The Secretary of State

Secretary of State (U.S. state government)

Secretary of State is an official in the state governments of 47 of the 50 states of the United States, as well as Puerto Rico and other U.S. possessions. In Massachusetts, Pennsylvania, and Virginia, this official is called the Secretary of the Commonwealth...

 of South Carolina is an elected position in the U.S. state

U.S. state

A U.S. state is any one of the 50 federated states of the United States of America that share sovereignty with the federal government. Because of this shared sovereignty, an American is a citizen both of the federal entity and of his or her state of domicile. Four states use the official title of...

 of South Carolina

South Carolina

South Carolina is a state in the Deep South of the United States that borders Georgia to the south, North Carolina to the north, and the Atlantic Ocean to the east. Originally part of the Province of Carolina, the Province of South Carolina was one of the 13 colonies that declared independence...

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Organization

The Secretary of State's office has four internal divisions:

• The Division of Business Filings charters corporation
  Corporation
  A corporation is created under the laws of a state as a separate legal entity that has privileges and liabilities that are distinct from those of its members. There are many different forms of corporations, most of which are used to conduct business. Early corporations were established by charter...
  
  s and other business entities, records lien
  Lien
  In law, a lien is a form of security interest granted over an item of property to secure the payment of a debt or performance of some other obligation...
  
  s made under the Uniform Commercial Code
  Uniform Commercial Code
  The Uniform Commercial Code , first published in 1952, is one of a number of uniform acts that have been promulgated in conjunction with efforts to harmonize the law of sales and other commercial transactions in all 50 states within the United States of America.The goal of harmonizing state law is...
  
   and serves as a registered agent
  Registered Agent
  A registered agent, also known as a resident agent or statutory agent, in United States business law, is a business or individual designated to receive service of process when a business entity is a party in a legal action such as a lawsuit or summons...
  
   for foreign corporations not authorized to do business in South Carolina. This division also licenses employment agencies
  Employment agency
  An employment agency is an organization which matches employers to employees. In all developed countries there is a publicly funded employment agency and multiple private businesses which also act as employment agencies.-Public employment agencies:...
  
   and monitors certain types of investments for business opportunities.
• The Trademarks Division registers trademark
  Trademark
  A trademark, trade mark, or trade-mark is a distinctive sign or indicator used by an individual, business organization, or other legal entity to identify that the products or services to consumers with which the trademark appears originate from a unique source, and to distinguish its products or...
  
  s and service mark
  Service mark
  A service mark or servicemark is a trademark used in some countries, notably the United States, to identify a service rather than a product. When a service mark is federally registered, the standard registration symbol ® or "Reg U.S. Pat & TM Off" may be used...
  
  s used in commerce in South Carolina, and investigates counterfeit marks and fraudulent use of registered trademarks.
• The Division of Public Charities is responsible for the oversight and regulation of charitable organizations and professional fundraisers pursuant to the state's Solicitation of Charitable Funds Act.
• The Cable Franchise Authority regulates cable television
  Cable television
  Cable television is a system of providing television programs to consumers via radio frequency signals transmitted to televisions through coaxial cables or digital light pulses through fixed optical fibers located on the subscriber's property, much like the over-the-air method used in traditional...
  
   providers within the state.

The Secretary of State is also responsible for commissioning Notaries Public

Notary public

A notary public in the common law world is a public officer constituted by law to serve the public in non-contentious matters usually concerned with estates, deeds, powers-of-attorney, and foreign and international business...

 and issuing apostilles, issuing commissions and filing oaths of office for state officials, and incorporation of municipalities

Municipality

A municipality is essentially an urban administrative division having corporate status and usually powers of self-government. It can also be used to mean the governing body of a municipality. A municipality is a general-purpose administrative subdivision, as opposed to a special-purpose district...

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The current Secretary of State of South Carolina is Mark Hammond

Mark Hammond (politician)

Mark Hammond , is an American Republican politician from South Carolina. He is currently South Carolina Secretary of State.-Early life and career:...

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External links

• Official homepage of the South Carolina Secretary of State