Terms Used In South Carolina Code > Title 33 > Chapter 42 > Article 1 - General Provisions

• Advice and consent: Under the Constitution, presidential nominations for executive and judicial posts take effect only when confirmed by the Senate, and international treaties become effective only when the Senate approves them by a two-thirds vote.
• Affected land: means :
  
  (a) the area of land from which overburden or minerals have been removed or upon which overburden has been deposited, or both, including an area on which a plant is located which is an integral part of the process of the removal of ores or mineral solids from natural deposits; or
  
  (b) stockpiles and settling ponds located on or adjacent to lands from which overburden or minerals have been removed. See South Carolina Code 48-20-40
• Affidavit: A written statement of facts confirmed by the oath of the party making it, before a notary or officer having authority to administer oaths.
• Affirmed: In the practice of the appellate courts, the decree or order is declared valid and will stand as rendered in the lower court.
• Amendment: A proposal to alter the text of a pending bill or other measure by striking out some of it, by inserting new language, or both. Before an amendment becomes part of the measure, thelegislature must agree to it.
• Appeal: A request made after a trial, asking another court (usually the court of appeals) to decide whether the trial was conducted properly. To make such a request is "to appeal" or "to take an appeal." One who appeals is called the appellant.
• Appellate: About appeals; an appellate court has the power to review the judgement of another lower court or tribunal.
• Applicant: means a person who is believed to have intellectual disability, one or more related disabilities, one or more head injuries, one or more spinal cord injuries, or an infant at high risk of a developmental disability who has applied for services of the South Carolina Department of Disabilities and Special Needs. See South Carolina Code 44-20-30
• Arrest: Taking physical custody of a person by lawful authority.
• Assets: (1) The property comprising the estate of a deceased person, or (2) the property in a trust account.
• Bail: Security given for the release of a criminal defendant or witness from legal custody (usually in the form of money) to secure his/her appearance on the day and time appointed.
• Board: means the board of the department. See South Carolina Code 48-18-20
• Certificate of limited partnership: means the certificate referred to in § 33-42-210, any certificate of limited partnership filed with the office of the Secretary of State in connection with the formation of a limited partnership under any applicable statute of this State prior to the effective date of this chapter, and any such certificate as amended, or restated. See South Carolina Code 33-42-20
• Client: is a person who is determined by the Department of Disabilities and Special Needs to have intellectual disability, a related disability, head injury, or spinal cord injury and is receiving services or is an infant at risk of having a developmental disability and is receiving services. See South Carolina Code 44-20-30
• Closure: means the act of rendering a mine facility or portion of a mine facility to an inoperative state that prevents the gradual or sudden release of contaminants that are harmful to the environment. See South Carolina Code 48-20-40
• Commission: means the South Carolina Commission on Disabilities and Special Needs, the policy-making and governing body of the Department of Disabilities and Special Needs. See South Carolina Code 44-20-30
• Common law: The legal system that originated in England and is now in use in the United States. It is based on judicial decisions rather than legislative action.
• Complaint: A written statement by the plaintiff stating the wrongs allegedly committed by the defendant.
• conservation district: means a governmental subdivision of the State created pursuant to Chapter 9 of Title 48; and "conservation district board" means the governing body of a soil and water conservation district. See South Carolina Code 48-18-20
• Continuance: Putting off of a hearing ot trial until a later time.
• Contract: A legal written agreement that becomes binding when signed.
• Contribution: means any cash, property, services rendered, or a promissory note or other binding obligation to contribute cash or property or to perform services, which a partner contributes to a limited partnership in his capacity as a partner. See South Carolina Code 33-42-20
• Conviction: A judgement of guilt against a criminal defendant.
• Corporation: A legal entity owned by the holders of shares of stock that have been issued, and that can own, receive, and transfer property, and carry on business in its own name.
• Council: means the Mining Council created by §§ 48-21-10 and 48-21-20. See South Carolina Code 48-20-40
• County disabilities and special needs boards: means the local public body administering, planning, coordinating, or providing services within a county or combination of counties for persons with intellectual disability, related disabilities, head injuries, or spinal cord injuries and recognized by the department. See South Carolina Code 44-20-30
• Damages: Money paid by defendants to successful plaintiffs in civil cases to compensate the plaintiffs for their injuries.
• Deed: The legal instrument used to transfer title in real property from one person to another.
• Defendant: In a civil suit, the person complained against; in a criminal case, the person accused of the crime.
• Department: means the South Carolina Department of Health and Environmental Control. See South Carolina Code 48-14-20
• Department: means the South Carolina Department of Health and Environmental Control. See South Carolina Code 48-18-20
• Department: means the South Carolina Department of Health and Environmental Control. See South Carolina Code 48-20-40
• Department: means the South Carolina Department of Disabilities and Special Needs. See South Carolina Code 44-20-30
• Dependent: A person dependent for support upon another.
• Director: means the South Carolina Director of the Department of Disabilities and Special Needs, the chief executive director appointed by the commission. See South Carolina Code 44-20-30
• Donor: The person who makes a gift.
• Equitable: Pertaining to civil suits in "equity" rather than in "law." In English legal history, the courts of "law" could order the payment of damages and could afford no other remedy. See damages. A separate court of "equity" could order someone to do something or to cease to do something. See, e.g., injunction. In American jurisprudence, the federal courts have both legal and equitable power, but the distinction is still an important one. For example, a trial by jury is normally available in "law" cases but not in "equity" cases. ^{Source: U.S. Courts}
• Erosion: means the wearing away of the ground surface by the action of wind, water, gravity, or any combination thereof. See South Carolina Code 48-18-20
• Evidence: Information presented in testimony or in documents that is used to persuade the fact finder (judge or jury) to decide the case for one side or the other.
• Ex officio: Literally, by virtue of one's office.
• Exploration: means the act of breaking the surface soil to determine the location, quantity, or quality of a mineral deposit. See South Carolina Code 48-20-40
• Explorer: means a person engaged in exploration activities, as defined in this section, whether individually, jointly, or through subsidiaries, agents, employees, or contractors. See South Carolina Code 48-20-40
• Fiscal year: The fiscal year is the accounting period for the government. For the federal government, this begins on October 1 and ends on September 30. The fiscal year is designated by the calendar year in which it ends; for example, fiscal year 2006 begins on October 1, 2005 and ends on September 30, 2006.
• Foreign limited partnership: means a partnership formed under the laws of any state other than this State and having as partners one or more general partners and one or more limited partners. See South Carolina Code 33-42-20
• Freedom of Information Act: A federal law that mandates that all the records created and kept by federal agencies in the executive branch of government must be open for public inspection and copying. The only exceptions are those records that fall into one of nine exempted categories listed in the statute. ^{Source: OCC}
• General partner: means a person who has been admitted to a limited partnership as a general partner in accordance with the partnership agreement and named in the certificate of limited partnership as a general partner. See South Carolina Code 33-42-20
• Gift: A voluntary transfer or conveyance of property without consideration, or for less than full and adequate consideration based on fair market value.
• Guardian: A person legally empowered and charged with the duty of taking care of and managing the property of another person who because of age, intellect, or health, is incapable of managing his (her) own affairs.
• Implementing agency: means the department, local government, or conservation district with the responsibility for receiving stormwater management and sediment control plans for review and approval, reviewing plans, issuing permits for land disturbing activities, and conducting inspections and enforcement actions in a specified jurisdiction. See South Carolina Code 48-14-20
• Improvements: means the construction, reconstruction of buildings, and other permanent improvements for regional centers and other programs provided by the department directly or through contract with county boards of disabilities and special needs, including equipment and the cost of acquiring and improving lands for equipment. See South Carolina Code 44-20-30
• Injunction: An order of the court prohibiting (or compelling) the performance of a specific act to prevent irreparable damage or injury.
• Intellectual disability: means significantly subaverage general intellectual functioning existing concurrently with deficits in adaptive behavior and manifested during the developmental period. See South Carolina Code 44-20-30
• Jurisdiction: (1) The legal authority of a court to hear and decide a case. Concurrent jurisdiction exists when two courts have simultaneous responsibility for the same case. (2) The geographic area over which the court has authority to decide cases.
• Land: includes submerged lands underlying a river, stream, lake, sound, or other body of water and specifically includes, among others, estuarine and tidal lands. See South Carolina Code 48-20-40
• Land disturbing activity: means any use of the land by any person that results in a change in the natural cover or topography that may cause erosion and contribute to sediment and alter the quality and quantity of stormwater runoff. See South Carolina Code 48-14-20
• Lease: A contract transferring the use of property or occupancy of land, space, structures, or equipment in consideration of a payment (e.g., rent). ^{Source: OCC}
• Least restrictive environment: means the surrounding circumstances that provide as little intrusion and disruption from the normal pattern of living as possible. See South Carolina Code 44-20-30
• Liabilities: The aggregate of all debts and other legal obligations of a particular person or legal entity.
• Limited partner: means a person who has been admitted to a limited partnership as a limited partner in accordance with the partnership agreement. See South Carolina Code 33-42-20
• Local government: means any county, municipality, or any combination of counties or municipalities, acting through a joint program pursuant to the provisions of this chapter. See South Carolina Code 48-14-20
• Local government: means any county or municipality. See South Carolina Code 48-18-20
• Minerals: means soil, clay, coal, stone, gravel, sand, phosphate, rock, metallic ore, and any other solid material or substance found in natural deposits on or in the earth. See South Carolina Code 48-20-40
• Mining: means :
  
  (a) the breaking of the surface soil to facilitate or accomplish the extraction or removal of ores or mineral solids for sale or processing or consumption in the regular operation of a business;
  
  (b) removal of overburden lying above natural deposits of ore or mineral solids and removal of the mineral deposits exposed, or by removal of ores or mineral solids from deposits lying exposed in their natural state. See South Carolina Code 48-20-40
• Mortgage: The written agreement pledging property to a creditor as collateral for a loan.
• Neighboring: means in close proximity, in the immediate vicinity, or in actual contact. See South Carolina Code 48-20-40
• Nolo contendere: No contest-has the same effect as a plea of guilty, as far as the criminal sentence is concerned, but may not be considered as an admission of guilt for any other purpose.
• Oath: A promise to tell the truth.
• Obligation: An order placed, contract awarded, service received, or similar transaction during a given period that will require payments during the same or a future period.
• Obligations: means the obligations in the form of notes or bonds or contractual agreements issued or entered into by the commission pursuant to the authorization of this chapter and of Act 1377 of 1968 to provide funds with which to repay the proceeds of capital improvement bonds allocated by the State Fiscal Accountability Authority. See South Carolina Code 44-20-30
• Operating permit: means a permit for mining activity that is issued to an operator by the department. See South Carolina Code 48-20-40
• Operator: means a person engaged in mining operations, whether individually, jointly, or through subsidiaries, agents, employees, or contractors. See South Carolina Code 48-20-40
• Overburden: means the earth, rock, and other materials that lie above the natural deposit of minerals. See South Carolina Code 48-20-40
• Partner: means a limited or general partner. See South Carolina Code 33-42-20
• Partnership: A voluntary contract between two or more persons to pool some or all of their assets into a business, with the agreement that there will be a proportional sharing of profits and losses.
• Partnership agreement: means any valid agreement, written or oral, of the partners as to the affairs of a limited partnership and the conduct of its business. See South Carolina Code 33-42-20
• Permitted land: means the affected land in addition to (a) lands identified for future mining to become affected land; (b) an undisturbed or buffer area that is or may become adjacent to the affected land. See South Carolina Code 48-20-40
• Person: means an individual, partnership, firm, association, joint venture, public or private corporation, trust, estate, commission, board, public or private institution, utility, cooperative, electric supplier, municipality, interstate body, the federal government, or other legal entity. See South Carolina Code 48-14-20
• Person: means a natural person, partnership, limited partnership (domestic or foreign), trust, estate, association, or corporation. See South Carolina Code 33-42-20
• Personal property: All property that is not real property.
• Plea: In a criminal case, the defendant's statement pleading "guilty" or "not guilty" in answer to the charges, a declaration made in open court.
• Probable cause: A reasonable ground for belief that the offender violated a specific law.
• Probate: Proving a will
• Quasi-state agency: means any entity other than a state agency but having some attributes of a state agency by virtue of the fact that the State has some authority to make rules and regulations by which it is governed. See South Carolina Code 48-18-20
• Quorum: The number of legislators that must be present to do business.
• Real property: Land, and all immovable fixtures erected on, growing on, or affixed to the land.
• Reclamation: means the reasonable rehabilitation of the affected land for useful purposes and the protection of the natural resources of the surrounding area. See South Carolina Code 48-20-40
• Reclamation plan: means the operator's written proposal as required and approved by the department for reclamation of the affected land, which includes but is not limited to:
  
  (a) proposed practices to protect adjacent surface resources;
  
  (b) specifications for surface gradient restoration, including sketches delineating slope angle, to a surface suitable for the proposed subsequent use of the land after reclamation is completed, and the proposed method of accomplishment;
  
  (c) manner and type of revegetation or other surface treatment of the affected areas;
  
  (d) method of prevention or elimination of conditions that are hazardous to animal or fish life in or adjacent to the area;
  
  (e) method of compliance with state air and water pollution laws;
  
  (f) proposed methods to limit significant adverse effects on adjacent surface water and groundwater resources;
  
  (g) proposed methods to limit significant adverse effects on significant cultural or historic sites;
  
  (h) method of rehabilitation of settling ponds;
  
  (i) method of control of contaminants and disposal of mining refuse;
  
  (j) method of restoration or establishment of stream channels and stream banks to a condition minimizing erosion, siltation, and other pollution;
  
  (k) maps and other supporting documents reasonably required by the department; and
  
  (l) a time schedule, including the anticipated years for completion of reclamation by segments, that meets the requirements of § 48-20-90. See South Carolina Code 48-20-40
• Refuse: means all waste soil, rock, mineral, scrap, tailings, slimes, and other material directly connected with the mining, cleaning, and preparation of substances mined and includes all waste materials deposited on or in the permit area from other sources. See South Carolina Code 48-20-40
• Related disability: is a severe, chronic condition found to be closely related to intellectual disability or to require treatment similar to that required for persons with intellectual disability and must meet the following conditions:
  
  (a) It is attributable to cerebral palsy, epilepsy, autism, or any other condition other than mental illness found to be closely related to intellectual disability because this condition results in impairment of general intellectual functioning or adaptive behavior similar to that of persons with intellectual disability and requires treatment or services similar to those required for these persons. See South Carolina Code 44-20-30
• Remainder: An interest in property that takes effect in the future at a specified time or after the occurrence of some event, such as the death of a life tenant.
• Restitution: The court-ordered payment of money by the defendant to the victim for damages caused by the criminal action.
• Sediment: means solid particulate matter, both mineral and organic, that has been or is being transported by water, air, ice, or gravity from its site of origin. See South Carolina Code 48-14-20
• Sediment: means soil or other earth-like material that has been moved by the forces of water, wind, gravity, or any combination of them. See South Carolina Code 48-18-20
• Sedimentation: means the process or action of depositing sediment. See South Carolina Code 48-18-20
• Service of process: The service of writs or summonses to the appropriate party.
• Settlement: Parties to a lawsuit resolve their difference without having a trial. Settlements often involve the payment of compensation by one party in satisfaction of the other party's claims.
• State: means a state, territory, or possession of the United States, the District of Columbia, or the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico. See South Carolina Code 33-42-20
• Statute: A law passed by a legislature.
• Stormwater: means the direct runoff of water and associated material resulting from precipitation in any form. See South Carolina Code 48-18-20
• Stormwater management: means , for:
  
  (a) quantitative control, a system of vegetative or structural measures, or both, that control the increased volume and rate of stormwater runoff caused by manmade changes to the land;
  
  (b) qualitative control, a system of vegetative, structural, or other measures that reduce or eliminate pollutants that might otherwise be carried by stormwater runoff. See South Carolina Code 48-14-20
• Subpoena: A command to a witness to appear and give testimony.
• Summons: Another word for subpoena used by the criminal justice system.
• Termination of mining: means cessation of mining operations or a segment of a mining operation with intent not to resume, or cessation of mining operations or a segment of a mining operation as a result of revocation of an operating permit. See South Carolina Code 48-20-40
• Testify: Answer questions in court.
• Testimony: Evidence presented orally by witnesses during trials or before grand juries.
• Tort: A civil wrong or breach of a duty to another person, as outlined by law. A very common tort is negligent operation of a motor vehicle that results in property damage and personal injury in an automobile accident.
• Transcript: A written, word-for-word record of what was said, either in a proceeding such as a trial or during some other conversation, as in a transcript of a hearing or oral deposition.
• Trial: A hearing that takes place when the defendant pleads "not guilty" and witnesses are required to come to court to give evidence.
• Venue: The geographical location in which a case is tried.