With just two weeks left in this year’s legislative session, state lawmakers are under increasing pressure to get some bills passed that have almost made it over the finish line.
After May 9, when the session technically ends, legislators will return only to consider items outlined in a special “sine die” resolution. Bills that have not passed both chambers and been assigned to conference committees are not eligible under sine die rules.
Here are 10 of the most consequential pieces of legislation still under consideration as the deadline approaches.
2024-25 State budget (H. 5100): In March, the S.C. House passed a “lean” $13.2 billion 2024-25 budget plan that reduced overall spending, while raising teacher and state employee pay. It also proposed returning $500 million in sales taxes to homeowners as a one-time property tax rebate. This week, senators took their turn, producing a $13.8 billion budget that would redirect most of the sales tax overage to infrastructure. It also proposes cuts to income taxes by $100 million and fully funds a new medical college campus at the University of South Carolina ($100 million) and a veterinary school at Clemson. ($175 million). Status: Expected to head soon to a conference committee for House and Senate members to develop a compromise. If they don’t finish their work, they may finish in a specially-called sine die session.
Energy (H.5118): An omnibus energy bill, controversial from the start, aims to ramp up power production by overhauling the state’s regulatory system, encouraging next-generation nuclear plants and fast-tracking large-scale natural gas projects like a proposed 2,000-megawatt facility at Canadys. Supporters, including House Speaker Murrell Smith, R-Sumter, say it’s necessary to avert a looming energy crisis. But opponents, such as Senate Majority Leader Shane Massey, R-Edgefield, say it’s a risky plan that needs more study, particularly in light of the state’s calamitous experience with 2007’s Base Load Review Act and the $9 billion nuclear plant fiasco it later caused. Status: Passed House; currently on the Senate floor.
Gender care for minors (H. 4624): Dubbed the “Help Not Harm Act,” the legislation would ban medically-assisted gender treatments, including the use of puberty blockers, for South Carolinians under the age of 18, and deny Medicaid coverage of such treatments for those under 26. Supporters cite recent international medical reviews that question the scientific basis for minor transitions to justify the ban. Opponents say that American medical authorities continue to recommend gender care for minors, and note that the international reviews do not call for a ban on all youth gender treatments. Status: Passed House; reported out favorably by the Senate Medical Affairs Committee; awaiting action on the Senate floor.
Health services consolidation (S. 915): As the state Department of Health and Environmental Control prepares to split into two new agencies on July 1, legislators are already taking a new restructuring step with a bill to merge the state’s six health agencies into one office of health and policy reporting to the governor. The proposal follows a January interim report by the Boston Consulting Group which found that South Carolina’s fragmented health care bureaucracy costs too much and delivers too little. Status: Passed Senate; currently in the House Judiciary Committee.
Hate crimes (H. 3014): With Arkansas’ passage of a “stripped down” hate crimes law in 2021, South Carolina and Wyoming became the only states in the nation without such a law on the books. A proposal named for the late pastor and state Sen. Clementa C. Pinckney, who was one of nine people murdered by racist gunman Dylann Roof at Emanuel AME Church in Charleston in 2015, would add enhanced penalties to crimes motivated by race, color, religion, sex, gender, national origin, sexual orientation, or physical or mental disability. A similar bill died without action in the state Senate in 2021. Status: Passed House; reported favorably by the Senate Judiciary Committee; awaiting action on the Senate floor.
Diversity, Equity and Inclusion (H. 4289): Less far-reaching than earlier legislation that sought to eliminate university DEI programs, the bill would outlaw the use of so-called “diversity statements” in hiring, admissions and promotions at state schools, and require them to submit annual reports detailing the costs and activities of their DEI programs. Status: Passed House; currently in the Senate Education Committee.
Judicial selection reform (S. 1046): Long plagued by charges of poor vetting and cronyism, the state’s judicial selection process has been a target of reformers for years. The current bill aims to improve the system by giving the governor four appointments to the Judicial Merit Selection Commission, which screens candidates for judgeships before they are voted on by the state legislature. It would also limit commission members to serving non-consecutive four year terms. South Carolina is currently one of only two states in which the legislature has complete authority over the judicial appointment process. Status: Passed Senate; currently in the House Judiciary Committee.
Age verification for internet pornography (H. 3424): Following in the legislative footsteps of states like Louisiana and North Carolina, the bill would require pornographic websites to verify that users are 18 or older before granting them access to graphic materials. Proponents say the legislation is needed to protect children from inappropriate content. Critics say it’s a violation of the First Amendment. Status: Passed House, favorably reported by the Senate Commerce and Industry Committee, awaiting action in the full Senate.
Unemployment insurance (H. 4710): Never generous by national standards, Palmetto State unemployment assistance would be further reduced by this legislation, which ties benefits to the state’s unemployment rate. Supporters say the change would increase the size of the workforce. Critics say unemployed workers in rural areas with higher-than-average jobless rates would be particularly hard hit. Status: Passed House; currently in Senate Labor, Commerce and Industry Committee.
Medical marijuana (S. 423): Also known as the Compassionate Care Act, the bill would legalize the medical use of pharmacist-dispensed, non-smokable marijuana products by patients who have been diagnosed with certain specific ailments, including cancer, sickle cell anemia and severe neurological disorders. A previous version of the bill failed two years ago in the House. Status: Passed Senate; awaiting a hearing in the House Medical, Military, Public and Municipal Affairs Committee.
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