​South Carolina Academy of Audiology

Prior to establishing the Sunnie & DeWorken Group, Sunnie and John

created and served as chief lobbyists for the Upstate Chamber

Coalition, representing 8,000 businesses at ten Upstate chambers

of commerce.

Earning two degrees from Clemson University (BS Marketing/BA

Political Science), Sunnie Harmon is a two-time Captain of the Clemson

University Women’s Tennis Team and an Academic All-American. 

Sunnie began her career with Congressman Gresham Barrett. In her first year lobbying, Sunnie received the “Rookie Lobbyist of the Year Award” from her peers. In 2011, Sunnie was named the “2011 Economic Development Lobbyist of the Year.”

John DeWorken is a three-time graduate of Clemson University (MA English). He has held key positions in the SC Senate, the SC Chamber of Commerce and on a statewide political campaign. Greenville Magazine twice named DeWorken as “The Top 50 Most Influential People in Greenville."

Contact info:

The SUNNIE Harmon & John DeWORKEN Group
Government Relations and Advocacy
PO Box 9793
Greenville, SC 29604


John's Cell: 864-905-5529 
John@LobbySC.com

Sunnie's Cell: (864) 337-1584

Sunnie@LobbySC.comor 

Our Mission: Give each individual client a voice to affect change.
Our Vision: To be the state's most influential pro-business advocacy firm, giving each client the personalized attention it needs to reach its goals. 

www.sunnieanddeworken.com


​Updated: 10/31/2023

​​​​​​One of SCAA's major missions is to be aware of, advocate for or against, and inform our membership regarding legislation that affects the profession of audiology. We are one of the few state audiology organizations that is fortunate to have lobbyists working for us.


Protecting SCAA

SCAA’s lobbying team ensures that no legislation is advanced that will harm audiologists of this state. They do that by reviewing thousands of bills introduced, as well as reviewing all line items and provisos of the state budget; by being present and representing SCAA in state government; and by notifying SCAA of any related bill, budget line item or proviso introduced. 



Identify your state elected officials here.



Current Bills and Legislation to know about and watch


​The 1st regular session of the 124th South Carolina General Assembly convened on Tuesday, January 12, 2021.  Members were sworn in, and bills and regulations were read across the desk.  Presently, the Senate has filed 482 bills and the House has filed 699.


Interstate Compact

Introduced in the House on February 9, 2021

​Companion Senate bill introduced March 8, 2022


​​To amend the code of laws of South Carolina, 1976, by adding article 3 to chapter 67, title 40 so as to establish the "Audiology and speech-language interstate compact act", to state the purpose of the act, to provide definitions, to outline state participation, to outline privileges for audiologists and speech-language pathologists resulting from the compact, to allow for the practice of telehealth, to provide accommodations for active duty military personnel and their spouses, to provide a mechanism for taking adverse actions against licensees, to establish the "Audiology and speech-language pathology compact commission", to establish a data system, to outline the rulemaking process, to address oversight, dispute resolution, and enforcement duties and responsibilities, to establish the date of implementation of the interstate commission for audiology and speech-language pathology, rules, withdrawal, and amendment, to address statutory construction, severability, and binding effect of the compact; and to designate the existing sections of chapter 67, title 40 as article 1, entitled "General provisions".



Language Equality and Acquisition for Deaf Kids (LEAD-K) Act


SC bill was filed again on January 27, 2021 in support of LEAD-K by Senator Scott Talley


To enact the "Language equality and acquisition for deaf kids (lead-k) act", to amend chapter 36, title 59 of the 1976 code, relating to preschool programs for children with disabilities, by adding article 3, to provide that the state board of education and the state department of education shall jointly select language developmental milestones as resources for parents of deaf or hard-of-hearing children to use to monitor and track certain language acquisition and developmental stages toward the English literacy of those children, to provide for the creation of an ad hoc advisory committee to solicit input from experts on selecting certain language developmental milestones for deaf or hard-of-hearing children, to provide for the composition and other duties of the committee, among other things, to impose related reporting requirements on the state department of education, and to provide that implementation is contingent on funding, among other things; to designate the existing provisions of chapter 36, title 1, as "Article 1, general provisions"; and to define necessary terms.



​S. 7– Hearing Impaired License Plate


​A bill to amend the code of laws of South Carolina, 1976, by adding article 147 to chapter 3, title 56 so as to provide that the department of motor vehicles may issue "Hearing impaired" special license plates to persons who are hearing impaired.


S. 193 – Insurance coverage for hearing aids


A bill to amend the code of laws of South Carolina, 1976, by adding section 38-71-48 so as to provide definitions, to require all health insurance and group health benefit plans to cover hearing aids and replacement hearing aids for insureds with impaired hearing, and to provide for the scope of coverage, among other things.


​H. 3234– Hearing Aid Coverage for Children


​A bill to amend the code of laws of South Carolina, 1976, by adding section 38-71-48 so as to enact the "Hearing aid coverage for children act", to provide definitions, to require group health insurance and group health benefit plans to cover hearing aids and replacement hearing aids for an insured with impaired hearing who is eighteen years of age or younger, to provide for the scope of coverage, and for other purposes.


H. 3400– Hearing aid insurance coverage


A bill to amend the code of laws of South Carolina, 1976, by adding section 38-71-48 so as to provide definitions, to require all health insurance and group health benefit plans to cover hearing aids and replacement hearing aids for insureds with impaired hearing, and to provide for the scope of coverage, among other things.



​​Email:  scaaudiology@gmail.com

​South Carolina Legislative Information

Our Lobbyists