H*3063(Rat #0010, Act #0007 of 2007)  General Bill, By Delleney, Harrison, 
Simrill, Taylor, Davenport, Sandifer, Barfield, Owens, E.H. Pitts, Rice, Walker, 
Toole, Viers, M.A. Pitts, Vick, Littlejohn, Mahaffey, Haskins, Young, 
G.R. Smith, Shoopman, Witherspoon, Umphlett, Bedingfield, Cotty, Bingham, 
Mulvaney and Ballentine

Similar(S 154)
 AN ACT TO RATIFY AN AMENDMENT TO ARTICLE XVII OF THE CONSTITUTION OF SOUTH
 CAROLINA, 1895, RELATING TO MISCELLANEOUS MATTERS, BY ADDING SECTION 15 SO AS
 TO PROVIDE THAT MARRIAGE BETWEEN ONE MAN AND ONE WOMAN IS THE ONLY LAWFUL
 DOMESTIC UNION THAT IS VALID OR RECOGNIZED IN THIS STATE AND TO PROVIDE THAT
 THE STATE OR ITS POLITICAL SUBDIVISIONS MAY NOT CREATE ANY OTHER DOMESTIC
 UNION AND MAY NOT RECOGNIZE A DOMESTIC UNION CREATED BY ANOTHER JURISDICTION.
 - ratified title

   12/13/06  House  Prefiled
   12/13/06  House  Referred to Committee on Judiciary
   01/09/07  House  Introduced and read first time HJ-39
   01/09/07  House  Referred to Committee on Judiciary HJ-40
   01/11/07  House  Member(s) request name added as sponsor: Cotty
   01/24/07  House  Member(s) request name added as sponsor: Bingham
   01/24/07  House  Committee report: Favorable Judiciary HJ-3
   01/25/07  House  Member(s) request name added as sponsor:
                     Mulvaney, Ballentine
   01/25/07  House  Read second time HJ-20
   01/25/07  House  Roll call Yeas-92  Nays-7 HJ-20
   01/30/07  House  Read third time and sent to Senate HJ-23
   01/31/07  Senate Introduced and read first time SJ-22
   01/31/07  Senate Referred to Committee on Judiciary SJ-22
   02/21/07  Senate Committee report: Favorable Judiciary SJ-20
   02/22/07  Senate Read second time SJ-18
   02/27/07  Senate Read third time and enrolled SJ-8
   03/22/07         Ratified R 10
   03/27/07         No signature required
   03/27/07         Copies available
   03/27/07         Effective date 03/22/07
   04/17/07         Act No. 7

(A7, R10, H3063)

AN ACT TO RATIFY AN AMENDMENT TO ARTICLE XVII OF THE CONSTITUTION OF SOUTH CAROLINA, 1895, RELATING TO MISCELLANEOUS MATTERS, BY ADDING SECTION 15 SO AS TO PROVIDE THAT MARRIAGE BETWEEN ONE MAN AND ONE WOMAN IS THE ONLY LAWFUL DOMESTIC UNION THAT IS VALID OR RECOGNIZED IN THIS STATE AND TO PROVIDE THAT THE STATE OR ITS POLITICAL SUBDIVISIONS MAY NOT CREATE ANY OTHER DOMESTIC UNION AND MAY NOT RECOGNIZE A DOMESTIC UNION CREATED BY ANOTHER JURISDICTION.

Be it enacted by the General Assembly of the State of South Carolina:

Constitutional amendment ratified, marriage

SECTION    1.    The amendment to Article XVII of the Constitution of South Carolina, 1895, prepared under the terms of Joint Resolution 45 of 2005, having been submitted to the qualified electors at the General Election of 2006 as prescribed in Section 1, Article XVI of the Constitution of South Carolina, 1895, and a favorable vote having been received on the amendment, is ratified and declared to be a part of the constitution so that Section 15 as added to Article XVII reads:

"Section 15.    A marriage between one man and one woman is the only lawful domestic union that shall be valid or recognized in this State. This State and its political subdivisions shall not create a legal status, right, or claim respecting any other domestic union, however denominated. This State and its political subdivisions shall not recognize or give effect to a legal status, right, or claim created by another jurisdiction respecting any other domestic union, however denominated. Nothing in this section shall impair any right or benefit extended by the State or its political subdivisions other than a right or benefit arising from a domestic union that is not valid or recognized in this State. This section shall not prohibit or limit parties, other than the State or its political subdivisions, from entering into contracts or other legal instruments."

Ratified the 22nd day of March, 2007.