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Panel backs industry‑funded reporting for pseudoephedrine sales, moves HB4382 forward
Summary
The subcommittee voted unanimously to move House Bill 4382, which would require electronic reporting of sales of regulated pseudoephedrine products and make manufacturers fund and help administer the tracking system, to the favor board after industry witness Carlos Gutierrez voiced support.
The Senate Medical Affairs Subcommittee voted to move House Bill 4382 to the favor board after hearing testimony from industry representatives and questions from senators.
HB4382 would require retailers to electronically report sales of regulated nonprescription ephedrine and pseudoephedrine products into a tracking system and authorize manufacturers to fund and select an administrator for that system. Carlos Gutierrez of the Consumer Healthcare Products Association said South Carolina is one of 38 states using the National Precursor Log Exchange (NPLEx) and argued manufacturers should bear the funding burden because they benefit from the system.
"The system works," Gutierrez told senators and said the DEA reports a multi‑decade low in domestic meth labs; he urged the subcommittee to support manufacturer participation to sustain the registry and prevent free riders.
Committee members questioned enforcement details and whether penalties in the bill clearly specify criminal time frames; staff and witnesses said the bill includes misdemeanor language that may need a defined sentence. The committee recorded several proxies and approved moving the measure forward by voice vote.
Next steps: The bill will head to the favor board for consideration; staff indicated technical language on penalties may be clarified before floor action.
