators off the street quicker. Thank you to Attorney General Wilson for leading the charge and Senator Hembree and Representative Travis Moore for pushing this important legislation.” 

The bill now heads to Governor Henry McMaster’s desk for his signature to be signed into law.