Senator Deon Tedder joined Gov. Henry McMaster and constituents at the State House for the ceremonial signing of legislation authored by Sen. Tedder to help ensure South Carolina workplaces are better prepared to respond when someone experiences a seizure.
Senate Bill 935, now Act 229, requires the South Carolina Department of Public Health to develop evidence-based seizure first aid materials and make them available to state governmental entities. The new law also requires state agencies and political subdivisions to post the information in a visible and accessible location for employees.
“A constituent, Ms. Jenvon Cherry who is the CEO of the nonprofit Epitome of Epilepsy, brought this issue to me after sharing what people with epilepsy can go through at work, especially when they have a seizure and the people around them aren’t sure what to do,” Tedder said. “This bill is a simple way to help fix that. It gives people better information about how to respond, while also helping raise awareness about epilepsy and reduce some of the stigma and discrimination that people still face. I’m proud we were able to get unanimous support from both parties, and it meant a lot to have some of the constituents who helped bring this issue forward with us for the bill signing. When my constituents bring me issues, I do my best to try and help resolve what it is they are going through.”
The legislation passed the South Carolina Senate 37-0 and the House of Representatives 115-0 before being signed into law by Gov. McMaster.
Under the new law, the Department of Public Health will create a pamphlet or poster explaining evidence-based seizure first aid, including how to provide comfort and safety to someone experiencing certain types of seizures. The department may incorporate federal guidance as well as guidance from nonprofit organizations that support people living with epilepsy and seizure disorders.