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Dr. Oviso Warren says Human Affairs Commission will have full board after May 14 vote; urges more staff and statutory changes
Summary
At a legislative oversight hearing, Dr. Oviso Warren, commissioner of the South Carolina Human Affairs Commission, told lawmakers the agency expects a full nine-member board after a May 14 vote and urged targeted statutory updates and additional staff to handle a 25%–40% rise in complaints.
Dr. Oviso Warren, commissioner of the South Carolina Human Affairs Commission, told a legislative oversight hearing that the agency expects to have a full nine-member board after a final Senate vote scheduled for May 14 and urged lawmakers to consider statutory clarifications and additional staff to keep up with rising complaint volumes.
Warren told legislators the commission has closed more than 1,800 employment and housing discrimination cases in recent years and that those cases have produced monetary remedies for complainants. "These are practical changes that will make us more efficient, more effective in serving the people and businesses of South Carolina," Warren said, describing planned statutory updates to clarify enforcement authority and streamline the agencys processes.
Why it matters: lawmakers pressed Warren on capacity and funding amid what she described as a substantial increase in demand. Warren said inquiries to the commission have grown by roughly 25% to 40%, and that federal partners have reduced staff and some training funds, increasing reliance on state agencies for investigations and outreach.
Lawmakers asked whether the commission receives federal financial support through its partnership with the U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission. Warren said the EEOC provides support on a fee-for-service, case-by-case basis, and that training funds from federal partners have been reduced in the past eight months.
On staffing, Warren said the commission employs 61 full-time equivalents and signaled that additional investigators would improve the agencys ability to handle complex, fact-intensive cases: "Additional staff would be helpful to help do those investigations," Warren said, and suggested the agency might return to the General Assembly next session to request personnel resources.
Legislators raised whether repeat violators could be publicly identified so consumers and employers could make informed choices. Warren said the commission does encounter frequent repeat complainants and repeat violators, but that investigative processes remain confidential and the agency does not publish the names of repeat offenders.
Warren also announced the agency will relocate to a larger facility on Park Lane to support collaborative work and operational needs, and said the commission is leveraging shared services through the Department of Administration for HR, IT, procurement and finance to reduce duplication and control costs.
Warren closed by thanking the body and offering to answer further questions; the hearing record shows the agency will continue to engage with the General Assembly on statutory clarifications and potential staffing requests.
The commissions testimony described intake options for the public: online questionnaires, phone intake, and in-person intake with the agencys intake team. Warren repeatedly emphasized that many cases are legally complex and require detailed investigation to reach outcomes that withstand scrutiny.
Next steps: the testimony named a May 14 vote to complete the commissions board and signaled a possible formal staffing request to the legislature next session. No formal motions or votes on agency funding were made at the hearing.
