The Committee on Education and Public Works proposes the following amendment (LC-1038.WAB0001H):

Amend the bill, before the enacting words, by deleting the first paragraph from the bill.

Amend the bill further, before the enacting words, by deleting the second paragraph from the bill.

Amend the bill further, before the enacting words, by deleting the third paragraph from the bill.

Amend the bill further, before the enacting words, by striking the fourth paragraph and inserting:

Whereas, this guarantee of religious liberty, as enshrined in the Fundamental Constitutions, became a beacon of hope in Europe for those being oppressed because of their faith and made Charleston the center of the free world for religious expression; and
Whereas, religious liberty is a God-given right and one of the foundational principles upon which both the United States and the State of South Carolina were established; and

Whereas, the Constitution of South Carolina of 1790 declared that the free exercise and enjoyment of religious profession and worship shall forever be allowed in this State, without discrimination or preference; and

Whereas, our rights do not come from government, but are God-given, and government's duty is to protect them; and

Amend the bill further, before the enacting words, by striking the fifth paragraph and inserting:

Whereas, on January 15, 2025, representatives of many faiths including, but not limited to, Christians, Jews, and Muslims, joined together for the inaugural South Carolina Religious Liberty Conference for the purpose of celebrating and promoting the Palmetto State's historic and contemporary embrace of the freedom of religion and conscience; and

Amend the bill further, before the enacting words, by striking the sixth paragraph and inserting:

Whereas, the inaugural South Carolina Religious Liberty Conference was hosted by the University of South Carolina's Rice School of Law and was organized by partnership between The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, International Center for Law and Religious Studies, J. Reuben Clark Law Society, and Interfaith Partners of South Carolina; and

Amend the bill further, before the enacting words, by striking the eighth paragraph and inserting:

Whereas, in addition to legal scholars and elected officials, presenters at the South Carolina Religious Liberty Conferences have included representatives of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, the South Carolina Historical Society, the African Methodist Episcopalian (A.M.E.) Church, the Aiken Muslim Association, the Roman Catholic Diocese of Charleston, the Center of Jewish Life-Chabad of Charleston and the Low Country, the Church of God in Christ, the Interfaith Partners of South Carolina, Chabad of South Carolina, Masjid al-Salaam, and Sikh Gurdwaramany various faiths; and

Amend the bill further, before the enacting words, by striking the ninth paragraph and inserting:

Whereas, by acclamation of the participants in the inaugural South Carolina Religious Liberty Conference, it was resolved to promote contemporary support for the principles of religious liberty by petitioning the South Carolina General Assembly to recognize South Carolina's unique history in promoting and safeguarding the members of a free society's right to worship when, where, and how their conscience may dictate, as first guaranteed by the Fundamental Constitutions of CarolinaSouth Carolina Constitution; and

Amend the bill further, before the enacting words, by striking the twelfth paragraph and inserting:

Whereas, by acclamation of the participants in the Second Annual South Carolina Religious Liberty Conference, it was resolved to expand upon House Resolution 4036 by petitioning the South Carolina General Assembly to recognize and honor South Carolina's unique history in promoting and safeguarding the members of a free society's right to worship when, where, and how their conscience may dictate, as first guaranteed by the Fundamental Constitutions of Carolinaas continuously guaranteed by the state constitution, by enacting in permanent law that the first day of March of each year be designated as "Religious Liberty Day" in South Carolina; and

Renumber sections to conform.

Amend title to conform.