Terms Used In South Carolina Code > Title 47 > Chapter 1 - Cruelty to Animals

• Animal: means a living vertebrate creature except a homo sapien. See South Carolina Code 47-1-10
• Arrest: Taking physical custody of a person by lawful authority.
• Beneficiary: A person who is entitled to receive the benefits or proceeds of a will, trust, insurance policy, retirement plan, annuity, or other contract. ^{Source: OCC}
• Complaint: A written statement by the plaintiff stating the wrongs allegedly committed by the defendant.
• Conviction: A judgement of guilt against a criminal defendant.
• Costs of medical education: means the direct and indirect teaching costs as defined under Medicare. See South Carolina Code 44-6-5
• Defendant: In a civil suit, the person complained against; in a criminal case, the person accused of the crime.
• Department: means the State Department of Health and Human Services. See South Carolina Code 44-6-5
• Department: means the Department of Health and Human Services. See South Carolina Code 44-6-400
• Ex officio: Literally, by virtue of one's office.
• 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.
• General hospital: means any hospital licensed as a general hospital by the Department of Health and Environmental Control. See South Carolina Code 44-6-5
• Grace period: The number of days you'll have to pay your bill for purchases in full without triggering a finance charge. ^{Source: Federal Reserve}
• 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.
• Lien: A claim against real or personal property in satisfaction of a debt.
• Litigation: A case, controversy, or lawsuit. Participants (plaintiffs and defendants) in lawsuits are called litigants.
• Medically indigent: means :
  
  (a) all persons whose gross family income and size falls at or below the federal Community Service Administration guidelines and who meet certain qualifying criteria regarding real property allowance, qualifying services, residency requirements, and other sponsorship, and migrant or seasonal farm workers who have no established domicile in any state; and
  
  (b) all persons whose gross family income and size falls between one hundred percent and two hundred percent of the Community Service Administration guidelines who meet certain other qualifying criteria regarding real property allowance, qualifying services, residency requirements, and other sponsorship and whose medical bill is sufficiently large in relation to their income and resources to preclude full payment. See South Carolina Code 44-6-5
• Net inpatient charges: means the total gross inpatient charges, minus the unreimbursed cost of medical education and the unreimbursed cost of providing medical care to medically indigent persons. See South Carolina Code 44-6-5
• Nursing home: means a facility subject to licensure as a nursing home by the Department of Health and Environmental Control and subject to the permit provisions of Article 2, Chapter 7 of Title 44 and which has been certified for participation in the Medicaid program or has been dually certified for participation in the Medicaid and Medicare programs. See South Carolina Code 44-6-400
• 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.
• Office: means the Revenue and Fiscal Affairs Office. See South Carolina Code 44-6-5
• Oversight: Committee review of the activities of a Federal agency or program.
• Shelter: means shelter that reasonably may be expected to protect the animal from physical suffering or impairment of health due to exposure to the elements or adverse weather. See South Carolina Code 47-1-10
• Statute: A law passed by a legislature.
• Survey agency: means the South Carolina Department of Health and Environmental Control or any other agency designated to conduct compliance surveys of nursing facilities participating in the Title XIX (Medicaid) program. See South Carolina Code 44-6-400
• Sustenance: means adequate food provided at suitable intervals of quantities of wholesome foodstuff suitable for the species and age, sufficient to maintain a reasonable level of nutrition to allow for proper growth and weight and adequate water provided with constant access to a supply of clean, fresh, and potable water provided in a suitable manner for the species. See South Carolina Code 47-1-10
• Target rate of increase: means the federal market basket index as modified by the South Carolina growth index. See South Carolina Code 44-6-5
• Trial: A hearing that takes place when the defendant pleads "not guilty" and witnesses are required to come to court to give evidence.