Governor ceremonially signs Nutt Act protecting visitation rights in long-term care

Gov. Henry McMaster ceremonially signed the Senator Roger A. Nutt Act on Tuesday at the Spartanburg County Courthouse, marking a state law that lets long-term care residents decide who may visit them when a facility restricts access during an emergency.

“Long-term care residents deserve to choose who can be there for them when they need it most. Today, we ceremonially signed the Roger A. Nutt Act, making that choice possible and honoring former Senator Roger Nutt’s commitment to our state,” McMaster said.

The measure, S.146, took effect in April. It amends South Carolina’s bill of rights for residents of long-term care facilities so that a resident, or the resident’s representative, may name up to three people who must still be allowed to visit if access to the facility is limited or prohibited because of a declared state of emergency arising from a disaster or public health emergency. Facilities may allow one visitor at a time during regular visiting hours, and the resident or representative provides the facility with each designated person’s name, relationship to the resident and contact information.

The bill was written in response to the COVID-19 pandemic, when restrictions kept families out of nursing homes for more than a year. It passed both the House and Senate without a dissenting vote.

The law also spells out other protections for residents, including the ability to choose their own physicians, privacy during medical screenings, the right to share a room with a spouse and the ability to take part in religious services as health permits.

The act carries the name of Roger Nutt, a Spartanburg County Republican who filed it as the first bill he introduced in the Senate. Nutt served 10 years on Spartanburg County Council, won election to the state House in 2020 and moved to the Senate in 2024, representing parts of Greenville and Spartanburg counties. He resigned his seat in 2025 following a diagnosis of Alzheimer’s disease and said at the time that he wanted more time with his family.

Nutt also received the Order of the Palmetto, the state’s highest civilian honor, at Tuesday’s ceremony. Senate Majority Leader Shane Massey, R-Edgefield, said Nutt’s time in the Senate was short but consequential, noting that getting a first bill signed into law is uncommon and that this one carried real weight.

McMaster said Nutt moved quickly on a need that had gone unaddressed and that the honor is meant for South Carolinians whose work has made a difference statewide. Order of the Palmetto recipients are nominated and then reviewed by a committee that weighs whether their service had an impact across the state.

The visitation protections apply to licensed long-term care facilities statewide. Residents and families who want to name designated visitors can ask their facility’s administrator about putting the designations on file.

Photo source: Office of Gov. McMaster