NO. 45
REGULAR SESSION BEGINNING TUESDAY, JANUARY 14, 2025
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The House assembled at 10:00 a.m.
Deliberations were opened with prayer by Rev. Jeff Lingerfelt as follows:
Our thought for today is from Psalm 33:6-7: "By the word of the Lord the heavens were made, and by the breath of his mouth all their host. He gathers the waters of the sea as a heap; he puts the deeps in storehouses."
Let us pray: O Lord our God and Father, You spoke and all things came into existence. Your power created all things. For by You all things were created, things in heaven and on earth, visible and invisible, whether thrones or dominions or rulers or authorities. All things were created through Him and for Him. When we understand all that You have created, it is only then that we, Your creatures, can sing and praise as the Psalmist instructs us. We can rejoice in You and give thanks to You and praise You continually for Your divine words and magnanimous works which You have performed. We here in this House ask that You would lead, guide and direct all that will transpire today in this Chamber. Help us to proceed in the best interests of the citizens of this great State. We all are fragile and stand in need of Your all-sufficient grace in this time of need. Please, providentially guide our deliberations. Grant grace for the need of this moment, this day. All for Your great name we pray. Amen.
Pursuant to Rule 6.3, the House of Representatives was led in the Pledge of Allegiance to the Flag of the United States of America by the SPEAKER PRO TEMPORE.
After corrections to the Journal of the proceedings of yesterday, the SPEAKER PRO TEMPORE ordered it confirmed.
Rep. C. MITCHELL moved that when the House adjourns, it adjourn in memory of Reverend Charles Heyward McLendon, Sr., which was agreed to.
The House stood in silent prayer for the family and friends of Reverend Charles Heyward McLendon, Sr.
The following was received:
Columbia, S.C. Tuesday, April 14, 2026
Mr. Speaker and Members of the House:
The Senate respectfully informs your Honorable Body that it has appointed Senators Davis, Mathews and Garrett to the Committee of Conference on the part of the Senate onS. 477 (Word version):
S. 477 (Word version) -- Senators Davis and Ott: A BILL TO AMEND THE SOUTH CAROLINA CODE OF LAWS BY AMENDING SECTION 40-43-210, RELATING TO THE DEFINITION OF A "SELF-ADMINISTERED HORMONAL CONTRACEPTIVE" IN THE PHARMACY PRACTICE ACT, SO AS TO REVISE THE DEFINITION; BY AMENDING SECTION 40-43-230, RELATING TO PHARMACISTS PERMITTED TO DISPENSE SELF-ADMINISTERED HORMONAL CONTRACEPTIVES IN CERTAIN CIRCUMSTANCES, SO AS TO PROVIDE SUCH DISPENSATIONS MAY BE MADE PURSUANT TO CERTAIN WRITTEN JOINT PROTOCOLS; AND BY AMENDING SECTION 40-43-240, RELATING TO WRITTEN JOINT PROTOCOLS BY THE BOARD OF MEDICAL EXAMINERS AND THE BOARD OF PHARMACY TO AUTHORIZE PHARMACISTS TO DISPENSE SELF-ADMINISTERED HORMONAL CONTRACEPTIVES WITHOUT PATIENT-SPECIFIC WRITTEN ORDERS, SO AS TO INSTEAD PROVIDE THE DISPENSATIONS MAY BE MADE UNDER STANDING ORDERS OR WITHOUT STANDING ORDERS WHEN DISPENSED OR ADMINISTERED PURSUANT TO CERTAIN WRITTEN JOINT PROTOCOLS.
Very Respectfully,
President
Received as information.
Rep. W. NEWTON, from the Committee on Judiciary, submitted a favorable report with amendments on:
H. 3408 (Word version) -- Reps. Haddon, Forrest, Gilliam, Ligon, Taylor, C. Mitchell, Pope, Magnuson, Pedalino, McCravy, Chumley, Hewitt, W. Newton and Calhoon: A BILL TO AMEND THE SOUTH CAROLINA CODE OF LAWS BY ADDING SECTION 27-1-80 SO AS TO PROVIDE THAT CERTAIN COMPANIES OWNED, IN WHOLE OR IN PART, BY ANY UNITED STATES-DECLARED FOREIGN ADVERSARY MAY NOT OWN, LEASE, POSSESS, OR EXERCISE ANY CONTROL OVER ANY REAL ESTATE IN THIS STATE AND TO PROVIDE THAT FRAUDULENT TRANSACTIONS ARE VOID.
Ordered for consideration tomorrow.
Rep. W. NEWTON, from the Committee on Judiciary, submitted a favorable report on:
H. 3597 (Word version) -- Reps. Robbins, T. Moore, Pope, W. Newton, C. Mitchell and Calhoon: A BILL TO AMEND THE SOUTH CAROLINA CODE OF LAWS BY AMENDING SECTION 17-25-65, RELATING TO THE REDUCTION OF A SENTENCE FOR SUBSTANTIAL ASSISTANCE TO THE STATE, SO AS TO REQUIRE NOTICE TO THE ARRESTING LAW ENFORCEMENT AGENCY AND ANY VICTIMS, TO REQUIRE A HEARING WITH FINDINGS OF FACT IN A WRITTEN ORDER, TO REQUIRE VERIFICATION OF SUBSTANTIAL ASSISTANCE BY LAW ENFORCEMENT OR THE CORRECTIONAL FACILITY, AND TO ALLOW REDUCTION OF MANDATORY MINIMUM SENTENCES IN THE DISCRETION OF THE JUDGE.
Ordered for consideration tomorrow.
Rep. W. NEWTON, from the Committee on Judiciary, submitted a favorable report with amendments on:
H. 4641 (Word version) -- Reps. Pope, Gilliam, Wooten, Oremus, Chapman, McCravy, B. Newton, Martin, White, Schuessler, Ford, Jordan, M. M. Smith, Robbins, Gatch, Duncan and Lastinger: A BILL TO AMEND THE SOUTH CAROLINA CODE OF LAWS BY AMENDING SECTION 44-53-190, RELATING TO SCHEDULE I CONTROLLED SUBSTANCES, SO AS TO ADD KRATOM TO THE CONTROLLED SUBSTANCES LISTED IN SCHEDULE I; AND BY REPEALING ARTICLE 20 OF CHAPTER 53, TITLE 44 RELATING TO THE SOUTH CAROLINA KRATOM CONSUMER PROTECTION ACT.
Ordered for consideration tomorrow.
Rep. W. NEWTON, from the Committee on Judiciary, submitted a favorable report on:
H. 5288 (Word version) -- Reps. J. E. Johnson, Brittain, Yow, Guest, Haddon, Jordan, Robbins, Wickensimer, C. Mitchell and Calhoon: A BILL TO AMEND THE SOUTH CAROLINA CODE OF LAWS BY ADDING SECTION 16-13-136 SO AS TO DEFINE NECESSARY TERMS, CREATE CARGO THEFT OFFENSES, AND PROVIDE PENALTIES FOR THE OFFENSES.
Ordered for consideration tomorrow.
Rep. W. NEWTON, from the Committee on Judiciary, submitted a favorable report with amendments on:
H. 5401 (Word version) -- Rep. Robbins: A BILL TO AMEND THE SOUTH CAROLINA CODE OF LAWS BY AMENDING SECTION 17-15-37, RELATING TO ELECTRONIC MONITORING BY THE SOUTH CAROLINA LAW ENFORCEMENT DIVISION, SO AS TO ESTABLISH NEW OFFENSES AND PROVIDE PENALTIES; AND BY AMENDING SECTION 38-53-84, RELATING TO NOTIFICATION OF ELECTRONIC MONITORING VIOLATIONS, SO AS TO PROHIBIT BONDSMEN FROM KNOWINGLY CONTRACTING WITH, REFERRING, OR OTHERWISE UTILIZING THE SERVICES OF AN UNCERTIFIED ELECTRONIC MONITORING COMPANY.
Ordered for consideration tomorrow.
The following was introduced:
H. 5528 (Word version) -- Reps. Yow, C. Mitchell, Gilliam, Alexander, Anderson, Atkinson, Bailey, Ballentine, Bamberg, Bannister, Bauer, Beach, Bernstein, Bowers, Bradley, Brewer, Brittain, Burns, Bustos, Calhoon, Caskey, Chapman, Chumley, Clyburn, Cobb-Hunter, Collins, Cox, Crawford, Cromer, Davis, Dillard, Duncan, Edgerton, Erickson, Ford, Forrest, Frank, Gagnon, Garvin, Gatch, Gibson, Gilliard, Gilreath, Govan, Grant, Guest, Guffey, Haddon, Hager, Hardee, Harris, Hart, Hartnett, Hartz, Hayes, Henderson-Myers, Herbkersman, Hewitt, Hiott, Hixon, Holman, Hosey, Howard, Huff, J. E. Johnson, J. L. Johnson, Jones, Jordan, Kilmartin, King, Kirby, Landing, Lastinger, Lawson, Ligon, Long, Lowe, Luck, Magnuson, Martin, McCabe, McCravy, McDaniel, McGinnis, D. Mitchell, Montgomery, J. Moore, T. Moore, Morgan, Moss, Neese, B. Newton, W. Newton, Oremus, Pace, Pedalino, Pope, Rankin, Reese, Rivers, Robbins, Rose, Rutherford, Sanders, Schuessler, Scott, Sessions, G. M. Smith, M. M. Smith, Spann-Wilder, Stavrinakis, Taylor, Teeple, Terribile, Vaughan, Waters, Weeks, Wetmore, White, Whitmire, Wickensimer, Williams, Willis and Wooten: A HOUSE RESOLUTION TO RECOGNIZE AND HONOR CHIEF MASTER SERGEANT GEORGE J. HUFFSTETLER UPON THE OCCASION OF HIS RETIREMENT AFTER MANY YEARS OF EXEMPLARY SERVICE, AND TO WISH HIM CONTINUED SUCCESS AND HAPPINESS IN ALL HIS FUTURE ENDEAVORS.
The Resolution was adopted.
The following was introduced: H. 5529 (Word version) -- Reps. Luck, B. Newton, Alexander, Anderson, Atkinson, Bailey, Ballentine, Bamberg, Bannister, Bauer, Beach, Bernstein, Bowers, Bradley, Brewer, Brittain, Burns, Bustos, Calhoon, Caskey, Chapman, Chumley, Clyburn, Cobb-Hunter, Collins, Cox, Crawford, Cromer, Davis, Dillard, Duncan, Edgerton, Erickson, Ford, Forrest, Frank, Gagnon, Garvin, Gatch, Gibson, Gilliam, Gilliard, Gilreath, Govan, Grant, Guest, Guffey, Haddon, Hager, Hardee, Harris, Hart, Hartnett, Hartz, Hayes, Henderson-Myers, Herbkersman, Hewitt, Hiott, Hixon, Holman, Hosey, Howard, Huff, J. E. Johnson, J. L. Johnson, Jones, Jordan, Kilmartin, King, Kirby, Landing, Lastinger, Lawson, Ligon, Long, Lowe, Magnuson, Martin, McCabe, McCravy, McDaniel, McGinnis, C. Mitchell, D. Mitchell, Montgomery, J. Moore, T. Moore, Morgan, Moss, Neese, W. Newton, Oremus, Pace, Pedalino, Pope, Rankin, Reese, Rivers, Robbins, Rose, Rutherford, Sanders, Schuessler, Scott, Sessions, G. M. Smith, M. M. Smith, Spann-Wilder, Stavrinakis, Taylor, Teeple, Terribile, Vaughan, Waters, Weeks, Wetmore, White, Whitmire, Wickensimer, Williams, Willis, Wooten and Yow: A HOUSE RESOLUTION TO CONGRATULATE THE NEWTON FAMILY MEMBERS ON THEIR FAITHFULNESS IN RENEWING FAMILY TIES BY GATHERING EACH YEAR AND TO ACKNOWLEDGE THEIR COMMITMENT TO FAMILY AS THEY CELEBRATE THEIR ONE HUNDREDTH REUNION IN AUGUST 2026.
The Resolution was adopted.
The following was introduced: H. 5530 (Word version) -- Reps. B. Newton, Alexander, Anderson, Atkinson, Bailey, Ballentine, Bamberg, Bannister, Bauer, Beach, Bernstein, Bowers, Bradley, Brewer, Brittain, Burns, Bustos, Calhoon, Caskey, Chapman, Chumley, Clyburn, Cobb-Hunter, Collins, Cox, Crawford, Cromer, Davis, Dillard, Duncan, Edgerton, Erickson, Ford, Forrest, Frank, Gagnon, Garvin, Gatch, Gibson, Gilliam, Gilliard, Gilreath, Govan, Grant, Guest, Guffey, Haddon, Hager, Hardee, Harris, Hart, Hartnett, Hartz, Hayes, Henderson-Myers, Herbkersman, Hewitt, Hiott, Hixon, Holman, Hosey, Howard, Huff, J. E. Johnson, J. L. Johnson, Jones, Jordan, Kilmartin, King, Kirby, Landing, Lastinger, Lawson, Ligon, Long, Lowe, Luck, Magnuson, Martin, McCabe, McCravy, McDaniel, McGinnis, C. Mitchell, D. Mitchell, Montgomery, J. Moore, T. Moore, Morgan, Moss, Neese, W. Newton, Oremus, Pace, Pedalino, Pope, Rankin, Reese, Rivers, Robbins, Rose, Rutherford, Sanders, Schuessler, Scott, Sessions, G. M. Smith, M. M. Smith, Spann-Wilder, Stavrinakis, Taylor, Teeple, Terribile, Vaughan, Waters, Weeks, Wetmore, White, Whitmire, Wickensimer, Williams, Willis, Wooten and Yow: A HOUSE RESOLUTION TO CONGRATULATE LCI-LINEBERGER CONSTRUCTION INC. OF LANCASTER AT THE CELEBRATION OF ITS THIRTIETH ANNIVERSARY, TO EXPRESS APPRECIATION FOR ITS THREE DECADES OF EXCEPTIONAL SERVICE AND SIGNIFICANT ECONOMIC IMPACT IN THE MIDLANDS AND BEYOND, AND TO EXTEND BEST WISHES FOR CONTINUED SUCCESS IN THE YEARS TO COME.
The Resolution was adopted.
The following was introduced:
H. 5531 (Word version) -- Reps. Gagnon, Alexander, Anderson, Atkinson, Bailey, Ballentine, Bamberg, Bannister, Bauer, Beach, Bernstein, Bowers, Bradley, Brewer, Brittain, Burns, Bustos, Calhoon, Caskey, Chapman, Chumley, Clyburn, Cobb-Hunter, Collins, Cox, Crawford, Cromer, Davis, Dillard, Duncan, Edgerton, Erickson, Ford, Forrest, Frank, Garvin, Gatch, Gibson, Gilliam, Gilliard, Gilreath, Govan, Grant, Guest, Guffey, Haddon, Hager, Hardee, Harris, Hart, Hartnett, Hartz, Hayes, Henderson-Myers, Herbkersman, Hewitt, Hiott, Hixon, Holman, Hosey, Howard, Huff, J. E. Johnson, J. L. Johnson, Jones, Jordan, Kilmartin, King, Kirby, Landing, Lastinger, Lawson, Ligon, Long, Lowe, Luck, Magnuson, Martin, McCabe, McCravy, McDaniel, McGinnis, C. Mitchell, D. Mitchell, Montgomery, J. Moore, T. Moore, Morgan, Moss, Neese, B. Newton, W. Newton, Oremus, Pace, Pedalino, Pope, Rankin, Reese, Rivers, Robbins, Rose, Rutherford, Sanders, Schuessler, Scott, Sessions, G. M. Smith, M. M. Smith, Spann-Wilder, Stavrinakis, Taylor, Teeple, Terribile, Vaughan, Waters, Weeks, Wetmore, White, Whitmire, Wickensimer, Williams, Willis, Wooten and Yow: A HOUSE RESOLUTION TO RECOGNIZE AND HONOR DR. KRISTEN STEELY FOR HER OUTSTANDING CONTRIBUTIONS TO ELEVATE THE FIELD OF CHIROPRACTIC CARE AND HER DEDICATION TO DUTIFULLY SERVING THE CITIZENS OF SOUTH CAROLINA WITH COMPASSIONATE HEALTHCARE.
The Resolution was adopted.
The following was introduced: H. 5532 (Word version) -- Reps. Long, Alexander, Anderson, Atkinson, Bailey, Ballentine, Bamberg, Bannister, Bauer, Beach, Bernstein, Bowers, Bradley, Brewer, Brittain, Burns, Bustos, Calhoon, Caskey, Chapman, Chumley, Clyburn, Cobb-Hunter, Collins, Cox, Crawford, Cromer, Davis, Dillard, Duncan, Edgerton, Erickson, Ford, Forrest, Frank, Gagnon, Garvin, Gatch, Gibson, Gilliam, Gilliard, Gilreath, Govan, Grant, Guest, Guffey, Haddon, Hager, Hardee, Harris, Hart, Hartnett, Hartz, Hayes, Henderson-Myers, Herbkersman, Hewitt, Hiott, Hixon, Holman, Hosey, Howard, Huff, J. E. Johnson, J. L. Johnson, Jones, Jordan, Kilmartin, King, Kirby, Landing, Lastinger, Lawson, Ligon, Lowe, Luck, Magnuson, Martin, McCabe, McCravy, McDaniel, McGinnis, C. Mitchell, D. Mitchell, Montgomery, J. Moore, T. Moore, Morgan, Moss, Neese, B. Newton, W. Newton, Oremus, Pace, Pedalino, Pope, Rankin, Reese, Rivers, Robbins, Rose, Rutherford, Sanders, Schuessler, Scott, Sessions, G. M. Smith, M. M. Smith, Spann-Wilder, Stavrinakis, Taylor, Teeple, Terribile, Vaughan, Waters, Weeks, Wetmore, White, Whitmire, Wickensimer, Williams, Willis, Wooten and Yow: A HOUSE RESOLUTION TO CELEBRATE THE BOILING SPRINGS HIGH SCHOOL MALE AND FEMALE STRENGTH TEAMS FOR REMARKABLE SEASONS AND TO SALUTE THESE OUTSTANDING ATHLETES ON CAPTURING THEIR RESPECTIVE 2026 CLASS AAAAA STATE CHAMPIONSHIP TITLES.
The Resolution was adopted.
The following was introduced: H. 5533 (Word version) -- Reps. Bernstein, Alexander, Anderson, Atkinson, Bailey, Ballentine, Bamberg, Bannister, Bauer, Beach, Bowers, Bradley, Brewer, Brittain, Burns, Bustos, Calhoon, Caskey, Chapman, Chumley, Clyburn, Cobb-Hunter, Collins, Cox, Crawford, Cromer, Davis, Dillard, Duncan, Edgerton, Erickson, Ford, Forrest, Frank, Gagnon, Garvin, Gatch, Gibson, Gilliam, Gilliard, Gilreath, Govan, Grant, Guest, Guffey, Haddon, Hager, Hardee, Harris, Hart, Hartnett, Hartz, Hayes, Henderson-Myers, Herbkersman, Hewitt, Hiott, Hixon, Holman, Hosey, Howard, Huff, J. E. Johnson, J. L. Johnson, Jones, Jordan, Kilmartin, King, Kirby, Landing, Lastinger, Lawson, Ligon, Long, Lowe, Luck, Magnuson, Martin, McCabe, McCravy, McDaniel, McGinnis, C. Mitchell, D. Mitchell, Montgomery, J. Moore, T. Moore, Morgan, Moss, Neese, B. Newton, W. Newton, Oremus, Pace, Pedalino, Pope, Rankin, Reese, Rivers, Robbins, Rose, Rutherford, Sanders, Schuessler, Scott, Sessions, G. M. Smith, M. M. Smith, Spann-Wilder, Stavrinakis, Taylor, Teeple, Terribile, Vaughan, Waters, Weeks, Wetmore, White, Whitmire, Wickensimer, Williams, Willis, Wooten and Yow: A HOUSE RESOLUTION TO RECOGNIZE AND HONOR THE HAMMOND SCHOOL BOYS SWIM TEAM, COACHES, AND SCHOOL OFFICIALS FOR AN OUTSTANDING SEASON, AND TO CONGRATULATE THEM ON WINNING THE 2025 SOUTH CAROLINA INDEPENDENT SCHOOL ASSOCIATION DIVISION I CLASS 4A STATE CHAMPIONSHIP TITLE.
The Resolution was adopted.
The following was introduced:
H. 5534 (Word version) -- Reps. Alexander, Cobb-Hunter, Kirby, Anderson, Atkinson, Bailey, Ballentine, Bamberg, Bannister, Bauer, Beach, Bernstein, Bowers, Bradley, Brewer, Brittain, Burns, Bustos, Calhoon, Caskey, Chapman, Chumley, Clyburn, Collins, Cox, Crawford, Cromer, Davis, Dillard, Duncan, Edgerton, Erickson, Ford, Forrest, Frank, Gagnon, Garvin, Gatch, Gibson, Gilliam, Gilliard, Gilreath, Govan, Grant, Guest, Guffey, Haddon, Hager, Hardee, Harris, Hart, Hartnett, Hartz, Hayes, Henderson-Myers, Herbkersman, Hewitt, Hiott, Hixon, Holman, Hosey, Howard, Huff, J. E. Johnson, J. L. Johnson, Jones, Jordan, Kilmartin, King, Landing, Lastinger, Lawson, Ligon, Long, Lowe, Luck, Magnuson, Martin, McCabe, McCravy, McDaniel, McGinnis, C. Mitchell, D. Mitchell, Montgomery, J. Moore, T. Moore, Morgan, Moss, Neese, B. Newton, W. Newton, Oremus, Pace, Pedalino, Pope, Rankin, Reese, Rivers, Robbins, Rose, Rutherford, Sanders, Schuessler, Scott, Sessions, G. M. Smith, M. M. Smith, Spann-Wilder, Stavrinakis, Taylor, Teeple, Terribile, Vaughan, Waters, Weeks, Wetmore, White, Whitmire, Wickensimer, Williams, Willis, Wooten and Yow: A HOUSE RESOLUTION TO HONOR AND RECOGNIZE GLOBAL ECO ADVENTURES (GEA), A SOUTH CAROLINA-BASED ENVIRONMENTAL EDUCATION NONPROFIT ORGANIZATION, FOR ITS OUTSTANDING CONTRIBUTIONS TO ENVIRONMENTAL STEWARDSHIP, CONSERVATION, AND RESILIENCY EFFORTS ACROSS SOUTH CAROLINA AND BEYOND AND TO CELEBRATE THE OCCASION OF ITS 10TH ANNUAL ECOBALL EVENT, TO BE HELD ON EARTH DAY.
The roll call of the House of Representatives was taken resulting as follows:
Alexander Anderson Atkinson Bailey Ballentine Bamberg Bannister Bauer Beach Bernstein Bowers Bradley Brewer Brittain Burns Bustos Calhoon Caskey Chapman Chumley Clyburn Cobb-Hunter Collins Cox Cromer Davis Dillard Duncan Edgerton Erickson Forrest Frank Gagnon Garvin Gatch Gibson Gilliam Gilliard Gilreath Govan Grant Guest Guffey Hager Hardee Harris Hart Hartnett Hartz Hayes Henderson-Myers Herbkersman Hewitt Hiott Hixon Holman Hosey Howard Huff J. E. Johnson J. L. Johnson Jones Jordan Kilmartin King Kirby Landing Lastinger Lawson Ligon Long Lowe Luck Magnuson Martin McCabe McCravy McDaniel McGinnis C. Mitchell D. Mitchell Montgomery J. Moore T. Moore Morgan Moss Neese B. Newton W. Newton Oremus Pace Pedalino Pope Rankin Reese Rivers Robbins Rose Rutherford Sanders Schuessler Scott Sessions G. M. Smith M. M. Smith Stavrinakis Taylor Teeple Terribile Waters Weeks Wetmore White Whitmire Wickensimer Williams Willis Wooten Yow
The SPEAKER PRO TEMPORE granted Rep. SPANN-WILDER a leave of absence for the day due to medical reasons.
The SPEAKER PRO TEMPORE granted Rep. VAUGHAN a leave of absence for the day due to a family commitment.
The SPEAKER PRO TEMPORE granted Rep. FORD a leave of absence for the day.
The SPEAKER PRO TEMPORE granted Rep. CRAWFORD a leave of absence for the day.
The SPEAKER PRO TEMPORE granted Rep. HADDON a leave of absence for the day due to medical reasons.
Rep. BALLENTINE presented to the House the Chapin High School "Lady Eagles" AAAAA Varsity Cheerleading Championship Team.
Rep. HIOTT presented to the House the Pickens High School "Lady Flames" Girls Volleyball State Champions.
Rep. HOWARD presented to the House the C. A. Johnson High School "Green Hornets" 1A Boys Basketball Championship Team.
Announcement was made that Dr. Carmen Roberts of Manning was the Doctor of the Day for the General Assembly.
In accordance with House Rule 5.2 below:
"5.2 Every bill before presentation shall have its title endorsed; every report, its title at length; every petition, memorial, or other paper, its prayer or substance; and, in every instance, the name of the member presenting any paper shall be endorsed and the papers shall be presented by the member to the Speaker at the desk. A member may add his name to a bill or resolution or a co-sponsor of a bill or resolution may remove his name at any time prior to the bill or resolution receiving passage on second reading. The member or co-sponsor shall notify the Clerk of the House in writing of his desire to have his name added or removed from the bill or resolution. The Clerk of the House shall print the member's or co-sponsor's written notification in the House Journal. The removal or addition of a name does not apply to a bill or resolution sponsored by a committee."
Bill Number: H. 3408 (Word version)
Date: ADD:
04/15/26 CALHOON
Bill Number: H. 3597 (Word version)
Date: ADD:
04/15/26 C. MITCHELL and CALHOON
Bill Number: H. 4611 (Word version)
Date: ADD:
04/15/26 GOVAN
Bill Number: H. 4461 (Word version)
Date: ADD:
04/15/26 C. MITCHELL and BREWER
Bill Number: H. 5114 (Word version)
Date: ADD:
04/15/26 WILLIS
Bill Number: H. 5183 (Word version)
Date: ADD:
04/15/26 LASTINGER
Bill Number: H. 5201 (Word version)
Date: ADD:
04/15/26 TEEPLE
Bill Number: H. 5216 (Word version)
Date: ADD:
04/15/26 M. M. SMITH
Bill Number: H. 5216 (Word version)
Date: ADD:
04/15/26 KIRBY and TEEPLE
Bill Number: H. 5288 (Word version)
Date: ADD:
04/15/26 WICKENSIMER, C. MITCHELL and CALHOON
Bill Number: H. 5327 (Word version)
Date: ADD:
04/15/26 D. MITCHELL, BURNS, HUFF, LASTINGER and BEACH
Bill Number: H. 5330 (Word version)
Date: ADD:
04/15/26 TERRIBILE, D. MITCHELL, BURNS, HUFF, LASTINGER and BEACH
Bill Number: H. 5361 (Word version)
Date: ADD:
04/15/26 TERRIBILE
Bill Number: H. 5355 (Word version)
Date: ADD:
04/15/26 TERRIBILE and BURNS
Bill Number: H. 5356 (Word version)
Date: ADD:
04/15/26 LASTINGER and BEACH
Bill Number: H. 5397 (Word version)
Date: ADD:
04/15/26 M. M. SMITH
Bill Number: H. 5504 (Word version)
Date: ADD:
04/15/26 TEEPLE
Bill Number: H. 5501 (Word version)
Date: REMOVE:
04/15/26 WILLIS
The following Bills were taken up, read the third time, and ordered sent to the Senate:
H. 4679 (Word version) -- Reps. C. Mitchell, Cox, M. M. Smith, Wooten, Chapman, W. Newton, Herbkersman, Wickensimer, Guest, McCravy, Hartnett, Gilliard, Rivers and Williams: A BILL TO AMEND THE SOUTH CAROLINA CODE OF LAWS SO AS TO ENACT THE "SOUTH CAROLINA DRONE REGULATION AND PUBLIC SAFETY ACT" BY ADDING SECTION 55-1-110 SO AS TO ESTABLISH GUIDELINES FOR DRONE OPERATIONS AND PENALTIES FOR UNLAWFUL DRONE USE.
H. 4706 (Word version) -- Reps. Rutherford, Neese, Chumley, Hartnett, Gilliard, Rivers and Williams: A BILL TO AMEND THE SOUTH CAROLINA CODE OF LAWS BY ADDING SECTION 15-1-350 SO AS TO PROHIBIT CERTAIN RACING FACILITIES, UNDER CERTAIN CIRCUMSTANCES, FROM BEING SUBJECT TO NUISANCE AND TAKING CAUSES OF ACTION FROM A SURROUNDING LANDOWNER.
H. 4248 (Word version) -- Reps. Herbkersman, Bradley, Erickson, Hixon, Pope, Hewitt, Cobb-Hunter, Forrest, M. M. Smith, Hartnett, Luck, Gilliard, Rivers, W. Newton, Guest, J. Moore and Williams: A BILL TO AMEND THE SOUTH CAROLINA CODE OF LAWS BY ADDING SECTION 39-25-220 SO AS TO REQUIRE THAT ALL SHRIMP AND SHRIMP PRODUCTS SOLD IN THIS STATE HAVE A LABEL NOTING THE COUNTRY OF ORIGIN OF THE SHRIMP. H. 5069 (Word version) -- Reps. T. Moore, Bradley, Wooten, Brittain, Bernstein, Holman, Ford, Wetmore, Stavrinakis, B. Newton, Rivers, Anderson, Kirby, McDaniel, Caskey, Erickson, Reese, Chapman, Govan, Yow, Bustos, Martin, Sessions, Gatch, M. M. Smith, D. Mitchell, Guest, Neese, Pedalino, Bauer, W. Newton, Gilreath, Gilliam, Luck, Pope, Ligon, Cox, J. L. Johnson, Guffey, Bowers, Jordan, Collins, Duncan, Teeple, Lawson, Sanders, Montgomery, Ballentine, Brewer, Gagnon, Haddon, Hartnett, Hartz, Herbkersman, Hiott, Hixon, Jones, Lowe, Robbins, Cromer, Oremus, Davis, Gilliard, Gibson, McCravy and C. Mitchell: A BILL TO AMEND THE SOUTH CAROLINA CODE OF LAWS BY ADDING CHAPTER 61 TO TITLE 48 SO AS TO ESTABLISH THE "SOUTH CAROLINA PROTECTED LANDS AND CONSERVATION COORDINATION ACT"; TO PROVIDE DEFINITIONS; TO RECOGNIZE CONSERVATION OF NATURAL RESOURCES AS AN IMPORTANT STATE INTEREST; TO ESTABLISH A STATEWIDE PROTECTED LAND BENCHMARK; AND TO PROVIDE FOR COORDINATION OF LAND PROTECTION PROJECTS AND ANNUAL REPORTING TO THE GENERAL ASSEMBLY.
H. 5111 (Word version) -- Reps. Forrest, Lastinger, Hartz, Gibson, McCravy, Reese and Duncan: A BILL TO AMEND THE SOUTH CAROLINA CODE OF LAWS BY ADDING SECTION 5-31-60 SO AS TO AUTHORIZE PROPERTY OWNERS TO DRILL, OPERATE, AND MAINTAIN PRIVATE WATER WELLS ON AGRICULTURAL OR RESIDENTIAL PROPERTY; TO PROHIBIT COUNTIES AND MUNICIPALITIES FROM MANDATING CONNECTION TO MUNICIPAL WATER SYSTEMS ABSENT A DOCUMENTED PUBLIC HEALTH THREAT; TO ESTABLISH PRIMA FACIE EVIDENCE OF COMPLIANCE; TO PREEMPT CONFLICTING LOCAL ORDINANCES; AND TO PROVIDE FOR ENFORCEMENT AND PENALTIES.
H. 5217 (Word version) -- Reps. Hixon, Haddon, Forrest and Luck: A BILL TO AMEND THE SOUTH CAROLINA CODE OF LAWS BY AMENDING SECTION 50-9-650, RELATING TO DEER HUNTING, SO AS TO INCREASE THE NUMBER OF ANTERLESS DEER TAGS AND DECREASE THE NUMBER OF ANTLERED DEER TAGS.
H. 5473 (Word version) -- Reps. Lowe and Williams: A BILL TO AMEND THE SOUTH CAROLINA CODE OF LAWS BY ADDING ARTICLE 15 TO CHAPTER 19, TITLE 50 SO AS TO PROHIBIT FISHING ON THE J. FOSTER JEFFORDS CAUSEWAY IN FLORENCE COUNTY.
The following Bill was taken up: S. 337 (Word version) -- Senator Reichenbach: A BILL TO AMEND THE SOUTH CAROLINA CODE OF LAWS BY AMENDING SECTION 50-13-640, RELATING TO THE POSSESSION OF BLUE CATFISH, SO AS TO PROVIDE FOR A DAILY LIMIT OF SEVENTY-FIVE BLUE CATFISH IN STATE WATERWAYS OTHER THAN IN LAKE MARION, LAKE MOULTRIE, AND THE UPPER REACH OF THE SANTEE RIVER.
The Committee on Agriculture, Natural Res. and Environmental Affairs proposed the following Amendment No. 1 to S. 337 (Word version) (LC-337.PH0002H), which was adopted:
Amend the bill, as and if amended, SECTION 1, by striking Section 50-13-640(B) and inserting:
(B) It is unlawful to take possess more than twenty-five blue catfish (Ictalurus furcatus) a day in Lake Marion, Lake Moultrie, the section of the Pee Dee River from the state border with North Carolina to the Highway 301 bridge, and the upper reach of the Santee River, and it is unlawful to possess more than one-hundred-fifty blue catfish a day in all other state waterways.
Amend the bill further, SECTION 2, by striking Section 50-13-640(A) and inserting:
(A) It is unlawful to possess more than two blue catfish (Ictalurus furcatus) greater than thirty-two inches in length in any one day in Lake Marion, Lake Moultrie, or the upper reach of the Santee River, the section of the Pee Dee River from the state border with North Carolina to the Highway 301 bridge, and the Congaree and Wateree rivers, and all other state waterways.
Renumber sections to conform.
Amend title to conform.
Rep. FORREST explained the amendment.
The amendment was then adopted.
The question recurred to the passage of the Bill.
The yeas and nays were taken resulting as follows:
Those who voted in the affirmative are:
Alexander Atkinson Bailey Ballentine Bannister Bauer Beach Bernstein Bowers Bradley Brewer Brittain Bustos Calhoon Chapman Clyburn Cobb-Hunter Collins Cox Cromer Davis Dillard Duncan Edgerton Erickson Forrest Frank Gagnon Garvin Gibson Gilliam Gilliard Gilreath Grant Guest Guffey Hager Harris Hartnett Hartz Hayes Henderson-Myers Herbkersman Hewitt Hiott Hixon Holman Hosey Huff J. E. Johnson Jones Jordan Kilmartin King Kirby Landing Lastinger Lawson Ligon Long Lowe Luck Magnuson Martin McCabe McCravy C. Mitchell Montgomery T. Moore Morgan Moss B. Newton W. Newton Oremus Pace Pedalino Pope Rankin Reese Rivers Robbins Rose Rutherford Sanders Schuessler Scott Sessions G. M. Smith M. M. Smith Taylor Teeple Terribile Wetmore Whitmire Wickensimer Williams Wooten Yow
Those who voted in the negative are:
Gatch White
So, the Bill, as amended, was read the second time and ordered to third reading.
The following Bill was taken up:
S. 463 (Word version) -- Senator Grooms: A BILL TO AMEND THE SOUTH CAROLINA CODE OF LAWS BY AMENDING SECTION 50-21-125, RELATING TO RESTRICTIONS ON SWIMMING NEAR PUBLIC LANDINGS ON LAKES OR RESERVOIRS OWNED OR MAINTAINED BY AN INVESTOR-OWNED UTILITY, SO AS TO PROVIDE FOR RESTRICTIONS ON SWIMMING NEAR PUBLIC BOATING LANDINGS ON LAKES OR RESERVOIRS OWNED OR MAINTAINED BY THE SOUTH CAROLINA PUBLIC SERVICE AUTHORITY.
Rep. FORREST explained the Bill.
The yeas and nays were taken resulting as follows:
Those who voted in the affirmative are:
Alexander Atkinson Bailey Ballentine Bannister Bauer Beach Bernstein Bowers Bradley Brewer Brittain Calhoon Caskey Chapman Cobb-Hunter Collins Cox Cromer Davis Duncan Edgerton Erickson Forrest Gagnon Garvin Gatch Gibson Gilliam Gilliard Gilreath Govan Grant Guest Guffey Hager Hardee Harris Hartz Hayes Henderson-Myers Herbkersman Hewitt Hiott Hixon Hosey Huff J. E. Johnson J. L. Johnson Jones Jordan Kilmartin King Kirby Landing Lastinger Lawson Ligon Long Lowe Luck Magnuson Martin McCravy McDaniel McGinnis C. Mitchell D. Mitchell Montgomery T. Moore Morgan Moss B. Newton W. Newton Oremus Pace Pedalino Pope Rankin Reese Rivers Robbins Rose Rutherford Sanders Schuessler Scott Sessions G. M. Smith M. M. Smith Stavrinakis Taylor Terribile Weeks Wetmore White Wickensimer Williams Willis Wooten Yow
Those who voted in the negative are:
So, the Bill was read the second time and ordered to third reading.
The following Bill was taken up:
S. 32 (Word version) -- Senators Grooms, Leber, Rice, Reichenbach, Climer, Garrett, Jackson and Zell: A BILL TO AMEND THE SOUTH CAROLINA CODE OF LAWS SO AS TO ENACT THE "PREGNANCY RESOURCE ACT"; BY ADDING SECTION 12-6-3383 SO AS TO PROVIDE FOR A TAX CREDIT FOR VOLUNTARY CASH CONTRIBUTIONS MADE TO A PREGNANCY RESOURCE CENTER OR CRISIS PREGNANCY CENTER AND TO PROVIDE GUIDELINES FOR THE CREDIT.
Rep. LONG explained the Bill.
The yeas and nays were taken resulting as follows:
Those who voted in the affirmative are:
Alexander Atkinson Bailey Ballentine Bannister Beach Bowers Bradley Brewer Brittain Burns Bustos Calhoon Caskey Chumley Clyburn Collins Cox Cromer Davis Duncan Edgerton Erickson Forrest Frank Gagnon Garvin Gatch Gibson Gilliam Gilliard Gilreath Grant Guest Guffey Hager Hardee Harris Hartnett Hartz Hayes Henderson-Myers Herbkersman Hewitt Hiott Hixon Holman Hosey Huff J. E. Johnson Jordan Kilmartin Kirby Landing Lastinger Lawson Ligon Long Lowe Luck Martin McCabe McCravy McGinnis C. Mitchell Montgomery T. Moore Morgan Moss B. Newton W. Newton Oremus Pace Pedalino Pope Rankin Reese Rivers Robbins Rose Rutherford Sanders Schuessler Scott Sessions G. M. Smith M. M. Smith Taylor Teeple Terribile Weeks White Whitmire Willis Yow
Those who voted in the negative are:
So, the Bill was read the second time and ordered to third reading.
I was temporarily out of the Chamber on constituent business during the vote on S. 32 (Word version). If I had been present, I would have voted in favor of the Bill.
Rep. Don Chapman
I was temporarily out of the Chamber during the vote for S. 32 (Word version). I was meeting with candidates for today's election of university trustees. Had I been present, I would have voted in favor of both.
Rep. Josiah Magnuson
The following Bill was taken up:
H. 5057 (Word version) -- Reps. Ballentine, Cobb-Hunter and Taylor: A BILL TO AMEND THE SOUTH CAROLINA CODE OF LAWS BY ADDING SECTION 59-150-420 SO AS TO PROVIDE THAT LOTTERY RETAILERS MAY USE CERTAIN LOTTERY TICKET VENDING MACHINES; AND BY AMENDING SECTION 12-21-2710, RELATING TO TYPES OF MACHINES AND DEVICES PROHIBITED BY LAW, SO AS TO PROVIDE FOR AN EXCEPTION.
Reps. MCCRAVY, GIBSON, FRANK, EDGERTON, MAGNUSON, KILMARTIN, WHITE, GILREATH, CROMER and OREMUS requested debate on the Bill.
The following Bill was taken up:
H. 4611 (Word version) -- Reps. T. Moore, Collins, C. Mitchell, B. Newton, Pope, Clyburn, Spann-Wilder, Martin, Teeple, Schuessler, Hewitt, Willis, M. M. Smith, Erickson, Weeks, Hartnett, Bowers, Reese, Lastinger and Govan: A BILL TO AMEND THE SOUTH CAROLINA CODE OF LAWS BY AMENDING SECTIONS 8-11-150 AND 8-11-151, BOTH RELATING TO PAID PARENTAL LEAVE, SO AS TO PROVIDE THAT PAID PARENTAL LEAVE APPLIES TO STILLBIRTHS.
Rep. COBB-HUNTER explained the Bill. The yeas and nays were taken resulting as follows:
Those who voted in the affirmative are:
Alexander Atkinson Bailey Ballentine Bannister Bauer Beach Bernstein Bradley Brewer Brittain Burns Bustos Calhoon Caskey Chapman Chumley Clyburn Cobb-Hunter Collins Cox Cromer Davis Dillard Duncan Edgerton Erickson Forrest Frank Gagnon Garvin Gatch Gibson Gilliam Gilliard Gilreath Govan Grant Guest Guffey Hager Hardee Hart Hartnett Hartz Hayes Henderson-Myers Herbkersman Hewitt Hixon Holman Hosey Huff J. E. Johnson J. L. Johnson Jordan Kilmartin King Kirby Landing Lastinger Lawson Ligon Long Lowe Luck Martin McCravy McDaniel McGinnis C. Mitchell Montgomery T. Moore Morgan Moss B. Newton W. Newton Oremus Pace Pedalino Pope Rankin Reese Rivers Robbins Rose Rutherford Sanders Schuessler Scott Sessions G. M. Smith M. M. Smith Stavrinakis Taylor Teeple Terribile Weeks Wetmore White Whitmire Williams Willis Wooten Yow
So, the Bill was read the second time and ordered to third reading.
I was temporarily out of the Chamber on constituent business during the vote on H. 4611 (Word version). If I had been present, I would have voted in favor of the Bill.
Rep. Phillip Bowers
I was temporarily out of the Chamber during the vote for H. 4611 (Word version). I was meeting with candidates for today's election of university trustees. Had I been present, I would have voted in favor of both.
Rep. Josiah Magnuson
The following Bill was taken up:
H. 5018 (Word version) -- Rep. G. M. Smith: A BILL TO AMEND THE SOUTH CAROLINA CODE OF LAWS BY AMENDING SECTION 1-1-1210, RELATING TO ANNUAL SALARIES OF CERTAIN STATE OFFICERS, SO AS TO PROVIDE THAT SALARIES OF THE GOVERNOR AND THE LIEUTENANT GOVERNOR MUST BE BASED ON RECOMMENDATIONS BY THE AGENCY HEAD SALARY COMMISSION TO THE GENERAL ASSEMBLY; BY AMENDING SECTION 8-11-160, RELATING TO THE AGENCY HEAD SALARY COMMISSION AND SALARY INCREASES FOR AGENCY HEADS, SO AS TO PROVIDE THAT SALARIES OF THE GOVERNOR AND THE LIEUTENANT GOVERNOR MUST BE BASED ON RECOMMENDATIONS BY THE AGENCY HEAD SALARY COMMISSION TO THE GENERAL ASSEMBLY, AND TO REQUIRE THE COMMISSION TO AUTHORIZE A STUDY EVERY FOUR YEARS TO RECOMMEND SALARY RANGES FOR THE GOVERNOR AND LIEUTENANT GOVERNOR; AND BY AMENDING SECTION 8-11-165, RELATING TO THE AGENCY HEAD SALARY COMMISSION AND ITS DUTIES AND RESPONSIBILITIES, SO AS TO MAKE CONFORMING CHANGES.
Reps. PACE, FRANK, EDGERTON, GILREATH, CROMER, MORGAN, WHITE and MCCRAVY requested debate on the Bill.
The following Bill was taken up:
H. 5173 (Word version) -- Reps. Hewitt, Bannister, G. M. Smith and M. M. Smith: A BILL TO AMEND THE SOUTH CAROLINA CODE OF LAWS BY AMENDING SECTION 44-7-130, RELATING TO HEALTHCARE FACILITY DEFINITIONS, SO AS TO CHANGE THE DEFINITION OF HOSPITAL.
Rep. B. NEWTON explained the Bill.
The yeas and nays were taken resulting as follows:
Those who voted in the affirmative are:
Anderson Atkinson Bailey Ballentine Bannister Bauer Beach Bernstein Bowers Bradley Brewer Brittain Burns Bustos Calhoon Caskey Chapman Chumley Clyburn Cobb-Hunter Collins Cox Cromer Davis Dillard Duncan Edgerton Erickson Forrest Frank Gagnon Garvin Gibson Gilliam Gilliard Gilreath Govan Grant Guest Guffey Hager Hardee Harris Hart Hartnett Hartz Hayes Henderson-Myers Herbkersman Hewitt Hiott Hixon Holman Hosey Huff J. E. Johnson J. L. Johnson Jones Jordan Kilmartin King Kirby Landing Lastinger Lawson Ligon Long Lowe Luck Magnuson Martin McCabe McCravy McDaniel McGinnis C. Mitchell D. Mitchell Montgomery J. Moore T. Moore Morgan Moss B. Newton W. Newton Oremus Pace Pedalino Pope Rankin Reese Rivers Robbins Rose Rutherford Sanders Schuessler Scott Sessions G. M. Smith M. M. Smith Stavrinakis Taylor Teeple Terribile Waters Weeks Wetmore White Whitmire Wickensimer Williams Willis Wooten Yow
Those who voted in the negative are:
So, the Bill was read the second time and ordered to third reading.
The following Bill was taken up: S. 831 (Word version) -- Senators Grooms, Jackson, Kimbrell, Sutton and Bennett: A BILL TO AMEND THE SOUTH CAROLINA CODE OF LAWS BY ADDING SECTION 57-1-25 SO AS TO ESTABLISH A COORDINATING COUNCIL FOR TRANSPORTATION AND MOBILITY AND DEFINE ITS MEMBERSHIP, POWERS, AND RESPONSIBILITIES; BY AMENDING SECTION 57-1-360, RELATING TO THE CHIEF INTERNAL AUDITOR, SO AS TO CLARIFY QUALIFICATIONS AND SCOPE OF ACTIVITIES; BY AMENDING SECTION 57-1-370, RELATING TO THE DEVELOPMENT OF A LONG-RANGE STATEWIDE TRANSPORTATION PLAN, SO AS TO MANDATE THAT THE DEPARTMENT OF TRANSPORTATION IS RESPONSIBLE FOR DEVELOPING THE PLAN; BY AMENDING SECTION 57-3-20, RELATING TO RESPONSIBILITIES AND DUTIES OF THE DEPUTY SECRETARIES, SO AS TO PROVIDE FOR THE RESPONSIBILITIES AND DUTIES OF THE DEPUTY SECRETARIES; BY ADDING SECTION 57-3-205 SO AS TO ALLOW THE DEPARTMENT TO ENTER INTO PUBLIC-PRIVATE PARTNERSHIP AGREEMENTS; BY AMENDING SECTION 57-3-615, RELATING TO HIGHWAY TOLLS AND USAGE, SO AS TO ALLOW THE IMPOSITION OF TOLLS IN CERTAIN SITUATIONS; BY ADDING SECTION 57-3-790 SO AS TO WAIVE THE STATE'S IMMUNITY; BY ADDING SECTION 57-3-800 SO AS TO ALLOW THE DEPARTMENT OF TRANSPORTATION TO ENTER INTO RECIPROCAL AGREEMENTS WITH OTHERS TO ENFORCE TOLL VIOLATIONS; BY AMENDING SECTION 57-5-820, RELATING TO THE CONSENT OF A MUNICIPALITY TO WORK ON STATE HIGHWAYS, SO AS TO PROVIDE FOR CANCELLATION OF PROJECTS IN CERTAIN CIRCUMSTANCES; BY AMENDING SECTION 57-5-830, RELATING TO THE ASSENT OF MUNICIPALITY TO PLANS, SO AS TO PROVIDE THAT COSTS CAUSED BY AN UNREASONABLE DELAY ARE THE RESPONSIBILITY OF THE MUNICIPALITY; BY ADDING SECTION 57-5-105 SO AS TO IDENTIFY AND TRANSFER OWNERSHIP OF NON-ESSENTIAL ROADS TO THE STATE HIGHWAY SYSTEM; BY ADDING SECTION 57-5-1085 SO AS TO IMPOSE FEES ON NEW DEVELOPMENTS WITHIN THE STATE IN ORDER TO MITIGATE CONGESTION CAUSED BY ADDITIONAL TRAFFIC; BY AMENDING SECTION 57-5-1320, RELATING TO TURNPIKE PROJECT DEFINITIONS, SO AS TO INCLUDE NONTAX REVENUES OR OTHER LEGALLY AVAILABLE FUNDS AS A SOURCE FOR FUNDING TURNPIKE FACILITIES; BY AMENDING SECTION 57-5-1330, RELATING TO GENERAL POWERS OF THE DEPARTMENT OF TRANSPORTATION, SO AS TO ALLOW THE DEPARTMENT TO CONTRACT WITH OTHER POLITICAL SUBDIVISIONS IN DESIGNATING, ESTABLISHING, PLANNING, ABANDONING, FINANCING, IMPROVING, CONSTRUCTING, MAINTAINING, AND REGULATING TURNPIKE FACILITIES; BY AMENDING SECTION 57-5-1335, RELATING TO THE FEASIBILITY STUDIES, SO AS TO REQUIRE THE DEPARTMENT TO COMPLETE A FEASIBILITY STUDY PRIOR TO A BRIDGE CONSTRUCTION QUALIFYING AS TURNPIKE FACILITY; BY AMENDING SECTION 57-5-1340, RELATING TO ADDITIONAL POWERS OF THE DEPARTMENT, SO AS TO MAKE CONFORMING CHANGES; BY AMENDING SECTION 57-5-1350, RELATING TO A REQUEST FOR AN ISSUANCE OF TURNPIKE BONDS, SO AS TO MAKE CONFORMING CHANGES; BY AMENDING SECTION 57-5-1360, RELATING TO POWERS AND DUTIES OF THE STATE FISCAL ACCOUNTABILITY AUTHORITY UPON RECEIPT OF REQUEST, SO AS TO PROVIDE THAT A RESOLUTION APPROVING ANY PROPOSED TURNPIKE BONDS MAY NOT BE ADOPTED UNLESS THE STATE BOARD CONDUCTS A HEARING BEFORE APPROVAL; BY AMENDING SECTION 57-5-1380, RELATING TO TURNPIKE REVENUE PLEDGED FOR PAYMENT OF BONDS, SO AS TO CLARIFY THAT TURNPIKE BONDS ISSUED BY THIS ARTICLE DO NOT CONSTITUTE AN INDEBTEDNESS OF THE STATE; BY AMENDING SECTION 57-5-1390, RELATING TO BOND INTEREST, MATURITY, AND REDEMPTION, SO AS TO UPDATE TERMS; BY AMENDING SECTION 57-5-1400, RELATING TO THE SALE OF BONDS AND EXPENSES INCIDENT TO SALE, SO AS TO MAKE CONFORMING CHANGES; BY AMENDING SECTION 57-5-1410, RELATING TO THE EXECUTION OF BONDS, SO AS TO MAKE CONFORMING CHANGES; BY AMENDING SECTION 57-5-1420, RELATING TO THE APPLICATION OF BOND PROCEEDS, SO AS TO PROVIDE THAT THE PROCEEDS DERIVED FROM THE SALE OF TURNPIKE BONDS MUST BE APPLIED ONLY TO THE PURPOSES AUTHORIZED BY THIS ARTICLE AND PROVIDED IN THE BOND RESOLUTION; BY AMENDING SECTION 57-5-1430, RELATING TO DENOMINATIONS OF TURNPIKE BONDS, SO AS TO PROVIDE THAT TURNPIKE BONDS MUST EACH BE IN THE DENOMINATION OF ONE THOUSAND OR FIVE THOUSAND DOLLARS OR SOME MULTIPLE THEREOF OR SUCH LARGER DENOMINATIONS AS MAY BE AUTHORIZED BY THE AUTHORITY IN THE BOND RESOLUTION; BY AMENDING SECTION 57-5-1440, RELATING TO THE FORM OF BONDS, SO AS TO REMOVE THE PROVISION THAT TURNPIKE BONDS ISSUED PURSUANT TO THIS ARTICLE MAY BE IN THE FORM OF NEGOTIABLE COUPON BONDS, PAYABLE TO BEARER; BY AMENDING SECTION 57-5-1450, RELATING TO THE RESOLUTION TO ISSUE BONDS, SO AS TO PROVIDE THAT THE DEPARTMENT AND THE AUTHORITY MAY RELY ON THE WORK PRODUCT OF THIRD-PARTY PROFESSIONALS TO PROVIDE FINANCIAL, FEASIBILITY, OR PRACTICABILITY STUDIES RELATED TO THE TURNPIKE FACILITIES; BY AMENDING SECTION 57-5-1460, RELATING TO THE POWERS AND DUTIES OF THE GOVERNOR AND THE STATE TREASURER UPON RECEIPT OF THE BOND RESOLUTION, SO AS TO MAKE CONFORMING CHANGES; BY AMENDING SECTION 57-5-1480, RELATING TO THE PROVISION THAT IT IS LAWFUL FOR FIDUCIARIES AND SINKING FUND COMMISSIONS TO INVEST IN TURNPIKE BONDS; BY AMENDING SECTION 57-5-1490, RELATING TO PENALTIES FOR FAILURE TO PAY TOLLS, SO AS TO MAKE CONFORMING CHANGES; BY AMENDING SECTION 57-5-1495, RELATING TO THE COLLECTION OF TOLLS, SO AS TO CHANGE THE DEFINITION OF "ELECTRONIC TOLL COLLECTION SYSTEM" AND ADD THAT A CERTIFICATE THAT A TOLL VIOLATION HAS OCCURRED BASED UPON ELECTRONIC MEANS IS PRIMA FACIE EVIDENCE OF THE VIOLATION; BY ADDING SECTION 57-5-1710 SO AS TO ALLOW THE DEPARTMENT TO USE PHASED DESIGN-BUILD AS A PROJECT DELIVERY METHOD AND PROSCRIBE THE PROCEDURE FOR ENTERING INTO A PHASED DESIGN-BUILD CONTRACT; BY ADDING SECTION 57-5-1720 SO AS TO ALLOW THE DEPARTMENT TO AWARD HIGHWAY CONSTRUCTION CONTRACTS USING A CONSTRUCTION MANAGER/GENERAL CONTRACTOR PROCEDURE; BY AMENDING SECTION 57-11-210, RELATING TO DEFINITIONS PERTAINING TO STATE HIGHWAY BONDS, SO AS TO DEFINE "ALTERNATIVE FUEL FEES"; BY AMENDING SECTION 56-3-645, RELATING TO ALTERNATIVE FUEL FEES FOR VEHICLES POWERED BY ELECTRICITY, HYDROGEN, AND FUELS OTHER THAN MOTOR FUEL, SO AS TO INCREASE FEES, PROVIDE FOR ADJUSTMENT OF THE FEES, AND TO CREDIT THE FEES TO THE STATE HIGHWAY FUND; BY AMENDING SECTION 11-43-140, RELATING TO THE BOARD OF DIRECTORS OF THE SOUTH CAROLINA TRANSPORTATION INFRASTRUCTURE BANK, SO AS TO DESIGNATE THE SECRETARY OF TRANSPORTATION AS AN EX OFFICIO MEMBER; BY AMENDING SECTION 11-35-710, RELATING TO EXEMPTIONS IN THE SOUTH CAROLINA CONSOLIDATED PROCUREMENT CODE, SO AS TO INCLUDE AN EXEMPTION FOR THE PURCHASE AND MANAGEMENT OF INFORMATION TECHNOLOGY BY THE DEPARTMENT OF TRANSPORTATION; BY ADDING SECTION 12-28-315 SO AS TO PRESCRIBE A USER FEE ON ELECTRICITY CONSUMED WHEN USING A PUBLICLY ACCESSIBLE ELECTRIC VEHICLE CHARGING STATION; BY AMENDING SECTION 12-28-2740, RELATING TO THE DISTRIBUTION OF A GASOLINE USER FEE AMONG COUNTIES, REQUIREMENTS FOR THE EXPENDITURE OF FUNDS, AND COUNTY TRANSPORTATION COMMITTEES, SO AS TO PROVIDE FOR THE POWERS AND RESPONSIBILITIES OF THE COUNTY TRANSPORTATION COMMITTEES AND PROCEDURES FOR USING "C" FUNDS REVENUES; AND BY AMENDING SECTION 12-28-2920, RELATING TO CONSTRUCTION OF TOLL ROADS, SO AS TO DEFINE HOW FUNDS DERIVED FROM TOLLS MAY BE USED.
Reps. B. NEWTON, PACE, FRANK, WHITE, MAGNUSON, EDGERTON, GILREATH, CROMER, SESSIONS, GUFFEY, J. MOORE, GATCH, SCOTT and BEACH requested debate on the Bill.
The following Bill was taken up: H. 5071 (Word version) -- Reps. Erickson, Crawford, G. M. Smith, Willis, Kirby, Garvin, Hixon, Montgomery, Martin, Brewer, Teeple, Bradley, Gilliam, Robbins, Hiott, B. Newton, Rankin, Hager, Sessions, Hewitt, Landing, Bowers, Wooten, Whitmire, Guffey, Taylor, Hartz, Oremus, Forrest, Guest, Vaughan, Davis, J. E. Johnson, Bannister, W. Newton, Pope, Jordan, Haddon, Herbkersman, Brittain, M. M. Smith, Ligon, Gagnon, McGinnis, C. Mitchell, Pedalino, Stavrinakis and Chapman: A BILL TO AMEND THE SOUTH CAROLINA CODE OF LAWS BY AMENDING SECTION 57-1-410, RELATING TO THE SECRETARY OF THE DEPARTMENT OF TRANSPORTATION, SO AS TO PROVIDE THAT THE GOVERNOR SHALL APPOINT THE SECRETARY INSTEAD OF THE COMMISSION OF THE DEPARTMENT OF TRANSPORTATION; BY AMENDING SECTION 1-30-10, RELATING TO THE DEPARTMENTS OF STATE GOVERNMENT AND THEIR GOVERNING BODIES, SO AS TO DELETE THE PROVISION THAT PROVIDES THAT PART OF THE GOVERNING BODY OF THE DEPARTMENT OF TRANSPORTATION IS A SEVEN-MEMBER COMMISSION; BY AMENDING SECTION 1-30-105, RELATING TO THE ESTABLISHMENT OF THE DEPARTMENT OF TRANSPORTATION, SO AS TO PROVIDE THAT THE GOVERNING AUTHORITY OF THE DEPARTMENT OF TRANSPORTATION IS THE SECRETARY OF TRANSPORTATION; BY AMENDING SECTION 11-43-140, RELATING TO THE BOARD OF DIRECTORS OF THE TRANSPORTATION INFRASTRUCTURE BANK, SO AS TO REMOVE THE CHAIRMAN OF THE DEPARTMENT OF TRANSPORTATION COMMISSION AS A DIRECTOR, AND TO PROVIDE THAT THE SECRETARY OF TRANSPORTATION IS A MEMBER OF THE BOARD; BY AMENDING SECTIONS 57-1-10, 57-1-40, 57-1-370, AND 57-1-430, ALL RELATING TO THE ESTABLISHMENT OF THE DEPARTMENT OF TRANSPORTATION, AND ITS DUTIES AND RESPONSIBILITIES, SO AS TO ELIMINATE THE DEPARTMENT OF TRANSPORTATION COMMISSION AND ITS RESPONSIBILITIES, TO ALLOW THE GOVERNOR TO APPOINT THE SECRETARY OF TRANSPORTATION AND REQUIRE THE DEPARTMENT OF TRANSPORTATION SUBMIT TO THE GENERAL ASSEMBLY AN ITEMIZED PROJECT LIST TO BE FUNDED FOR THE FISCAL YEAR IN WHICH THE GENERAL ASSEMBLY WOULD ENACT ITS ANNUAL GENERAL APPROPRIATIONS ACT; BY AMENDING SECTION 57-3-50, RELATING TO THE ESTABLISHMENT OF HIGHWAY DISTRICTS, SO AS TO SUBSTITUTE THE TERM "DEPARTMENT" FOR THE TERM "COMMISSION"; BY AMENDING SECTION 57-1-90, RELATING TO MOTORCYCLES, SO AS TO MAKE A CONFORMING CHANGE; BY AMENDING SECTION 57-3-210, RELATING TO THE DEPARTMENT OF TRANSPORTATION CONTRACTING WITH PUBLIC TRANSIT SYSTEMS, SO AS TO MAKE A CONFORMING CHANGE; BY AMENDING SECTION 57-3-700, RELATING TO THE DEPARTMENT OF TRANSPORTATION SERVING AS AN AGENT FOR COUNTIES, SO AS TO MAKE A CONFORMING CHANGE; BY AMENDING SECTION 57-5-50, RELATING TO THE TRANSFER OF CERTAIN ROADS, SO AS TO MAKE A CONFORMING CHANGE; BY AMENDING SECTION 57-5-90, RELATING TO BELT LINES AND SPURS, SO AS TO MAKE A CONFORMING CHANGE; BY AMENDING SECTION 57-5-340, RELATING TO THE DISPOSITION OF REAL ESTATE, SO AS TO MAKE A CONFORMING CHANGE; BY AMENDING SECTIONS 57-13-10, 57-13-20, 57-13-40, AND 57-13-50, ALL RELATING TO BRIDGES, SO AS TO MAKE A CONFORMING CHANGE; BY AMENDING SECTION 57-25-120, RELATING TO DEFINITIONS, SO AS TO MAKE A CONFORMING CHANGE; BY AMENDING SECTIONS 57-25-140, 57-25-150, 57-25-170, 57-25-200, AND 57-25-210, ALL RELATING TO SIGNS ALONG THE HIGHWAYS, SO AS TO MAKE A CONFORMING CHANGE; BY AMENDING SECTIONS 57-1-310 AND 57-1-330, BOTH RELATING TO THE COMPOSITION OF THE COMMISSION OF THE DEPARTMENT OF TRANSPORTATION, SO AS TO REMOVE AT-LARGE MEMBERS; BY AMENDING ARTICLE 9, CHAPTER 5, TITLE 57, RELATING TO TURNPIKE PROJECTS, SO AS TO AUTHORIZE CERTAIN DESIGNATIONS OF TURNPIKE FACILITIES, TO PROVIDE THAT TURNPIKE BONDS ARE SPECIAL LIMITED OBLIGATIONS OF THE STATE AS SPECIFIED IN THE BOND RESOLUTION, AND TO MAKE CONFORMING CHANGES; BY ADDING SECTION 57-1-25 SO AS TO ESTABLISH THE COORDINATING COUNCIL FOR TRANSPORTATION AND MOBILITY AND TO SET FORTH ITS DUTIES AND MEMBERSHIP; BY ADDING SECTION 57-5-105 SO AS TO REQUIRE THE DEPARTMENT OF TRANSPORTATION TO TRANSFER OWNERSHIP OF CERTAIN NONESSENTIAL ROADS, TO ESTABLISH THE SYSTEM REALIGNMENT FUND TO AID IN THE TRANSFER, AND TO PROVIDE ADDITIONAL AUTHORITIES TO COUNTIES IN WHICH ALL SUCH NONESSENTIAL ROADS HAVE BEEN TRANSFERRED; BY AMENDING SECTION 57-1-360, RELATING TO THE CHIEF INTERNAL AUDITOR OF THE DEPARTMENT OF TRANSPORTATION, SO AS TO AUTHORIZE A CERTIFIED INTERNAL AUDITOR AND A CERTIFIED FRAUD EXAMINER TO HOLD THE POSITION; BY AMENDING SECTION 57-3-20, RELATING TO THE DIVISION DEPUTY DIRECTORS OF THE DEPARTMENT OF TRANSPORTATION, SO AS TO DESIGNATE SUCH OFFICIALS AS DEPUTY SECRETARIES AND TO ESTABLISH THE DEPUTY SECRETARY FOR PLANNING; BY AMENDING SECTION 11-35-710, RELATING TO CERTAIN TRANSPORTATION EXEMPTIONS TO THE PROCUREMENT CODE, SO AS TO FURTHER DEFINE THE EXEMPTIONS; BY ADDING SECTIONS 57-5-1710 AND 57-5-1720 SO AS TO PROVIDE FOR PHASED DESIGN-BUILD CONTRACTORS AND CONSTRUCTION MANAGER/GENERAL CONTRACTORS; BY ADDING SECTION 57-3-790 SO AS TO SPECIFY THE CONDITIONS IN WHICH THE STATE WAIVES ITS IMMUNITY UNDER THE ELEVENTH AMENDMENT OF THE UNITED STATES CONSTITUTION; BY AMENDING SECTIONS 57-5-820 AND 57-5-830, BOTH RELATING TO MUNICIPALITIES AND ROADWORK, SO AS TO SPECIFY PROCEDURES WHEN A MUNICIPALITY OBJECTS TO CERTAIN ROADWORK; BY AMENDING SECTION 57-3-615, RELATING TO HIGHWAY TOLLS, SO AS TO SPECIFY THE CONDITIONS UNDER WHICH A TOLL MAY BE IMPOSED ON A STATE HIGHWAY; BY ADDING SECTIONS 57-3-240 AND 57-3-250 SO AS TO AUTHORIZE THE DEPARTMENT OF TRANSPORTATION TO ENTER INTO RECIPROCAL AGREEMENTS WITH OTHER JURISDICTIONS AND PUBLIC-PRIVATE PARTNERSHIPS, AND TO SPECIFY CONDITIONS OF SUCH AGREEMENTS; BY AMENDING SECTION 12-28-2740, RELATING TO "C" FUNDS, SO AS TO INCREASE THE AMOUNT OF SUCH FUNDS, TO SPECIFY THE MEMBERSHIP AND RESPONSIBILITIES OF COUNTY TRANSPORTATION COMMITTEES, TO PROVIDE FOR BONDING OF "C" FUNDS, TO DELETE PROVISIONS, AND TO PROVIDE FOR A CRIME REGARDING UNDUE INFLUENCE ON CERTAIN OFFICIALS; BY AMENDING SECTION 12-28-2920, RELATING TO TOLLS, SO AS TO SPECIFY WHEN TOLL REVENUES MAY BE EXPENDED; BY AMENDING SECTION 56-3-645, RELATING TO A ROAD USE FEE, SO AS TO INCREASE THE AMOUNT OF THE ALTERNATE FUEL FEE AND CREDIT THE REVENUE TO THE STATE HIGHWAY FUND; BY ADDING SECTION 12-28-360 SO AS TO IMPOSE A TAX ON ELECTRICITY CONSUMED WHEN USING CERTAIN PUBLIC VEHICLE CHARGING STATIONS; AND BY AMENDING SECTION 57-11-210, RELATING TO DEFINITIONS FOR PURPOSES OF STATE HIGHWAY BONDS, SO AS TO DEFINE "ALTERNATIVE FUEL FEES".
Reps. B. NEWTON, PACE, GILREATH, CROMER, WHITE, MAGNUSON, EDGERTON, BEACH, HARRIS, KIRBY, GATCH, ERICKSON, HART, C. MITCHELL and GUEST requested debate on the Bill.
The following Bill was taken up:
H. 4382 (Word version) -- Rep. Sessions: A BILL TO AMEND THE SOUTH CAROLINA CODE OF LAWS BY AMENDING SECTION 44-53-398, RELATING TO THE SALE OF PRODUCTS CONTAINING EPHEDRINE OR PSEUDOEPHEDRINE; SO AS TO REQUIRE THAT MANUFACTURERS OF THESE PRODUCTS PAY MONTHLY FEES ASSOCIATED WITH DATA COLLECTION AND TO ESTABLISH A PENALTY FOR FAILURE OF MANUFACTURERS TO COMPLY.
The Committee on Labor, Commerce and Industry proposed the following Amendment No. 1 to H. 4382 (Word version) (LC-4382.VR0001H):
Amend the bill, as and if amended, SECTION 1, by striking Section 44-53-398(D)(2) and inserting:
(2) Before completing a sale of a product regulated by this section, the retailer electronically shall transmit the information entered in the log to a data collection system provided by the National Association of Drug Diversion Investigators, or a successor or similar entity administrator of the data collection system. The system must collect this data in real time and generate a stop sale alert if the sale would result in a violation of subsection (B) or a federal quantity restriction, which must be assessed on the basis of sales or purchases made in any state to the extent that information is available in the data collection system. If the retailer receives a stop sale alert, the retailer must not complete the sale unless the retailer, upon notifying the purchaser the sale cannot be completed, reasonably fears bodily harm if he denies the sale due to the stop sale alert. A product regulated by this section may not be sold without being reported to the data collection system unless the system is experiencing temporary technical difficulties that prevent a retailer from reporting the information to the system, and in that case, the retailer shall enter the necessary information in a written log, which must subsequently be entered into the electronic log within three business days of each business day that the electronic log was not operational. A retailer using a written log under these circumstances is immune from liability during the time the system is temporarily disabled.
Amend the bill further, SECTION 1, by striking Section 44-53-398(D)(4)(a) and (b) and inserting:
(4)(a) Beginning October 1, 20252026, any manufacturer of nonprescription products containing ephedrine, pseudoephedrine, or phenylpropanolamine sold in or into the State must, on a monthly basis, pay fees to the administrator of the data collection system described in item (2).
(b) The administrator of the data collection system described in item (2) is responsible for setting the fee levels required pursuant to subitem (a). The administrator of the data collection system shall, on an annual basis, establish the fee levels required pursuant to subsection (D)(4)(a); in setting such fees, the administrator of the data collection system is prohibited from increasing fees on a per-product, per-transaction basis on a year-over-year basis by an amount equal to or in excess of ten percent, unless the administrator of the data collection system can show that the increase is directly attributable to cost factors to the administrator of the data collection system, including costs for labor, services, or materials used to administer the data collection system.
Renumber sections to conform.
Amend title to conform.
Rep. GAGNON explained the amendment.
Reps. FRANK, EDGERTON, PACE, BEACH, HARRIS, GILREATH, CROMER and TERRIBILE requested debate on the Bill.
The following Bill was taken up:
H. 5216 (Word version) -- Reps. Chapman, Brewer, Sessions, Gagnon, Sanders, Hager, Vaughan, Ligon, M. M. Smith, Kirby and Teeple: A BILL TO AMEND THE SOUTH CAROLINA CODE OF LAWS BY AMENDING SECTION 6-10-30, RELATING TO THE ADOPTION OF THE 2009 EDITION OF THE ENERGY CONSERVATION CODE, SO AS TO LIMIT ITS APPLICATION TO CONSTRUCTION FALLING WITHIN THE SCOPE OF THE INTERNATIONAL RESIDENTIAL CODE; AND BY AMENDING SECTION 6-10-40, RELATING TO APPEAL BY LOCAL JURISDICTION FOR VARIANCE TO THE SOUTH CAROLINA BUILDING CODES COUNCIL, SO AS TO REQUIRE THAT STATEWIDE MODIFICATIONS NOT FALLING WITHIN THE SCOPE OF THE INTERNATIONAL RESIDENTIAL CODE MAY BE MADE IN THE SAME MANNER AS OTHER BUILDING CODES.
The Committee on Labor, Commerce and Industry proposed the following Amendment No. 1 to H. 5216 (Word version) (LC-5216.PH0002H), which was adopted:
Amend the bill, as and if amended, by striking SECTION 3 and inserting:
SECTION 3. This act takes effect upon approval by the Governor. The International Energy Conservation Code is effective upon adoption by the South Carolina Building Codes Council during its established review cycle and codification of amendments or modifications in accordance with Section 1-23-90 of the S.C. Code of Laws.
Renumber sections to conform.
Amend title to conform.
Rep. LIGON explained the amendment.
The amendment was then adopted.
Reps. CROMER, HARRIS, WHITE, KILMARTIN, EDGERTON, FRANK, GAGNON, GILREATH, MORGAN and BEACH requested debate on the Bill.
Further proceedings were interrupted by expiration of time on the uncontested Calendar.
Rep. FORREST moved that the House recur to the morning hour, which was agreed to.
Rep. MOSS, from the Committee on Invitations and Memorial Resolutions, submitted a favorable report on:
H. 5410 (Word version) -- Reps. Moss, Pope, Guffey, King, Ligon, Martin, Sessions and Terribile: A CONCURRENT RESOLUTION TO REQUEST THE DEPARTMENT OF TRANSPORTATION NAME THE INTERSECTION OF UNITED STATES HIGHWAY 321 AND SOUTH CAROLINA HIGHWAY 322 IN THE CITY OF ROCK HILL IN YORK COUNTY "SHERIFF JOE MITCHELL INTERSECTION" AND ERECT APPROPRIATE SIGNS OR MARKERS AT THIS LOCATION CONTAINING THESE WORDS.
Ordered for consideration tomorrow.
Rep. MOSS, from the Committee on Invitations and Memorial Resolutions, submitted a favorable report on:
H. 5352 (Word version) -- Rep. Hosey: A CONCURRENT RESOLUTION TO REQUEST THE DEPARTMENT OF TRANSPORTATION NAME MOODY ROAD IN THE TOWN OF MARTIN IN ALLENDALE COUNTY FROM MILLET ROAD TO PATTERSON MILL DRIVE "SGT. ORENTHIAL J. 'O.J.' SMITH MEMORIAL ROAD" AND ERECT APPROPRIATE MARKERS OR SIGNS AT THIS LOCATION CONTAINING THESE WORDS.
Ordered for consideration tomorrow.
Rep. MOSS, from the Committee on Invitations and Memorial Resolutions, submitted a favorable report on:
H. 5519 (Word version) -- Reps. C. Mitchell, G. M. Smith and Yow: A CONCURRENT RESOLUTION TO REQUEST THE DEPARTMENT OF TRANSPORTATION NAME THE PORTION OF HIGHWAY CHURCH ROAD BETWEEN STEPHEN CAMPBELL ROAD AND LARRY JEFFERS ROAD IN THE TOWN OF ELGIN IN KERSHAW COUNTY "JEANNIE ROSE POTTER ROAD" AND ERECT APPROPRIATE SIGNS OR MARKERS AT THIS LOCATION CONTAINING THESE WORDS.
Ordered for consideration tomorrow.
Rep. MOSS, from the Committee on Invitations and Memorial Resolutions, submitted a favorable report on:
S. 729 (Word version) -- Senator Graham: A CONCURRENT RESOLUTION TO REQUEST THAT THE DEPARTMENT OF TRANSPORTATION NAME THE INTERSECTION LOCATED AT THE JUNCTION OF SOUTH CAROLINA HIGHWAY 34 AND MCGEE TOWN ROAD IN LEE COUNTY "LEWIS W. BOONE MEMORIAL INTERSECTION" AND ERECT APPROPRIATE MARKERS OR SIGNS AT THIS LOCATION CONTAINING THE DESIGNATION.
Ordered for consideration tomorrow.
Rep. MOSS, from the Committee on Invitations and Memorial Resolutions, submitted a favorable report on:
S. 730 (Word version) -- Senator Graham: A CONCURRENT RESOLUTION TO REQUEST THAT THE DEPARTMENT OF TRANSPORTATION NAME THE INTERSECTION OF CHERAW ROAD AND PARK ROAD IN THE TOWN OF CASSATT IN KERSHAW COUNTY "THOMAS C. CLARK AND AUDREE A. CLARK INTERSECTION" AND ERECT APPROPRIATE MARKERS OR SIGNS AT THIS LOCATION CONTAINING THE DESIGNATION.
Ordered for consideration tomorrow.
Rep. MOSS, from the Committee on Invitations and Memorial Resolutions, submitted a favorable report on:
S. 943 (Word version) -- Senator Chaplin: A CONCURRENT RESOLUTION TO REQUEST THAT THE DEPARTMENT OF TRANSPORTATION NAME THE SECTION OF HIGHWAY 151 IN FRONT OF THE SHERRIF'S OFFICE IN DARLINGTON COUNTY THE "DEPUTY FRANK DEVIN MASON MEMORIAL HIGHWAY" AND ERECT APPROPRIATE MARKERS OR SIGNS AT THIS LOCATION CONTAINING THE DESIGNATION.
Ordered for consideration tomorrow.
Rep. MOSS, from the Committee on Invitations and Memorial Resolutions, submitted a favorable report on:
S. 1053 (Word version) -- Senator Matthews: A CONCURRENT RESOLUTION TO REQUEST THAT THE DEPARTMENT OF TRANSPORTATION NAME THE SECTION OF SOUTH CAROLINA HIGHWAY 321 IN ESTILL FROM THE SOUTHERN TOWN LIMIT BOUNDARY TO THE NORTHERN TOWN LIMIT BOUNDARY IN HAMPTON COUNTY "LOUISE G. HOPKINS HIGHWAY" AND ERECT APPROPRIATE MARKERS OR SIGNS AT THIS LOCATION CONTAINING THE DESIGNATION.
Ordered for consideration tomorrow.
Rep. MOSS, from the Committee on Invitations and Memorial Resolutions, submitted a favorable report on:
S. 1055 (Word version) -- Senator Matthews: A CONCURRENT RESOLUTION TO REQUEST THAT THE DEPARTMENT OF TRANSPORTATION NAME THE PORTION OF SOUTH CAROLINA HIGHWAY 3 IN ESTILL FROM US 321 TO ORANGEBURG ROAD IN HAMPTON COUNTY "THE HONORABLE ANDERSON TAYLOR HIGHWAY" AND ERECT APPROPRIATE MARKERS OR SIGNS AT THIS LOCATION CONTAINING THE DESIGNATION.
Ordered for consideration tomorrow.
Rep. W. NEWTON, from the Committee on Judiciary, submitted a favorable report with amendments on:
H. 3047 (Word version) -- Reps. Moss and Haddon: A BILL TO AMEND THE SOUTH CAROLINA CODE OF LAWS BY ADDING SECTION 16-11-705 SO AS TO CREATE THE OFFENSE OF INTENTIONALLY RELEASING, ORGANIZING THE RELEASE OF, OR INTENTIONALLY CAUSING THE RELEASE OF BALLOONS INFLATED WITH GAS THAT IS LIGHTER THAN AIR, AND TO PROVIDE EXCEPTIONS; BY AMENDING SECTION 16-11-700, RELATING TO THE DUMPING OF LITTER ON PRIVATE OR PUBLIC PROPERTY, EXCEPTIONS, AND PENALTIES, SO AS TO INCLUDE BALLOONS IN THE LITTER STATUTE; AND BY AMENDING SECTION 16-11-710, RELATING TO THE ACCEPTANCE OF A CASH BOND IN LIEU OF AN IMMEDIATE COURT APPEARANCE IN LITTER CONTROL PROSECUTIONS, SO AS TO INCLUDE A VIOLATION OF THE BALLOON STATUTE WHEN A CASH BOND IS ALLOWED.
Ordered for consideration tomorrow.
The following Bills and Joint Resolution were introduced, read the first time, and referred to appropriate committees:
H. 5535 (Word version) -- Rep. Wickensimer: A BILL TO AMEND THE SOUTH CAROLINA CODE OF LAWS BY ADDING SECTIONS 4-25-80, 4-25-290, AND 5-25-950 ALL SO AS TO REQUIRE THE INSTALLATION OF FIRE SPRINKLER SYSTEMS IN NEWLY CONSTRUCTED MULTI-FAMILY DWELLINGS PERMITTED TO BE BUILT AFTER JULY 1, 2026; AND BY ADDING SECTION 23-9-165 SO AS TO REQUIRE THE STATE FIRE MARSHALL TO PROMULGATE REGULATIONS TO DESIGNATE APPROPRIATE FIRE SPRINKLER SYSTEMS FOR NEWLY CONSTRUCTED MULTI-FAMILY DWELLINGS.
Referred to Committee on Labor, Commerce and Industry
H. 5536 (Word version) -- Reps. Scott, Cobb-Hunter, King, Grant, G. M. Smith, Pedalino, Wetmore, Yow, Weeks, C. Mitchell, Pope, Howard, Jones, B. Newton, Schuessler, McDaniel, Luck, Bernstein, Erickson and Dillard: A BILL TO AMEND THE SOUTH CAROLINA CODE OF LAWS BY ADDING SECTION 53-3-340 SO AS TO DESIGNATE THE FOURTH DAY OF APRIL OF EACH YEAR AS "PEARL FRYAR DAY" IN SOUTH CAROLINA AND TO HONOR HIS BODY OF WORK AND THE CREATIVE IMPACT THAT HE HAS HAD BOTH ON THE ARTS AND SOUTH CAROLINA.
Referred to Committee on Agriculture, Natural Resources and Environmental Affairs
H. 5537 (Word version) -- Rep. Hayes: A JOINT RESOLUTION TO DIRECT THE DEPARTMENT OF ADMINISTRATION, THE STATE FISCAL ACCOUNTABILITY AUTHORITY, OR THE APPROPRIATE AGENCY, TO TRANSFER THE NATIONAL GUARD ARMORY IN DILLON COUNTY, SOUTH CAROLINA, TO THE CITY OF DILLON.
Referred to Committee on Ways and Means
H. 5538 (Word version) -- Reps. Pope, Herbkersman, G. M. Smith, Hartz, W. Newton, Jordan, Ligon, Oremus, Neese, Taylor and Hiott: A BILL TO AMEND THE SOUTH CAROLINA CODE OF LAWS BY ENACTING THE "GUARANTEE BANKING ACT" BY ADDING CHAPTER 47 TO TITLE 34 SO AS TO PROVIDE FOR FAIRNESS AND TRANSPARENCY IN BANKING.
Referred to Committee on Labor, Commerce and Industry
S. 1050 (Word version) -- Senator Matthews: A BILL TO PROVIDE THAT EACH MEMBER OF THE HAMPTON COUNTY TRANSPORTATION COMMITTEE SHALL RECEIVE ONE HUNDRED DOLLARS FOR EACH MEETING AT WHICH HE IS IN ATTENDANCE AND THAT THE CHAIRMAN SHALL RECEIVE ONE HUNDRED SEVENTY-FIVE DOLLARS, AND TO PROVIDE THAT THE CHAIRMAN SHALL NOT APPROVE SUCH PAYMENTS MORE THAN EIGHTEEN TIMES EACH FISCAL YEAR.
Referred to Hampton Delegation
S. 1051 (Word version) -- Senators Matthews, Hutto and Campsen: A BILL TO PROVIDE THAT EACH MEMBER OF THE COLLETON COUNTY TRANSPORTATION COMMITTEE SHALL RECEIVE ONE HUNDRED DOLLARS FOR EACH MEETING AT WHICH HE IS IN ATTENDANCE AND THAT THE CHAIRMAN SHALL RECEIVE ONE HUNDRED SEVENTY-FIVE DOLLARS, AND TO PROVIDE THAT THE CHAIRMAN SHALL NOT APPROVE SUCH PAYMENTS MORE THAN EIGHTEEN TIMES EACH FISCAL YEAR.
Referred to Colleton Delegation
S. 1052 (Word version) -- Senators Matthews and Davis: A BILL TO PROVIDE THAT EACH MEMBER OF THE JASPER COUNTY TRANSPORTATION COMMITTEE SHALL RECEIVE ONE HUNDRED DOLLARS FOR EACH MEETING AT WHICH HE IS IN ATTENDANCE AND THAT THE CHAIRMAN SHALL RECEIVE ONE HUNDRED SEVENTY-FIVE DOLLARS, AND TO PROVIDE THAT THE CHAIRMAN SHALL NOT APPROVE SUCH PAYMENTS MORE THAN EIGHTEEN TIMES EACH FISCAL YEAR.
Referred to Jasper Delegation
The following Bill was taken up:
H. 3771 (Word version) -- Reps. Hartnett, Erickson, M. M. Smith, Wetmore, Bradley, Stavrinakis, Hewitt, Hager, Lawson, Teeple, Brewer, Herbkersman, Landing, Bustos, Spann-Wilder, Kirby, Gilliard and Rivers: A BILL TO AMEND THE SOUTH CAROLINA CODE OF LAWS BY ADDING SECTION 50-23-37 SO AS TO REQUIRE OWNERS OF CERTAIN BOATS ANCHORED IN THE WATERS OF THIS STATE TO MAINTAIN MARINE RECOVERY INSURANCE ON THEIR BOATS, AND TO PROVIDE PENALTIES FOR VIOLATIONS.
The Committee on Labor, Commerce and Industry proposed the following Amendment No. 1 to H. 3771 (Word version) (LC-3771.PH0002H), which was adopted:
Amend the bill, as and if amended, SECTION 1, by striking Section 50-23-37(A), (B), and (C) and inserting:
(A) An owner of a boatwatercraft that is anchored in the coastal waters of this State more than fourteen days must maintain marine recovery insurance on the boatobtain a marine survey on his watercraft indicating the watercraft is seaworthy and functions as intended.
(B) To obtain marine recovery insurance, the boat owner must provide the insurer a recent vessel survey that includes a declaration that the boat is seaworthy and that the boat can move under its own power as intended when built. Sailboats must have working sails and powerboats must have a working motor. The survey must have been completed within six months of the policy being issued and completed by a licensed boat surveyor. All policy premiums must be current before a policy can be renewed and new stickers sent to the boat owner. The insurer shall issue two 3 ½ x 3 ½ inch watercraft stickers to the boat owner each time a policy is issued or renewed. The stickers must have the year in one inch font and the insurance company, policy number, and boat registration number on the sticker and be displayed on the boat. The insurer shall require a new survey from the vessel owner after each three-year period before renewing the policy on year four. a marine survey, the watercraft owner must use a licensed surveyor to inspect the following:
(1) all sailboats must have a complete set of working sails and, if the sailboat includes an inboard or outboard motor, mechanical propulsion capable of moving the watercraft;
(2) motorboats must have working propulsion mechanisms capable of moving the watercraft;
(3) all liveaboard watercraft must have a marine toilet system that meets United States Coast Guard standards or receipts that reflect a monthly pump out. Unpowered structures may not be used as liveaboards unless docked at a marina;
(4) watercraft must be free of hull leaks and must have the ability to be closed up and secured when the owner is not on board;
(5) all watercraft must have a working bilge pump, charged battery for powering the bilge pump, and solar or equivalent power source for recharging the battery; and
(6) all watercraft must have working anchor lights.
(C) The marine survey must be completed within twenty-one days of any watercraft being anchored in the coastal waters of this State. The survey is effective for a period two years. (D) Upon the successful completion of the marine survey, the surveyor shall issue two 3 ½ x 3 ½ inch watercraft stickers to the owner of the watercraft. The sticker must be displayed on the watercraft adjacent to the annual state registration sticker. Declared vessels must display the sticker where a state registration sticker would normally be displayed on the hull of the vessel. The sticker must include:
(1) the expiring year in one inch font;
(2) the name of the survey company;
(3) the date of the survey; and
(4) the boat registration number.
(C)(E) A person who violates this provision is guilty of a misdemeanor and, upon conviction, must be imprisoned not more than thirty days and fined not more than five hundred dollars or imprisoned not more than thirty days. Each day of non-compliance is considered to be a separate offense. After twenty-one days of noncompliance with this section, a watercraft is deemed abandoned pursuant to Article 2, Chapter 21, of Title 50.
(F) The Department may grant exemptions from the requirements of this section.
Renumber sections to conform.
Amend title to conform.
Rep. WOOTEN explained the amendment.
The amendment was then adopted.
The question recurred to the passage of the Bill.
The yeas and nays were taken resulting as follows:
Those who voted in the affirmative are:
Anderson Atkinson Bailey Ballentine Bannister Bauer Beach Bernstein Bowers Bradley Brewer Brittain Burns Bustos Calhoon Caskey Chapman Chumley Clyburn Cobb-Hunter Collins Cox Cromer Davis Dillard Duncan Edgerton Erickson Forrest Frank Gagnon Garvin Gatch Gibson Gilliam Gilliard Gilreath Govan Grant Guest Guffey Hager Hardee Harris Hart Hartnett Hartz Hayes Henderson-Myers Herbkersman Hewitt Hiott Hixon Holman Hosey Howard Huff J. E. Johnson J. L. Johnson Jones Jordan Kilmartin King Kirby Landing Lastinger Lawson Ligon Long Lowe Luck Magnuson Martin McCabe McCravy McDaniel McGinnis C. Mitchell D. Mitchell Montgomery J. Moore T. Moore Morgan Moss B. Newton W. Newton Oremus Pace Pedalino Pope Rankin Reese Rivers Robbins Rose Sanders Schuessler Scott Sessions G. M. Smith M. M. Smith Stavrinakis Taylor Teeple Terribile Waters Weeks Wetmore White Whitmire Wickensimer Williams Willis Wooten Yow
Those who voted in the negative are:
So, the Bill, as amended, was read the second time and ordered to third reading.
The following Bill was taken up: H. 4103 (Word version) -- Reps. B. J. Cox, B. Newton, Atkinson, Ballentine, Bauer, Collins, Forrest, Frank, Gagnon, Garvin, Gatch, Govan, Guest, Guffey, Hager, Hardee, Herbkersman, Holman, Hosey, Howard, J. E. Johnson, Kilmartin, Kirby, Lawson, Magnuson, McCabe, McGinnis, C. Mitchell, Montgomery, J. Moore, T. Moore, Morgan, Oremus, Rivers, Rose, Sanders, Schuessler, M. M. Smith, Taylor, White, Wooten, Bailey, Gilliam, Spann-Wilder, Calhoon, Wetmore, Bowers, Landing, Weeks, Hixon, Bernstein, Beach, Erickson, Vaughan, Chapman, Yow, Caskey, Bustos, Ligon, Wickensimer, McDaniel, Rankin, Waters, Lastinger, Grant, Brewer and Gilliard: A BILL TO AMEND THE SOUTH CAROLINA CODE OF LAWS BY ADDING SECTION 40-37-35 SO AS TO PROVIDE THE STATE BOARD OF EXAMINERS IN OPTOMETRY MAY ISSUE RESTRICTED VOLUNTEER MEMBER LICENSES TO OPTOMETRISTS FROM OTHER STATES WHO MEET CERTAIN CRITERIA, AND TO PROVIDE REQUIREMENTS FOR THE SUPERVISION, DURATION, AND REGULATION OF SUCH LICENSES, AMONG OTHER THINGS; BY AMENDING SECTION 40-37-10, RELATING TO MEMBERSHIP REQUIREMENTS FOR THE SOUTH CAROLINA BOARD OF EXAMINERS IN OPTOMETRY, SO AS TO PROVIDE ADDITIONAL MEMBERSHIP REQUIREMENTS; BY AMENDING SECTION 40-37-20, RELATING TO DEFINITIONS CONCERNING THE REGULATION OF OPTOMETRISTS, SO AS TO REVISE THE DEFINITIONS; BY AMENDING SECTION 40-37-30, RELATING TO LICENSING REQUIREMENTS FOR THE PRACTICE OF OPTOMETRY, SO AS TO PROVIDE ADDITIONAL ACTIVITIES THAT CONSTITUTE THE PRACTICE OF OPTOMETRY; BY AMENDING SECTION 40-37-40, RELATING TO POWERS AND DUTIES OF THE BOARD, SO AS TO PROVIDE THE BOARD SHALL REQUIRE LICENSED OPTOMETRISTS TO MEET EDUCATIONAL AND COMPETENCE REQUIREMENTS ESTABLISHED BY THE BOARD; BY AMENDING SECTION 40-37-245, RELATING TO EXAMINATION REQUIREMENTS FOR LICENSURE BY ENDORSEMENT, SO AS TO ALLOW EXAMINATION EQUIVALENTS AS DETERMINED BY THE BOARD; BY AMENDING SECTION 40-37-290, RELATING TO THE PURCHASING, PRESCRIBING, AND ADMINISTERING PHARMACEUTICAL AGENTS BY OPTOMETRISTS, SO AS TO REVISE THE REQUIREMENTS AND LIMIT THE PERMISSIBLE USE OF SUCH MEDICATIONS, AMONG OTHER THINGS; BY AMENDING SECTION 40-37-310, RELATING TO REFERRALS FOR TREATMENT OF EYE DISEASES, SO AS TO REMOVE PROVISIONS CONCERNING THE TREATMENT OF GLAUCOMA AND PROVISION OF SURGERY; BY AMENDING SECTION 40-37-330, RELATING TO USE OF OPTOMETRISTS' SERVICES AUTHORIZED FOR AGENCY AND SCHOOL-REQUIRED EXAMINATIONS, SO AS TO PROVIDE OPTOMETRISTS MAY PROVIDE VISION OR EYE CARE SERVICES AT A SCHOOL IF APPROVED BY THE ADMINISTRATION OF THE INDIVIDUAL SCHOOL; BY AMENDING SECTION 40-37-420, RELATING TO PRACTICE REQUIREMENTS CONCERNING CERTAIN LICENSEES, SO AS TO DELETE THE EXISTING PROVISIONS, TO PROVIDE PERSONS LICENSED AS OPTOMETRISTS IN THIS STATE MAY CONTINUE PRACTICING UNDER CERTAIN REQUIREMENTS EXCEPT THAT SUCH PERSONS LICENSED BEFORE JANUARY 1, 2013, MUST FULFILL CREDENTIALING REQUIREMENTS TO PERFORM CERTAIN TREATMENTS; BY AMENDING SECTION 38-79-30, RELATING TO PROVISIONS LIMITING LIABILITY FOR VOLUNTEER HEALTHCARE PROVIDERS UNDER MEDICAL MALPRACTICE INSURANCE LAWS, SO AS TO REMOVE A PROVISION CONCERNING NOTICE REQUIREMENTS TO PATIENTS, AND TO INCLUDE OPTOMETRISTS AMONG THE VOLUNTEERS INCLUDED IN THESE PROVISIONS; BY AMENDING SECTION 44-30-310, RELATING TO IMMUNITY FROM LIABILITY FOR FREE HEALTHCARE SERVICES, SO AS TO INCLUDE VOLUNTEER OPTOMETRISTS; AND BY REPEALING SECTION 40-37-300 RELATING TO ESTABLISHING PHARMACIES OR SELLING PHARMACEUTICAL AGENTS, AND DISPENSING CONTACT LENSES.
Rep. WOOTEN moved to recommit the Bill to the Committee on Labor, Commerce and Industry, which was agreed to.
The following Bill was taken up: H. 5309 (Word version) -- Reps. Erickson and Hartnett: A BILL TO AMEND THE SOUTH CAROLINA CODE OF LAWS BY ADDING CHAPTER 64 TO TITLE 59 SO AS TO ENACT THE "INTERSTATE TEACHER MOBILITY COMPACT," TO PROVIDE THE STATE OF SOUTH CAROLINA HEREBY ENTERS THE COMPACT WITH ANY AND ALL STATES LEGALLY JOINING THEREIN ACCORDING TO THE TERMS OF THE COMPACT, AND TO ADOPT THE TERMS OF THE COMPACT IN ITS SUBSTANTIAL FORM.
Rep. ERICKSON explained the Bill.
Reps. FRANK, HARRIS, WHITE, EDGERTON, BEACH, CROMER, GILREATH and D. MITCHELL requested debate on the Bill.
The following Bill was taken up:
S. 585 (Word version) -- Senators Tedder, Adams, Devine, Zell and Sutton: A BILL TO AMEND THE SOUTH CAROLINA CODE OF LAWS BY ENACTING THE "SAFEGUARDING AMERICAN FAMILIES EVERYWHERE (SAFE) ACT" AND BY ADDING SECTION 56-3-125 SO AS TO PROVIDE APPLICATIONS FOR MOTOR VEHICLE REGISTRATIONS MUST INCLUDE LANGUAGE ALLOWING APPLICANTS TO VOLUNTARILY INDICATE THEY OR THEIR FAMILY MEMBERS HAVE BEEN DIAGNOSED WITH CERTAIN DISABILITIES OR DISORDERS, AND TO REQUIRE THE DEPARTMENT OF MOTOR VEHICLES TO INCLUDE THE DESIGNATION "SAFE" IN THE MOTOR VEHICLE'S RECORDS.
Rep. B. NEWTON made the Point of Order that the Bill was improperly before the House for consideration since its number and title have not been printed in the House Calendar at least one statewide legislative day prior to second reading.
The SPEAKER sustained the Point of Order.
The House stood at ease subject to the call of the Chair.
At 11:59 a.m. the House resumed, the SPEAKER in the Chair.
At 12:00 noon the Senate appeared in the Hall of the House. The President of the Senate called the Joint Assembly to order and announced that it had convened under the terms of a Concurrent Resolution adopted by both Houses.
The Reading Clerk of the House read the following Concurrent Resolution:
S. 1012 (Word version) -- Senators Alexander, Rankin, Massey and Hutto: A CONCURRENT RESOLUTION TO INVITE THE CHIEF JUSTICE OF THE SOUTH CAROLINA SUPREME COURT, THE HONORABLE JOHN W. KITTREDGE, TO ADDRESS THE GENERAL ASSEMBLY IN JOINT SESSION ON THE STATE OF THE JUDICIARY IN THE HALL OF THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES AT 12:00 NOON ON WEDNESDAY, APRIL 15, 2026.
The Honorable John W. Kittredge. and distinguished party were escorted to the rostrum by Senators Rankin, Massey, Hembree, Tedder, Sabb and Stubbs and Representatives BRITTAIN, JORDAN, C. MITCHELL, STAVRINAKIS, WEEKS and WICKENSIMER. The President recognized our special guests and then the Chief Justice of the South Carolina Supreme Court addressed the General Assembly as follows:
1. Judicial Reform
2. Judicial Infrastructure and Court Data
3. South Carolina has an Excellent Judiciary
4. Pursuing Justice for Every Case
On the few topics we will discuss, I am only able to provide a brief overview. Remember this please: I am available to meet, speak and work with you--individually or in groups--on any matters involving our justice system that are important to you. I believe there is a positive relationship between the Legislature and the Judicial Branch. To be sure, the structure of government is such that there is a tension between branches of government. That tension is by design, and it necessarily flows from our constitutional structure and guardrails that we are familiar with and honor, like checks and balances and separation of powers. That tension inherent in our constitutional design, however, should not detract from our working together to do our best to provide to more than 5.5 million South Carolinians a justice system that is fair, open, accessible, timely and provides equal justice to all. Progress is being made, and I will share a few examples. I want to emphasize on the front end that this progress in our justice system is largely because of YOU. Our General Assembly makes public policy decisions and determines budgets. You have provided the support that enables the Judicial Branch to better serve our fellow citizens. To put a finer point on it, in our collaboration, it is YOU who are strengthening the South Carolina justice system. I commend and thank you for your support of the justice system, which benefits our fellow citizens. I will address the state of our court system, court filings, and backlogs and show you where progress is being made.
I first address the topic of Judicial Reform. There is a lot we could unpack here, but I am only going to briefly mention two issues. First, we in the judiciary, like you, are aware of the half-truths and false narratives that circulate on social media, podcasts, and other outlets masquerading as journalism attacking you and our justice system. I believe you understand that judges are bound by ethical constraints, and those rules prohibit judges from responding to attacks against court decisions, no matter how false or outrageous the allegation may be. One attack levied against the legislature is the method of judicial selection, and I want to offer a brief comment on judicial selection. There are many ways judges can be appointed, and for lawyers who aspire to pursue a public service career on the bench, we leave it to you to determine what changes, if any, are needed in the method of selecting judges. There is no perfect way to elect judges. But I suggest to you that the legislature has elected quality judges over the years. When this legislative body of 170 diverse members individually vets judicial candidates and then collectively elects judges, that diffusion of authority enhances merit selection. Were one person allowed to completely control the selection process, we would expose the process to the potential of having political considerations driving the process and not merit based on legal competence and adherence to judicial independence. I will simply say I know firsthand that South Carolina has one of the finest judiciaries in the country.
Allow me to move to my second comment concerning judicial reform. Magistrate reform. I have requested a modest increase in magistrate court filing fees, fees which have not been adjusted in decades. This is a crucial part of judicial reform because it provides additional and long overdue funds to the counties, in part, to support magistrate salaries. Representative Pope has filed legislation in support of the modest filing fee increases, and it has passed the House. I am hopeful it will pass in the Senate.
Let's think for a moment more broadly about our magistrate court system. Magistrate court is often where a person gets their first and sometimes only exposure to the South Carolina court system. A citizen's entire view of the judiciary may come from a magistrate court experience. South Carolina has more than 300 magistrates. Put that in perspective: 300 plus magistrates, yet if you looked to the entirety of the family court judges (66), circuit court judges (53), court of appeals judges (9), supreme court justices (5), there are about 130 judges. You can double all our trial and appellate court judges that the legislature elects, and you are still far short of the number of magistrates. Is magistrate reform needed? It is my sense we would all say, "Yes." That's easy. The challenge is identifying what reform looks like. I wish I had the luxury of time to discuss this in great detail with you now, but I don't. I wrote all members of the General Assembly a few months ago detailing the challenges in addressing magistrate reform. There are a lot of moving pieces, and I will refer to my detailed letter. For now, I simply say we need to move toward a unified magistrate system, and we do that by focusing on uniformity. One obvious challenge is lawyer versus non-lawyer magistrates. The vast majority of magistrates are non-lawyers. Many of our non-lawyer magistrates serve well, but in terms of overall improvement to the justice system, we would be best served by having licensed attorneys serving as judges, including the magistrate position. Like many things in life, that's easier said than done. There are reasons why a transition to a lawyer-only magistrate system will take time--indeed, many years. But we will never get there if we don't begin the process. Existing magistrates must be grandfathered in. On my end in the Judicial Branch, we are tightening the vetting process for magistrate nominees--by, among other things, raising passing scores, and beefing up initial training and ongoing continuing education requirements.
I am aware that the House has returned sweeping magistrate reform legislation to the Judiciary Committee for further study. I respect this decision, because I believe that move represents a desire to "get it right," and not a move to kill magistrate reform efforts. Perhaps the Senate, which is keenly aware of the many issues challenging our magistrate court system, will see fit to take the reins on the reform effort this session. When the legislature presses forward on this important issue, we can together take positive, incremental steps toward magistrate reform.
I leave you with a final point on judicial reform in the magistrate court system--that point is the gross pay disparity among full-time magistrates. The highest paid magistrate in South Carolina earns $155,000, while the lowest paid full-time magistrate earns $37,105. This disparity in pay among our full-time magistrates not only defeats the goal of a uniform justice system, it guarantees a lack of uniformity and all the negative consequences that necessarily follow. I conclude my brief comments on magistrate reform with an invitation to discuss this important issue more fully. Magistrate reform is needed, and I am hopeful of a positive and productive dialogue with you.
I now transition to a challenge facing our court system, one that may appear self-evident but is not fully appreciated. I am going to call this "Judicial Infrastructure." Governor McMaster in his state of the state address addressed infrastructure and he mentioned "traffic congestion, water and sewer access, growing demand for electric power, healthcare and school pressures and road repair." I add judicial infrastructure to the list. Infrastructure demands reach everywhere, and that certainly includes our court system, and infrastructure is more than just needing more physical courthouses. Last year in my State of the Judiciary presentation, I mentioned a data collection effort that was underway. We need to know what goes on in our courts, specifically every aspect of the operation of the courts, so we can identify what the needs are and more wisely allocate judicial resources. We are still trying to work with all the courts and 46 county clerks of court to obtain correct data. We are making progress, but we have a ways to go. Let me share some numbers with you that, I believe, will get your attention. In the last few years, more than 9 million cases have been filed in all of our trial courts. That is a conservative number because we are still counting. As we gather more data, this public dashboard of court information will be updated.
Permit me to illustrate this reality of unprecedented growth, so that we can better and more fully appreciate the indisputable connection between infrastructure and our court system. In the year 2000, South Carolina had a population of approximately 4 million people. Today, a quarter of a century later, we are surpassing 5.5 million. In terms of percentage growth, South Carolina is the fastest growing state in the country, with a 1.5% growth rate. Between July 2024 and July 2025, according to the Census Bureau, South Carolina added more than 6600 people monthly or right at 80,000 for the year. So, in one year, 80,000 people are moving into our state, which approximates the population of Oconee County. As South Carolina grows at a rate we have never seen before, lets acknowledge the obvious: the increase in judicial resources since the year 2000 is far less than the actual population increase and court filing increase.
Here's another look: Courts often measure their ability to provide a justice system by the number of judges per 100,000 population. Looking to our general jurisdiction court--the circuit court--we have 53 circuit judgeships. That gives us .97 judges per 100,000 citizens in South Carolina. We are requesting in this year's budget four additional resident circuit judges in targeted areas of need. If we are successful in increasing our number of circuit judges from 53 to 57, our ratio would be 1.04 judges per 100,000 population. That would be an improvement, but how do we stack up with our sister states in the southeast? Based on data furnished by the National Center for State Courts, Tennessee has 2.3 judges per 100,000 population and Alabama has 3.3 judges per 100,000. We are behind other states, but the 4 additional circuit judges would move us in a positive direction.
Now, with all this growth--in terms of population and court filings--you would think the backlogs are growing and growing and we are getting further behind. But I want you to know that we are making progress. We recently looked at a year-to-year comparison in the circuit and family courts, and I want to share what we learned.
We have a series of benchmarks that are utilized to measure backlogs and progress. Let's first look at the criminal court, which is called the Court of General Sessions. In criminal court, overall from 2021-2025, we can get a good look at our backlog by the number of pending cases at the end of each calendar year. Please see that we have reduced the backlog by 16.9%. The backlogs are decreasing. Look at this chart: Roughly 200,000 criminal cases were pending several years ago; now look to the end of 2025, the number of pending cases had declined to just over 165,000. However, that is not the only measure. We can all agree that we want criminal cases disposed of before they are 3 years old. From 2024 to 2025, in looking at indicted criminal cases, we saw overall a 17.6% decrease in the number of cases more than 3 years old. The backlog is coming down.
Look with me at the civil side of the court, which we call the Court of Common Pleas. On the civil side, one benchmark is to try and get cases resolved within two years. Look at cases filed year by year: you see a few years back, there were 77,879 cases filed and almost 15,000 still pending after 2 years. Now look at the yearly trend and you will note a tremendous increase in cases filed. We went from almost 78,000 cases filed to more than 100,000 cases filed last year in 2025. That is predictable, for we expect such a dramatic increase with the population boom across South Carolina. Yet look at the decrease in cases more than two years old--almost 15,000 old cases were pending at the end of 2021, and at the end of 2025, there were only 9,200 old cases pending. The big picture is a 28% increase in new cases, yet we were able to reduce the civil backlog of cases pending more than two years by about 37%. That's counterintuitive. How do we reduce backlogs of older cases when case filings are on the rise? Before unpacking this good news further, please take a quick look at our family courts.
You may know that in the often emotional and pressure-packed family court, because of the time sensitive and child-centered nature of family court proceedings, we have what is called the 365-day rule, where we want a family court domestic relation case resolved within a year. That's a big ask, but it's important given the critical need for family court cases to be handled expeditiously. We have always sought to meet an 80% threshold, which means we want 80% of all family court domestic relations cases completed in a year. Through the years, the majority of counties have met that 80% threshold. At the end of 2025, we had 32 counties meeting the benchmark. We have other counties that are close to meeting this threshold. We hope to put the three new family court judges you've just elected to work immediately, and we hope that next year, more counties will meet the benchmark. What makes our work on the family court backlog significant is context. We are maintaining substantial compliance with the family court 365-day rule for domestic relations cases, as case filings are increasing, just as we have seen in the circuit court. In family court, from 2020 through 2025, we saw a 13% increase in family court case filings. Yet we are maintaining success in helping most families achieve resolution in family court within a year of filing the case. Again, we are making progress.
As I wrap up our discussion of judicial infrastructure, please keep in mind the vastness of the workload in our court system. A term of court is a phrase we use to describe a court week from Monday through Friday, or designated days during the week. In 2024, we held 5,190 terms of circuit and family court. That's a lot of family court and circuit court. In 2025, we increased the terms of court to 5,771. That's a massive amount of court and that does not count probate courts, magistrate courts, municipal courts, or other courts. Operating the South Carolina court system is no small undertaking. The system operates because of people--people who care and do their best everyday--from judges, to court staff such as court reporters, clerks of court, court schedulers and a strong administrative staff. As you can see from these results, we are making progress. It could not happen without a supportive General Assembly.
How are we making this kind of progress as we do more with less? The complete answer is muti-faceted. But due to time constraints, my answer must be abbreviated. The answer involves systems and people. You can see that the volume of work done in our court system is staggering. We are assigning our limited judicial resources to the areas of greatest need. We are doing our best to put our most valuable resource--people--where they are needed. We have good and decent people in court administration, and hardworking people in the courtrooms, such as our court reporters. Give me a moment to mention our judges. Are judges perfect? Of course not. As with any group or institution, we are human, and mistakes occur. We have an appellate court system, with multiple judges involved, to correct mistakes when they occur. The judges you elect are overwhelmingly competent, diligent, professional, committed to doing their best to apply the law fairly and in an even-handed manner in every case; and significantly, they are caring. The record is clear that because of the extensive vetting done under the current system, South Carolina judges rarely face founded disciplinary complaints, unlike the judges in other states. Yes, I am aware of the largely social-media driven attacks against our judges, but those attacks from disgruntled litigants or those looking to score easy political points are generally unfounded. I am proud to serve alongside the fine men and women YOU elect as judges.
So many of our judges go the extra mile and do double duty. Moreover, when an unforeseen circumstance arises, those in the Judicial Branch step forward and volunteer. Last year, when circuit judge Diane Goodstein's home was destroyed by fire and members of her family were injured, many of her colleagues volunteered to serve and cover her terms of court. Included among those who volunteered were Judges Newman, Griffith, McIntosh, Mullen, Doby, Rivers and Warr. In addition, we have Masters-In-Equity judges who have stepped forward to do double duty and hold circuit court, and they include Judges Clemmons, Simmons, and Wegmann. Many retired judges in both circuit and family court are holding court more frequently, and they include Judges Cothran, Kinlaw, Hocker, Norton, Pogue, Wylie and Morehead. Last year a family court judge unexpectedly suffered a disabling injury and was unable to hold court. The judge had terms of court scheduled weeks and months in advance, and those family court litigants needed resolution, not delay. Your family court judges gave up chambers weeks and vacation and said, "send me." Included among the judges who volunteered were Judges Ballenger, Norton, Bromell-Holmes, Kimmons, Wylie, McEachin, Michael Murphy, Abstance, Morehead, Khoury and McFaddin.
Notice Judge McFaddin. He is a circuit judge who previously served on the family court bench. Judge McFaddin was on vacation when the family court judge could no longer hold court. Judge McFaddin called and let us know he was leaving his family vacation and heading to Sumter so he could complete that term of court. Judge McFaddin also--every year--holds a special "Adoption Day." Why make uncontested adoptions wait and wait on crowded dockets? Judge McFaddin, a circuit court judge, asks every year for a special appointment to hold extra family court so he can approve adoptions and unite families. Through the years, this special Adoption Day has approved almost 600 adoptions. Judge McFaddin gets not one extra penny for that judicial service. He does it not for recognition; he does it because he is a caring judge, and more importantly, a caring person. That description applies to so many of our fine judges. There are so many other examples of judges giving more and going the extra mile, but I must be sensitive of the limited time you have graciously allowed me. Please understand this: I am proud to serve alongside the judges YOU elect. You, too, should be proud of the fine men and women YOU elect to the judiciary of South Carolina.
Upon conclusion of his address, the Honorable John W. Kittredge and his escort party retired from the Chamber.
Following the completion of the address by the Honorable John W. Kittredge, Chief Justice of South Carolina the President of the Senate called the Joint Assembly to order and announced that it had convened under the terms of a Concurrent Resolution adopted by both Houses.
The Reading Clerk of the House read the following Concurrent Resolution: H. 5470 (Word version) -- Reps. Whitmire, King, McGinnis and Rose: A CONCURRENT RESOLUTION TO FIX WEDNESDAY, APRIL 15, 2026, IMMEDIATELY FOLLOWING THE STATE OF THE JUDICIARY ADDRESS TO BE DELIVERED BY THE CHIEF JUSTICE IN JOINT ASSEMBLY IN THE HALL OF THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES, AS THE TIME FOR THE SENATE AND HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES TO MEET IN JOINT ASSEMBLY FOR THE PURPOSE OF ELECTING ONE MEMBER TO THE BOARD OF VISITORS FOR THE CITADEL, TO FILL THE TERM OF THE AT-LARGE MEMBER THAT EXPIRED JUNE 30, 2023, FOR THE REMAINDER OF A NEW TERM THAT WILL EXPIRE JUNE 30, 2029; FOR THE PURPOSE OF ELECTING MEMBERS TO THE BOARD OF TRUSTEES OF COASTAL CAROLINA UNIVERSITY TO FILL THE TERM OF THE MEMBER FOR THE FIRST CONGRESSIONAL DISTRICT, SEAT 1, THAT EXPIRED JUNE 30, 2023, FOR THE REMAINDER OF A NEW TERM THAT WILL EXPIRE JUNE 30, 2027, TO FILL THE TERM OF THE MEMBER FOR THE THIRD CONGRESSIONAL DISTRICT, SEAT 3, THAT EXPIRED JUNE 30, 2023, FOR THE REMAINDER OF A NEW TERM THAT WILL EXPIRE JUNE 30, 2027, TO FILL THE TERM OF THE MEMBER FOR THE FOURTH CONGRESSIONAL DISTRICT, SEAT 4, THAT EXPIRED JUNE 30, 2025, FOR THE REMAINDER OF A NEW TERM THAT WILL EXPIRE JUNE 30, 2029, TO FILL THE TERM OF THE MEMBER FOR THE FIFTH CONGRESSIONAL DISTRICT, SEAT 5, THAT EXPIRED JUNE 30, 2023, FOR THE REMAINDER OF A NEW TERM THAT WILL EXPIRE JUNE 30, 2027, TO FILL THE TERM OF THE MEMBER FOR THE SEVENTH CONGRESSIONAL DISTRICT, SEAT 7, THAT EXPIRED JUNE 30, 2023, FOR THE REMAINDER OF A NEW TERM THAT WILL EXPIRE JUNE 30, 2027, TO FILL THE TERM OF THE MEMBER FOR THE AT-LARGE SEAT 8, THAT EXPIRED JUNE 30, 2025, FOR THE REMAINDER OF A NEW TERM THAT WILL EXPIRE JUNE 30, 2029, TO FILL THE TERM OF THE MEMBER FOR THE AT-LARGE SEAT 9, THAT EXPIRED JUNE 30, 2023, FOR THE REMAINDER OF A NEW TERM THAT WILL EXPIRE JUNE 30, 2027, TO FILL THE TERM OF THE MEMBER FOR THE AT-LARGE SEAT 10, THAT EXPIRED JUNE 30, 2025, FOR THE REMAINDER OF A NEW TERM THAT WILL EXPIRE JUNE 30, 2029, TO FILL THE TERM OF THE MEMBER FOR THE AT-LARGE SEAT 11, THAT EXPIRED JUNE 30, 2023, FOR THE REMAINDER OF A NEW TERM THAT WILL EXPIRE JUNE 30, 2027, TO FILL THE TERM OF THE MEMBER FOR THE AT-LARGE SEAT 12, THAT EXPIRED JUNE 30, 2025, FOR THE REMAINDER OF A NEW TERM THAT WILL EXPIRE JUNE 30, 2029, TO FILL THE TERM OF THE MEMBER FOR THE AT-LARGE SEAT 13, THAT EXPIRED JUNE 30, 2023, FOR THE REMAINDER OF A NEW TERM THAT WILL EXPIRE JUNE 30, 2027, TO FILL THE TERM OF THE MEMBER FOR THE AT-LARGE SEAT 14, THAT EXPIRED JUNE 30, 2025, FOR THE REMAINDER OF A NEW TERM THAT WILL EXPIRE JUNE 30, 2029, AND TO FILL THE TERM OF THE MEMBER FOR THE AT-LARGE SEAT 15, THAT EXPIRED JUNE 30, 2023, FOR THE REMAINDER OF A NEW TERM THAT WILL EXPIRE JUNE 30, 2027; FOR THE PURPOSE OF ELECTING MEMBERS TO THE BOARD OF TRUSTEES OF LANDER UNIVERSITY, TO FILL THE TERM OF THE MEMBER FOR THE FIFTH CONGRESSIONAL DISTRICT, SEAT 5, THAT EXPIRED JUNE 30, 2024, FOR THE REMAINDER OF A NEW TERM THAT WILL EXPIRE JUNE 30, 2028, TO FILL THE TERM OF THE MEMBER FOR THE AT-LARGE SEAT 12, FOR A TERM THAT WILL EXPIRE JUNE 30, 2026, TO FILL THE TERM OF THE MEMBER FOR THE AT-LARGE SEAT 15, FOR A TERM THAT WILL EXPIRE JUNE 30, 2026; FOR THE PURPOSE OF ELECTING MEMBERS TO THE BOARD OF TRUSTEES OF THE MEDICAL UNIVERSITY OF SOUTH CAROLINA TO FILL THE TERM OF THE MEMBER FOR THE SECOND CONGRESSIONAL DISTRICT, LAY MEMBER, THAT EXPIRED JUNE 30, 2024, FOR THE REMAINDER OF A NEW TERM THAT WILL EXPIRE JUNE 30, 2028; FOR THE PURPOSE OF ELECTING MEMBERS TO THE BOARD OF TRUSTEES OF SOUTH CAROLINA STATE UNIVERSITY TO FILL THE TERM OF THE MEMBER FOR THE AT-LARGE SEAT 12, THAT EXPIRED JUNE 30, 2024, FOR THE REMAINDER OF A NEW TERM THAT WILL EXPIRE JUNE 30, 2028; FOR THE PURPOSE OF ELECTING MEMBERS TO THE BOARD OF TRUSTEES OF THE UNIVERSITY OF SOUTH CAROLINA TO FILL THE TERM OF THE MEMBER FOR THE SECOND JUDICIAL CIRCUIT FOR A TERM THAT WILL EXPIRE JUNE 30, 2028, TO FILL THE TERM OF THE MEMBER FOR THE FOURTH JUDICIAL CIRCUIT, THAT EXPIRED JUNE 30, 2024, FOR THE REMAINDER OF A NEW TERM THAT WILL EXPIRE JUNE 30, 2028, TO FILL THE TERM OF THE MEMBER FOR THE TWELFTH JUDICIAL CIRCUIT FOR A TERM THAT WILL EXPIRE JUNE 30, 2026, AND TO FILL THE TERM OF THE MEMBER FOR THE FIFTEENTH JUDICIAL CIRCUIT, THAT EXPIRED JUNE 30, 2024, FOR THE REMAINDER OF A NEW TERM THAT WILL EXPIRE JUNE 30, 2028; FOR THE PURPOSE OF ELECTING MEMBERS TO THE BOARD OF TRUSTEES OF WINTHROP UNIVERSITY TO FILL THE TERM OF THE MEMBER FOR THE SEVENTH CONGRESSIONAL DISTRICT, SEAT 7, THAT EXPIRED JUNE 30, 2024, FOR THE REMAINDER OF A NEW TERM THAT EXPIRES JUNE 30, 2030, AND TO FILL THE TERM OF THE MEMBER FOR THE AT-LARGE SEAT 10, FOR A TERM THAT WILL EXPIRE JUNE 30, 2027; AND FOR THE PURPOSE OF ELECTING THREE AT-LARGE MEMBERS TO THE BOARD OF TRUSTEES FOR THE WIL LOU GRAY OPPORTUNITY SCHOOL THAT EXPIRED JUNE 30, 2023, FOR THE REMAINDER OF NEW TERMS THAT WILL EXPIRE JUNE 30, 2027. ELECTION OF COLLEGE AND UNIVERSITY TRUSTEES FOR CERTAIN SEATS AT THE CITADEL, COASTAL UNIVERSITY, LANDER UNIVERSITY, MEDICAL UNIVERSITY OF SOUTH CAROLINA, SOUTH CAROLINA STATE UNIVERSITY, UNIVERSITY OF SOUTH CAROLINA, WINTHROP UNIVERSITY AND WIL LOU GRAY OPPORTUNITY SCHOOL
AT-LARGE, ONE SEAT
The PRESIDENT announced that nominations were in order for the at-large seat.
Rep. WHITMIRE, on behalf of the Joint Screening Committee, stated that Kenneth Scott Bland, Kristofer Daniel Clark, and James E. Nicholson, Jr., had been screened and found qualified.
Rep. WHITMIRE stated that Kenneth Scott Bland, and Kristofer Daniel Clark had withdrawn from the race and placed the names of the remaining candidate, James E. Nicholson, Jr., in nomination.
On the motion of Rep. WHITMIRE, nominations were closed and with unanimous consent, the vote was taken by acclamation, resulting in the election of the nominee.
Whereupon, the PRESIDENT announced that James E. Nicholson, Jr., was duly elected for the term prescribed by law.
1st CONGRESSIONAL DISTRICT, SEAT 1
The PRESIDENT announced that nominations were in order for the First Congressional District, Seat 1.
Rep. WHITMIRE, on behalf of the Joint Screening Committee, stated that George Edward Mullen had been screened, found qualified and placed his name in nomination.
On the motion of Rep. WHITMIRE, nominations were closed and with unanimous consent, the vote was taken by acclamation, resulting in the election of the nominee.
Whereupon, the PRESIDENT announced that George Edward Mullen was duly elected for the term prescribed by law.
The PRESIDENT announced that nominations were in order for the Third Congressional District, Seat 3.
Rep. WHITMIRE, on behalf of the Joint Screening Committee, stated that William S. Biggs had been screened, found qualified and placed his name in nomination. On the motion of Rep. WHITMIRE, nominations were closed and with unanimous consent, the vote was taken by acclamation, resulting in the election of the nominee.
Whereupon, the PRESIDENT announced that William S. Biggs was duly elected for the term prescribed by law.
The PRESIDENT announced that nominations were in order for the Fourth Congressional District, Seat 4.
Rep. WHITMIRE, on behalf of the Joint Screening Committee, stated that William E. Turner III had been screened, found qualified and placed his name in nomination.
On the motion of Rep. WHITMIRE, nominations were closed and with unanimous consent, the vote was taken by acclamation, resulting in the election of the nominee.
Whereupon, the PRESIDENT announced that William E. Turner III was duly elected for the term prescribed by law.
The PRESIDENT announced that nominations were in order for the Fifth Congressional District, Seat 5.
Rep. WHITMIRE, on behalf of the Joint Screening Committee, stated that Lisa Mabry Davis had been screened, found qualified and placed her name in nomination.
On the motion of Rep. WHITMIRE, nominations were closed and with unanimous consent, the vote was taken by acclamation, resulting in the election of the nominee.
Whereupon, the PRESIDENT announced that Lisa Mabry Davis was duly elected for the term prescribed by law.
The PRESIDENT announced that nominations were in order for the Seventh Congressional District, Seat 7.
Rep. WHITMIRE, on behalf of the Joint Screening Committee, stated that Natasha Mabry Hanna had been screened, found qualified and placed her name in nomination.
On the motion of Rep. WHITMIRE, nominations were closed and with unanimous consent, the vote was taken by acclamation, resulting in the election of the nominee.
Whereupon, the PRESIDENT announced that Natasha Mabry Hanna was duly elected for the term prescribed by law.
The PRESIDENT announced that nominations were in order for the At-Large Seat 8.
Rep. WHITMIRE, on behalf of the Joint Screening Committee, stated that Jason Michael Repak had been screened, found qualified and placed his name in nomination.
On the motion of Rep. WHITMIRE, nominations were closed and with unanimous consent, the vote was taken by acclamation, resulting in the election of the nominee.
Whereupon, the PRESIDENT announced that Jason Michael Repak was duly elected for the term prescribed by law.
The PRESIDENT announced that nominations were in order for the At-Large Seat 9.
Rep. WHITMIRE, on behalf of the Joint Screening Committee, stated that Eugene C. Spivey had been screened, found qualified and placed his name in nomination.
On the motion of Rep. WHITMIRE, nominations were closed and with unanimous consent, the vote was taken by acclamation, resulting in the election of the nominee.
Whereupon, the PRESIDENT announced that Eugene C. Spivey was duly elected for the term prescribed by law.
The PRESIDENT announced that nominations were in order for the At-Large Seat 10.
Rep. WHITMIRE, on behalf of the Joint Screening Committee, stated that Mark S. Kelly had been screened, found qualified and placed his name in nomination.
On the motion of Rep. WHITMIRE, nominations were closed and with unanimous consent, the vote was taken by acclamation, resulting in the election of the nominee.
Whereupon, the PRESIDENT announced that Mark S. Kelly was duly elected for the term prescribed by law.
The PRESIDENT announced that nominations were in order for the At-Large Seat 11. Rep. WHITMIRE, on behalf of the Joint Screening Committee, stated that Brian J. Argo, Richard Blake Kline, Robin Edwards Russell, James Brandon Sessions, and Edward Robert Tkacz had been screened and found qualified.
Rep. WHITMIRE stated that Robert Blake Kline, Robin Edwards Russell, James Brandon Sessions, and Robert Tkacz, had withdrawn from the race and placed the names of the remaining candidate, Brian J. Argo, in nomination.
On the motion of Rep. WHITMIRE, nominations were closed and with unanimous consent, the vote was taken by acclamation, resulting in the election of the nominee.
Whereupon, Brian J. Argo was duly elected for the term prescribed by law.
The PRESIDENT announced that nominations were in order for the At-Large Seat 12.
Rep. WHITMIRE, on behalf of the Joint Screening Committee, stated that Hal Delan Stevens had been screened, found qualified and placed his name in nomination.
On the motion of Rep. WHITMIRE, nominations were closed and with unanimous consent, the vote was taken by acclamation, resulting in the election of the nominee.
Whereupon, the PRESIDENT announced that Hal Delan Stevens was duly elected for the term prescribed by law.
The PRESIDENT announced that nominations were in order for the At-Large Seat 13,
Rep. WHITMIRE, on behalf of the Joint Screening Committee, stated that Lee A. Belcher had been screened, found qualified and placed his name in nomination.
On the motion of Rep. WHITMIRE, nominations were closed and with unanimous consent, the vote was taken by acclamation, resulting in the election of the nominee.
Whereupon, the PRESIDENT announced that Lee A. Belcher was duly elected for the term prescribed by law.
The PRESIDENT announced that nominations were in order for the At-Large Seat 14. Rep. WHITMIRE, on behalf of the Joint Screening Committee, stated that Joe N. Jarrett, Jr., had been screened, found qualified and placed his name in nomination.
On the motion of Rep. WHITMIRE, nominations were closed and with unanimous consent, the vote was taken by acclamation, resulting in the election of the nominee.
Whereupon, the PRESIDENT announced that Joe N. Jarrett, Jr., was duly elected for the term prescribed by law.
The PRESIDENT announced that nominations were in order for the At-Large Seat 15.
Rep. WHITMIRE, on behalf of the Joint Screening Committee, stated that Patrick Steven Sparks had been screened, found qualified and placed his name in nomination.
On the motion of Rep. WHITMIRE, nominations were closed and with unanimous consent, the vote was taken by acclamation, resulting in the election of the nominee.
Whereupon, the PRESIDENT announced that Patrick Steven Sparks was duly elected for the term prescribed by law.
5TH CONGRESSIONAL DISTRICT, SEAT 5
The PRESIDENT announced that nominations were in order for the Fifth Congressional District, Seat 5.
Rep. WHITMIRE, on behalf of the Joint Screening Committee, stated that Thomas Balek and Christopher Shawn Foxworth had been screened and found qualified.
Rep. WHITMIRE stated that Thomas Balek had withdrawn from the race and placed the name of the remaining candidate, Christopher Shawn Foxworth, in nomination.
On the motion of Rep. WHITMIRE, nominations were closed and with unanimous consent, the vote was taken by acclamation, resulting in the election of the nominee.
Whereupon, the PRESIDENT announced that Christopher Shawn Foxworth was duly elected for the term prescribed by law.
The PRESIDENT announced that nominations were in order for the At-Large Seat 12. Rep. WHITMIRE, on behalf of the Joint Screening Committee, stated that Sabrina Anne Walker had been screened, found qualified and placed her name in nomination.
On the motion of Rep. WHITMIRE, nominations were closed and with unanimous consent, the vote was taken by acclamation, resulting in the election of the nominee.
Whereupon, the PRESIDENT announced that Sabrina Anne Walker was duly elected for the term prescribed by law.
The PRESIDENT announced that nominations were in order for the At-Large Seat 15.
Rep. WHITMIRE, on behalf of the Joint Screening Committee, stated that Kathy R. Taylor had been screened, found qualified and placed her name in nomination.
On the motion of Rep. WHITMIRE, nominations were closed and with unanimous consent, the vote was taken by acclamation, resulting in the election of the nominee.
Whereupon, the PRESIDENT announced that Kathy R. Taylor was duly elected for the term prescribed by law.
2ND CONGRESSIONAL DISTRICT, LAY MEMBER
The PRESIDENT announced that nominations were in order for the Second Congressional District, Lay Member.
Rep. WHITMIRE, on behalf of the Joint Screening Committee, stated that William Delleney Wiseman had been screened, found qualified and placed his name in nomination.
On the motion of Rep. WHITMIRE, nominations were closed and with unanimous consent, the vote was taken by acclamation, resulting in the election of the nominee.
Whereupon, the PRESIDENT announced that William Delleney Wiseman was duly elected for the term prescribed by law.
AT-LARGE, SEAT 12
The PRESIDENT announced that nominations were in order for the At-Large Seat 12. Rep. WHITMIRE, on behalf of the Joint Screening Committee, stated that Donald Beatty, Quincy Franklin Mack, Johnny Myron Sellers, and Douglas M. Twitty had been screened and found qualified.
Rep. WHITMIRE stated that Quincy Franklin Mack and Johnny Myron Sellers had withdrawn from the race and placed the names of the remaining candidates, Donald Beatty and Douglas M Twitty in nomination.
On the motion of Rep. HIOTT, with unanimous consent, the members of the House voted by electronic roll call.
Rep. CROMER moved to reject the slate of candidates.
Whereupon, the Joint Assembly proceeded to a vote.
The following named Senators voted as follows:
Ayes 2; Nays 39
Bright Rice
Adams Alexander Allen
Bennett Blackmon Campsen
Cash Chaplin Climer
Corbin Cromer Devine
Elliott Gambrell Garrett
Goldfinch Graham Grooms
Hembree Jackson Johnson
Leber Martin Massey
Matthews Ott Peeler
Rankin Reichenbach Sabb
Stubbs Sutton Tedder
Turner Verdin Walker
Williams Young Zell
The following named Representatives voted in the affirmative are:
Beach Burns Chumley Cromer Duncan Edgerton Frank Gilreath Harris Kilmartin Lastinger Long Magnuson McCabe McCravy Morgan Pace
The following named Representatives voted in the negative are:
Alexander Anderson Atkinson Ballentine Bamberg Bannister Bauer Bernstein Bowers Bradley Brewer Brittain Bustos Calhoon Caskey Chapman Clyburn Cobb-Hunter Collins Cox Davis Dillard Erickson Forrest Gagnon Garvin Gatch Gibson Gilliam Gilliard Govan Grant Guest Guffey Hager Hardee Hart Hartnett Hartz Hayes Henderson-Myers Herbkersman Hewitt Hiott Hixon Holman Hosey Howard Huff J. E. Johnson J. L. Johnson Jones Jordan King Kirby Landing Lawson Ligon Lowe Luck Martin McDaniel McGinnis Montgomery J. Moore T. Moore Moss B. Newton W. Newton Oremus Pedalino Pope Rankin Reese Rivers Robbins Rose Rutherford Sanders Scott Sessions G. M. Smith M. M. Smith Stavrinakis Taylor Teeple Terribile Waters Weeks Wetmore Whitmire Wickensimer Williams
The motion to reject the slate of candidates failed.
The Reading Clerk of the Senate called the roll of the Senate, and the Senators voted viva voce as their names were called.
The following named Senators voted for Donald Beatty:
Adams Allen Bennett Bright Campsen Chaplin Devine Elliott Graham Grooms Martin Massey Matthews Ott Rankin Sabb Sutton Tedder Walker Zell
The following named Senators voted for Douglas Twitty:
Alexander Blackmon Cash Climer Corbin Cromer Gambrell Garrett Hembree Jackson Johnson Peeler Reichenbach Rice Stubbs Turner Verdin Williams Young
The following named Representatives voted for Donald Beatty:
Alexander Anderson Ballentine Bamberg Bannister Bauer Bernstein Bradley Brewer Brittain Calhoon Caskey Chumley Clyburn Cobb-Hunter Collins Davis Dillard Edgerton Erickson Garvin Gatch Gilliard Govan Grant Guest Hager Hart Henderson-Myers Herbkersman Hewitt Holman Hosey Huff J. E. Johnson J. L. Johnson Jones Jordan King Kirby Lawson Long Lowe McDaniel McGinnis C. Mitchell Montgomery J. Moore T. Moore Moss W. Newton Reese Rivers Robbins Rose Rutherford Scott Sessions G. M. Smith M. M. Smith Stavrinakis Waters Weeks Wetmore Wickensimer Williams
The following named Representatives voted for Douglas Twitty:
Atkinson Beach Bowers Burns Bustos Chapman Cromer Duncan Forrest Frank Gagnon Gibson Gilliam Gilreath Guffey Hardee Harris Hartz Hayes Hiott Hixon Howard Kilmartin Landing Lastinger Ligon Luck Magnuson Martin McCabe McCravy D. Mitchell Morgan B. Newton Oremus Pace Pedalino Pope Rankin Sanders Taylor Terribile White Whitmire Yow
Total number of Senators voting 39
Total number of Representatives voting 111
Grand Total 150
Necessary to a choice 76
Of which Donald Beatty received 86
Of which Douglas Twitty received 64
Whereupon, Donald Beatty was duly elected for the term prescribed by law.
2nd JUDICIAL CIRCUIT
The PRESIDENT announced that nominations were in order for the Second Judicial Circuit.
Rep. WHITMIRE, on behalf of the Joint Screening Committee, stated that James Strom Thurmond, Jr., and Bernie Lee Sims, Jr., had been screened and found qualified.
Rep. WHITMIRE stated that Bernie Lee Sims, Jr., had withdrawn from the race and placed the name of the remaining candidate, James Strom Thurmond, Jr., in nomination.
On the motion of Rep. WHITMIRE, nominations were closed and with unanimous consent, the vote was taken by acclamation, resulting in the election of the nominee.
Whereupon, the PRESIDENT announced that James Strom Thurmond, Jr., was duly elected for the term prescribed by law.
The PRESIDENT announced that nominations were in order for the Fourth Judicial Circuit.
Rep. WHITMIRE, on behalf of the Joint Screening Committee, stated that Richard Mark Bonnoitt, J. Colin Hungerpiller, and Caroline W. Streater had been screened and found qualified.
Rep. WHITMIRE stated that Caroline W. Streater had withdrawn from the race and placed the names of the remaining candidates, Richard Mark Bonnoitt and J. Colin Hungerpiller in nomination.
The Reading Clerk of the Senate called the roll of the Senate, and the Senators voted viva voce as their names were called.
The following named Senators voted for Richard Bonnoitt:
Adams Alexander Allen Bennett Blackmon Bright Campsen Cash Climer Corbin Cromer Devine Elliott Gambrell Garrett Goldfinch Graham Grooms Hembree Jackson Johnson Leber Martin Matthews Ott Peeler Rankin Reichenbach Rice Sabb Stubbs Sutton Tedder Turner Verdin Walker Williams Young Zell
The following named Senators voted for Colin Hungerpiller:
Chaplin
On the motion of Rep. HIOTT, with unanimous consent, the members of the House voted by electronic roll call.
The following named Representatives voted for Richard Bonnoitt:
Alexander Anderson Atkinson Bailey Ballentine Bamberg Bannister Bauer Beach Bernstein Bowers Bradley Brewer Brittain Burns Bustos Calhoon Caskey Chapman Clyburn Cobb-Hunter Collins Cox Cromer Davis Dillard Duncan Edgerton Erickson Forrest Frank Gagnon Garvin Gatch Gibson Gilliam Gilliard Gilreath Govan Grant Guest Guffey Hager Hardee Harris Hart Hartnett Hartz Hayes Henderson-Myers Herbkersman Hewitt Hiott Hixon Holman Hosey Huff J. E. Johnson J. L. Johnson Jones Jordan Kilmartin King Kirby Landing Lastinger Lawson Ligon Long Lowe Luck Magnuson Martin McCabe McCravy McDaniel McGinnis D. Mitchell Montgomery J. Moore T. Moore Morgan Moss B. Newton W. Newton Oremus Pace Pedalino Pope Rankin Reese Rivers Robbins Rose Rutherford Schuessler Scott Sessions G. M. Smith M. M. Smith Stavrinakis Taylor Teeple Terribile Waters Weeks Wetmore White Whitmire Wickensimer Williams Willis Wooten Yow
The following named Representatives voted for Colin Hungerpiller:
Howard C. Mitchell
Total number of Senators voting 40
Total number of Representatives voting 116
Grand Total 156
Necessary to a choice 79
Of which Richard Bonnoitt received 153
Of which Colin Hungerpiller 3
Whereupon, Richard Mark Bonnoitt was duly elected for the term prescribed by law.
The PRESIDENT announced that nominations were in order for the Twelfth Judicial Circuit.
Rep. WHITMIRE, on behalf of the Joint Screening Committee, stated that Coleman Floyd Buckhouse had been screened, found qualified and placed her name in nomination.
On the motion of Rep. WHITMIRE, nominations were closed and with unanimous consent, the vote was taken by acclamation, resulting in the election of the nominee.
Whereupon, the PRESIDENT announced that Coleman Floyd Buckhouse was duly elected for the term prescribed by law.
The PRESIDENT announced that nominations were in order for the Fifteenth Judicial Circuit.
Rep. WHITMIRE, on behalf of the Joint Screening Committee, stated that Frederick Schipman Johnston, Michelle Kerscher Plyer, Anthony Holland Pope, and Kellah Fortson Webster had been screened and found qualified.
Rep. WHITMIRE stated that Kellah Fortson Webster had withdrawn from the race and placed the names of the remaining candidates, Frederick Shipman Johnston, Michelle Kerscher Plyer, and Anthony Holland Pope, in nomination.
The Reading Clerk of the Senate called the roll of the Senate, and the Senators voted viva voce as their names were called.
The following named Senators voted for Frederick Johnston:
Chaplin Climer Garrett Goldfinch Hembree Peeler Reichenbach Stubbs Williams
The following named Senators voted for Michelle Plyler:
Adams Alexander Allen Bennett Blackmon Bright Cash Cromer Devine Elliott Gambrell Graham Grooms Jackson Johnson Leber Martin Massey Matthews Ott Rankin Rice Sabb Sutton Tedder Turner Verdin Walker Young Zell
On the motion of Rep. HIOTT, with unanimous consent, the members of the House voted by electronic roll call.
The following named Representatives voted for Frederick Johnston:
Alexander Atkinson Bailey Ballentine Bannister Bauer Beach Bernstein Bowers Bradley Brittain Burns Bustos Calhoon Caskey Chapman Clyburn Cobb-Hunter Collins Davis Dillard Erickson Forrest Garvin Gibson Govan Guest Hager Hardee Hart Hartnett Hartz Hayes Henderson-Myers Herbkersman Hewitt Hiott Hixon Hosey J. E. Johnson J. L. Johnson Jones Jordan King Kirby Landing Ligon Long Lowe Luck Martin McGinnis Montgomery T. Moore Moss B. Newton Pope Reese Rivers Rose Schuessler G. M. Smith M. M. Smith Stavrinakis Taylor Teeple Wetmore Whitmire Wickensimer Williams Willis Wooten Yow
The following named Representatives voted for Michelle Plyler:
The following named Representatives voted for Anthony Pope:
Anderson Brewer Chumley Cox Cromer Duncan Edgerton Frank Gagnon Gatch Gilliard Gilreath Grant Guffey Holman Howard Huff Kilmartin Lastinger Lawson Magnuson McCabe McCravy McDaniel C. Mitchell D. Mitchell J. Moore Morgan Oremus Pace Pedalino Rankin Robbins Scott Sessions Terribile Weeks White
Total number of Senators voting 39
Total number of Representatives voting 111
Grand Total 150
Necessary to a choice 76
Of which Frederick Johnston received 82
Of which Michelle Plyler received 0
Of which Anthony Pope received 68
Whereupon, Frederick Shipman Johnston was duly elected for the term prescribed by law.
7th CONGRESSIONAL DISTRICT, SEAT 7
The PRESIDENT announced that nominations were in order for the Seventh Congressional District, Seat 7.
Rep. WHITMIRE, on behalf of the Joint Screening Committee, stated that Allison Jean Hamilton had been screened, found qualified and placed her name in nomination.
On the motion of Rep. WHITMIRE, nominations were closed and with unanimous consent, the vote was taken by acclamation, resulting in the election of the nominee.
Whereupon, the PRESIDENT announced that Allison Jean Hamilton was duly elected for the term prescribed by law.
The PRESIDENT announced that nominations were in order for the At-Large Seat 10.
Rep. WHITMIRE, on behalf of the Joint Screening Committee, stated that Jean Haubert and Timothy O'Riley had been screened and found qualified.
Rep. WHITMIRE stated that Timothy O'Riley and Jean Haubert had withdrawn from the race and declared that the seat will remain vacant.
The PRESIDENT announced that nominations were in order for the three At-Large Seats.
Rep. WHITMIRE, on behalf of the Joint Screening Committee, stated that Dan Austin Dobson and Jackie Chitty Drake had been screened, found qualified and placed their names in nomination.
On the motion of Rep. WHITMIRE, nominations were closed and with unanimous consent, the vote was taken by acclamation, resulting in the election of the nominees.
Whereupon the PRESIDENT announced that Dan Austin Dobson and Jackie Chitty Drake were duly elected for the term prescribed by law.
April 15, 2026
Charles Reid
Clerk of the House of Representatives
Dear Mr. Reid,
In accordance with SC Code Section 8-13-700, I hereby recuse myself from voting on the elections to the Boards of Trustees for the following universities because a potential conflict of interest due to an economic interest of myself, a family member, or an individual or business with which I am associated may be affected:
1. Medical University of South Carolina.
Please note this in the House Journal for April 15, 2026.
Sincerely,
Rep. Gary S. Brewer, Jr.
District 114
April 15, 2026
Charles Reid
Clerk of the House of Representatives
Dear Mr. Reid,
In accordance with SC Code Section 8-13-700, I hereby recuse myself from voting on the elections to the Boards of Trustees for the following universities because a potential conflict of interest due to an economic interest of myself, a family member, or an individual or business with which I am associated may be affected:
1. Board of Trustee members for Lander University.
Please note this in the House Journal for April 15, 2026.
Sincerely,
Rep. Thomas Lee Gilreath
District 7
April 15, 2026
Charles Reid
Clerk of the House of Representatives
Dear Mr. Reid,
In accordance with SC Code Section 8-13-700, I hereby recuse myself from voting on the elections to the Boards of Trustees for the following universities because a potential conflict of interest due to an economic interest of myself, a family member, or an individual or business with which I am associated may be affected:
1. Board of Trustee members for Lander University; and,
2. Board of Trustee members for University of South Carolina.
Please note this in the House Journal for April 15, 2026.
Sincerely,
Rep. Richard Blake Sanders
District 9
April 15, 2026
Charles Reid
Clerk of the House of Representatives
Dear Mr. Reid,
In accordance with SC Code Section 8-13-700, I hereby recuse myself from voting on the elections to the Boards of Trustees for the following universities because a potential conflict of interest due to an economic interest of myself, a family member, or an individual or business with which I am associated may be affected:
1. Coastal Carolina University.
Please note this in the House Journal for April 15, 2026.
Sincerely,
Rep. Carla Schuessler
District 61
April 15, 2026
Charles Reid
Clerk of the House of Representatives
Dear Mr. Reid,
In accordance with SC Code Section 8-13-700, I hereby recuse myself from voting on the elections to the Boards of Trustees for the following universities because a potential conflict of interest due to an economic interest of myself, a family member, or an individual or business with which I am associated may be affected:
1. Medical University of South Carolina.
Please note this in the House Journal for April 15, 2026.
Sincerely,
Rep. G. Murrell Smith Jr.
District 67
April 15, 2026
Charles Reid
Clerk of the House of Representatives
Dear Mr. Reid,
In accordance with SC Code Section 8-13-700, I hereby recuse myself from voting on the elections to the Boards of Trustees for the following universities because a potential conflict of interest due to an economic interest of myself, a family member, or an individual or business with which I am associated may be affected:
1. Medical University of South Carolina.
Please note this in the House Journal for April 15, 2026.
Sincerely,
Rep. Leon Stavrinakis
District 119
The purposes of the Joint Assembly having been accomplished, the PRESIDENT announced that under the terms of the Concurrent Resolution the Joint Assembly would recede from business.
The Senate accordingly retired to its Chamber.
At 1:59 p.m. the House resumed, the SPEAKER PRO TEMPORE in the Chair.
The Senate Amendments to the following Bill were taken up for consideration:
H. 4756 (Word version) -- Reps. Pope, Bailey, Ballentine, Brewer, Brittain, Bustos, Caskey, Chapman, Crawford, Davis, Duncan, Forrest, Gagnon, Gatch, Gilliam, Guest, Hardee, Hartz, Herbkersman, Hewitt, Hiott, Hixon, Holman, J. E. Johnson, Lawson, Ligon, Long, Lowe, Martin, McCravy, McGinnis, C. Mitchell, T. Moore, W. Newton, Oremus, Pedalino, Rankin, Robbins, Sanders, Schuessler, Sessions, G. M. Smith, M. M. Smith, Taylor, Vaughan, Whitmire, Wickensimer, Willis, Wooten, Yow, B. Newton, Chumley, Edgerton, Magnuson, Terribile, White, D. Mitchell, Cromer, Gilreath, Huff, Landing, Lastinger, Teeple, Guffey, McCabe, Gibson and Bowers: A BILL TO AMEND THE SOUTH CAROLINA CODE OF LAWS BY ENACTING THE "SOUTH CAROLINA STUDENT PHYSICAL PRIVACY ACT" BY ADDING ARTICLE 5 TO CHAPTER 23, TITLE 59 SO AS TO PROVIDE VARIOUS MEASURES TO PROMOTE AND ENSURE PRIVACY AMONG SEXES USING CERTAIN RESTROOMS AND CHANGING FACILITIES IN PUBLIC SCHOOLS AND PUBLIC INSTITUTIONS OF HIGHER LEARNING, AND TO PROVIDE PENALTIES FOR NONCOMPLIANCE, AMONG OTHER THINGS.
Rep. T. MOORE explained the Senate Amendments.
The yeas and nays were taken resulting as follows:
Those who voted in the affirmative are:
Atkinson Bailey Ballentine Bannister Beach Bowers Bradley Brewer Brittain Burns Bustos Calhoon Chapman Chumley Collins Cox Cromer Davis Duncan Edgerton Erickson Forrest Frank Gagnon Gibson Gilliam Gilreath Guest Guffey Hager Hardee Hartz Hayes Herbkersman Hewitt Hiott Hixon Holman Huff J. E. Johnson Jordan Kilmartin Landing Lastinger Lawson Ligon Long Lowe Magnuson Martin McCabe McCravy McGinnis C. Mitchell D. Mitchell T. Moore Morgan Moss B. Newton W. Newton Oremus Pace Pedalino Pope Rankin Robbins Sessions G. M. Smith M. M. Smith Taylor Teeple Terribile White Whitmire Wickensimer Willis Yow
Those who voted in the negative are:
Anderson Bamberg Bauer Bernstein Clyburn Cobb-Hunter Dillard Gilliard Govan Grant Hartnett Henderson-Myers Hosey Howard J. L. Johnson Jones King Kirby Luck McDaniel J. Moore Reese Rivers Rose Rutherford Scott Stavrinakis Waters Weeks Wetmore Williams
The Senate Amendments were agreed to, and the Bill having received three readings in both Houses, it was ordered that the title be changed to that of an Act, and that it be enrolled for ratification.
The Senate Amendments to the following Bill were taken up for consideration:
H. 3557 (Word version) -- Reps. B. Newton, Pedalino, Taylor, Guest, Crawford, Schuessler and Hixon: A BILL TO AMEND THE SOUTH CAROLINA CODE OF LAWS BY AMENDING SECTION 7-11-15, RELATING TO QUALIFICATIONS TO RUN AS A CANDIDATE IN GENERAL ELECTIONS, SO AS TO SHORTEN THE CANDIDATE FILING PERIOD, TO REQUIRE ALL CANDIDATES FROM EACH POLITICAL PARTY IN THIS STATE TO PAY A FILING FEE, AND TO AUTHORIZE POLITICAL PARTIES TO CHARGE A CERTIFICATION FEE TO ALL CANDIDATES; AND BY AMENDING SECTION 7-11-210, RELATING TO THE FILING OF PARTY PLEDGES BY CANDIDATES, SO AS TO CHANGE THE DATE BY WHICH A PARTY PLEDGE MUST BE FILED.
Rep. JORDAN explained the Senate Amendments.
The yeas and nays were taken resulting as follows:
Those who voted in the affirmative are:
Anderson Atkinson Bailey Ballentine Bamberg Bannister Bauer Bernstein Bowers Bradley Brewer Brittain Bustos Calhoon Caskey Chapman Clyburn Cobb-Hunter Collins Cox Davis Dillard Erickson Forrest Gagnon Gibson Gilliam Gilliard Govan Grant Guest Guffey Hager Hardee Hart Hartnett Hartz Hayes Henderson-Myers Herbkersman Hewitt Hiott Hixon Holman Hosey Howard J. E. Johnson Jones Jordan Kirby Landing Lawson Ligon Luck Martin McGinnis Montgomery J. Moore T. Moore Moss B. Newton W. Newton Oremus Pedalino Pope Rankin Reese Rivers Robbins Rose Rutherford Schuessler Scott Sessions G. M. Smith M. M. Smith Stavrinakis Taylor Teeple Waters Weeks Wetmore Wickensimer Williams Yow
Those who voted in the negative are:
Beach Burns Chumley Cromer Duncan Edgerton Frank Gilreath Huff Kilmartin Lastinger Long Magnuson McCravy C. Mitchell D. Mitchell Morgan Pace Terribile White Whitmire Willis
The Senate Amendments were agreed to, and the Bill having received three readings in both Houses, it was ordered that the title be changed to that of an Act, and that it be enrolled for ratification.
Rep. COBB-HUNTER moved that the House do now adjourn, which was agreed to.
The Senate returned to the House with concurrence the following: H. 5517 (Word version) -- Reps. McDaniel, Alexander, Anderson, Atkinson, Bailey, Ballentine, Bamberg, Bannister, Bauer, Beach, Bernstein, Bowers, Bradley, Brewer, Brittain, Burns, Bustos, Calhoon, Caskey, Chapman, Chumley, Clyburn, Cobb-Hunter, Collins, Cox, Crawford, Cromer, Davis, Dillard, Duncan, Edgerton, Erickson, Ford, Forrest, Frank, Gagnon, Garvin, Gatch, Gibson, Gilliam, Gilliard, Gilreath, Govan, Grant, Guest, Guffey, Haddon, Hager, Hardee, Harris, Hart, Hartnett, Hartz, Hayes, Henderson-Myers, Herbkersman, Hewitt, Hiott, Hixon, Holman, Hosey, Howard, Huff, J. E. Johnson, J. L. Johnson, Jones, Jordan, Kilmartin, King, Kirby, Landing, Lastinger, Lawson, Ligon, Long, Lowe, Luck, Magnuson, Martin, McCabe, McCravy, McGinnis, C. Mitchell, D. Mitchell, Montgomery, J. Moore, T. Moore, Morgan, Moss, Neese, B. Newton, W. Newton, Oremus, Pace, Pedalino, Pope, Rankin, Reese, Rivers, Robbins, Rose, Rutherford, Sanders, Schuessler, Scott, Sessions, G. M. Smith, M. M. Smith, Spann-Wilder, Stavrinakis, Taylor, Teeple, Terribile, Vaughan, Waters, Weeks, Wetmore, White, Whitmire, Wickensimer, Williams, Willis, Wooten and Yow: A CONCURRENT RESOLUTION TO RECOGNIZE AND HONOR STELLA GRACE BURROUGHS, A STUDENT AT THE FAIRFIELD MAGNET SCHOOL FOR MATH AND SCIENCE, AND TO CONGRATULATE HER FOR BEING THE STATE WINNER OF THE 2026 SOUTH CAROLINA CHILDREN'S BOOK CHALLENGE. H. 5518 (Word version) -- Reps. Pedalino, Alexander, Anderson, Atkinson, Bailey, Ballentine, Bamberg, Bannister, Bauer, Beach, Bernstein, Bowers, Bradley, Brewer, Brittain, Burns, Bustos, Calhoon, Caskey, Chapman, Chumley, Clyburn, Cobb-Hunter, Collins, Cox, Crawford, Cromer, Davis, Dillard, Duncan, Edgerton, Erickson, Ford, Forrest, Frank, Gagnon, Garvin, Gatch, Gibson, Gilliam, Gilliard, Gilreath, Govan, Grant, Guest, Guffey, Haddon, Hager, Hardee, Harris, Hart, Hartnett, Hartz, Hayes, Henderson-Myers, Herbkersman, Hewitt, Hiott, Hixon, Holman, Hosey, Howard, Huff, J. E. Johnson, J. L. Johnson, Jones, Jordan, Kilmartin, King, Kirby, Landing, Lastinger, Lawson, Ligon, Long, Lowe, Luck, Magnuson, Martin, McCabe, McCravy, McDaniel, McGinnis, C. Mitchell, D. Mitchell, Montgomery, J. Moore, T. Moore, Morgan, Moss, Neese, B. Newton, W. Newton, Oremus, Pace, Pope, Rankin, Reese, Rivers, Robbins, Rose, Rutherford, Sanders, Schuessler, Scott, Sessions, G. M. Smith, M. M. Smith, Spann-Wilder, Stavrinakis, Taylor, Teeple, Terribile, Vaughan, Waters, Weeks, Wetmore, White, Whitmire, Wickensimer, Williams, Willis, Wooten and Yow: A CONCURRENT RESOLUTION TO CONGRATULATE LAWSON CANNON, KNOWLTON CARTER, WAYDE INGRAM, AND RAYVON KERSEY, STUDENTS AT WALKER GAMBLE ELEMENTARY SCHOOL, ON WINNING THE 2026 CHILDREN'S BOOK CHALLENGE SPONSORED BY SANTEE ELECTRIC COOPERATIVE AND THE ELECTRIC COOPERATIVES OF SOUTH CAROLINA.
H. 5520 (Word version) -- Reps. Sanders, Huff, Alexander, Anderson, Atkinson, Bailey, Ballentine, Bamberg, Bannister, Bauer, Beach, Bernstein, Bowers, Bradley, Brewer, Brittain, Burns, Bustos, Calhoon, Caskey, Chapman, Chumley, Clyburn, Cobb-Hunter, Collins, Cox, Crawford, Cromer, Davis, Dillard, Duncan, Edgerton, Erickson, Ford, Forrest, Frank, Gagnon, Garvin, Gatch, Gibson, Gilliam, Gilliard, Gilreath, Govan, Grant, Guest, Guffey, Haddon, Hager, Hardee, Harris, Hart, Hartnett, Hartz, Hayes, Henderson-Myers, Herbkersman, Hewitt, Hiott, Hixon, Holman, Hosey, Howard, J. E. Johnson, J. L. Johnson, Jones, Jordan, Kilmartin, King, Kirby, Landing, Lastinger, Lawson, Ligon, Long, Lowe, Luck, Magnuson, Martin, McCabe, McCravy, McDaniel, McGinnis, C. Mitchell, D. Mitchell, Montgomery, J. Moore, T. Moore, Morgan, Moss, Neese, B. Newton, W. Newton, Oremus, Pace, Pedalino, Pope, Rankin, Reese, Rivers, Robbins, Rose, Rutherford, Schuessler, Scott, Sessions, G. M. Smith, M. M. Smith, Spann-Wilder, Stavrinakis, Taylor, Teeple, Terribile, Vaughan, Waters, Weeks, Wetmore, White, Whitmire, Wickensimer, Williams, Willis, Wooten and Yow: A CONCURRENT RESOLUTION TO COMMEND PALMETTO MIDDLE SCHOOL FOR ITS INSTITUTION OF "YOU MATTER DAY" IN MEMORY OF AUSTIN SMITH, A FORMER SEVENTH GRADE STUDENT AT PALMETTO MIDDLE, IN ORDER TO RAISE SUICIDE AWARENESS AMONG STUDENTS AND ASSURE THEM THAT THEIR LIVES MATTER IN THIS WORLD. H. 5470 (Word version) -- Reps. Whitmire, King, McGinnis and Rose: A CONCURRENT RESOLUTION TO FIX WEDNESDAY, APRIL 15, 2026, IMMEDIATELY FOLLOWING THE STATE OF THE JUDICIARY ADDRESS TO BE DELIVERED BY THE CHIEF JUSTICE IN JOINT ASSEMBLY IN THE HALL OF THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES, AS THE TIME FOR THE SENATE AND HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES TO MEET IN JOINT ASSEMBLY FOR THE PURPOSE OF ELECTING ONE MEMBER TO THE BOARD OF VISITORS FOR THE CITADEL, TO FILL THE TERM OF THE AT-LARGE MEMBER THAT EXPIRED JUNE 30, 2023, FOR THE REMAINDER OF A NEW TERM THAT WILL EXPIRE JUNE 30, 2029; FOR THE PURPOSE OF ELECTING MEMBERS TO THE BOARD OF TRUSTEES OF COASTAL CAROLINA UNIVERSITY TO FILL THE TERM OF THE MEMBER FOR THE FIRST CONGRESSIONAL DISTRICT, SEAT 1, THAT EXPIRED JUNE 30, 2023, FOR THE REMAINDER OF A NEW TERM THAT WILL EXPIRE JUNE 30, 2027, TO FILL THE TERM OF THE MEMBER FOR THE THIRD CONGRESSIONAL DISTRICT, SEAT 3, THAT EXPIRED JUNE 30, 2023, FOR THE REMAINDER OF A NEW TERM THAT WILL EXPIRE JUNE 30, 2027, TO FILL THE TERM OF THE MEMBER FOR THE FOURTH CONGRESSIONAL DISTRICT, SEAT 4, THAT EXPIRED JUNE 30, 2025, FOR THE REMAINDER OF A NEW TERM THAT WILL EXPIRE JUNE 30, 2029, TO FILL THE TERM OF THE MEMBER FOR THE FIFTH CONGRESSIONAL DISTRICT, SEAT 5, THAT EXPIRED JUNE 30, 2023, FOR THE REMAINDER OF A NEW TERM THAT WILL EXPIRE JUNE 30, 2027, TO FILL THE TERM OF THE MEMBER FOR THE SEVENTH CONGRESSIONAL DISTRICT, SEAT 7, THAT EXPIRED JUNE 30, 2023, FOR THE REMAINDER OF A NEW TERM THAT WILL EXPIRE JUNE 30, 2027, TO FILL THE TERM OF THE MEMBER FOR THE AT-LARGE SEAT 8, THAT EXPIRED JUNE 30, 2025, FOR THE REMAINDER OF A NEW TERM THAT WILL EXPIRE JUNE 30, 2029, TO FILL THE TERM OF THE MEMBER FOR THE AT-LARGE SEAT 9, THAT EXPIRED JUNE 30, 2023, FOR THE REMAINDER OF A NEW TERM THAT WILL EXPIRE JUNE 30, 2027, TO FILL THE TERM OF THE MEMBER FOR THE AT-LARGE SEAT 10, THAT EXPIRED JUNE 30, 2025, FOR THE REMAINDER OF A NEW TERM THAT WILL EXPIRE JUNE 30, 2029, TO FILL THE TERM OF THE MEMBER FOR THE AT-LARGE SEAT 11, THAT EXPIRED JUNE 30, 2023, FOR THE REMAINDER OF A NEW TERM THAT WILL EXPIRE JUNE 30, 2027, TO FILL THE TERM OF THE MEMBER FOR THE AT-LARGE SEAT 12, THAT EXPIRED JUNE 30, 2025, FOR THE REMAINDER OF A NEW TERM THAT WILL EXPIRE JUNE 30, 2029, TO FILL THE TERM OF THE MEMBER FOR THE AT-LARGE SEAT 13, THAT EXPIRED JUNE 30, 2023, FOR THE REMAINDER OF A NEW TERM THAT WILL EXPIRE JUNE 30, 2027, TO FILL THE TERM OF THE MEMBER FOR THE AT-LARGE SEAT 14, THAT EXPIRED JUNE 30, 2025, FOR THE REMAINDER OF A NEW TERM THAT WILL EXPIRE JUNE 30, 2029, AND TO FILL THE TERM OF THE MEMBER FOR THE AT-LARGE SEAT 15, THAT EXPIRED JUNE 30, 2023, FOR THE REMAINDER OF A NEW TERM THAT WILL EXPIRE JUNE 30, 2027; FOR THE PURPOSE OF ELECTING MEMBERS TO THE BOARD OF TRUSTEES OF LANDER UNIVERSITY, TO FILL THE TERM OF THE MEMBER FOR THE FIFTH CONGRESSIONAL DISTRICT, SEAT 5, THAT EXPIRED JUNE 30, 2024, FOR THE REMAINDER OF A NEW TERM THAT WILL EXPIRE JUNE 30, 2028, TO FILL THE TERM OF THE MEMBER FOR THE AT-LARGE SEAT 12, FOR A TERM THAT WILL EXPIRE JUNE 30, 2026, TO FILL THE TERM OF THE MEMBER FOR THE AT-LARGE SEAT 15, FOR A TERM THAT WILL EXPIRE JUNE 30, 2026; FOR THE PURPOSE OF ELECTING MEMBERS TO THE BOARD OF TRUSTEES OF THE MEDICAL UNIVERSITY OF SOUTH CAROLINA TO FILL THE TERM OF THE MEMBER FOR THE SECOND CONGRESSIONAL DISTRICT, LAY MEMBER, THAT EXPIRED JUNE 30, 2024, FOR THE REMAINDER OF A NEW TERM THAT WILL EXPIRE JUNE 30, 2028; FOR THE PURPOSE OF ELECTING MEMBERS TO THE BOARD OF TRUSTEES OF SOUTH CAROLINA STATE UNIVERSITY TO FILL THE TERM OF THE MEMBER FOR THE AT-LARGE SEAT 12, THAT EXPIRED JUNE 30, 2024, FOR THE REMAINDER OF A NEW TERM THAT WILL EXPIRE JUNE 30, 2028; FOR THE PURPOSE OF ELECTING MEMBERS TO THE BOARD OF TRUSTEES OF THE UNIVERSITY OF SOUTH CAROLINA TO FILL THE TERM OF THE MEMBER FOR THE SECOND JUDICIAL CIRCUIT FOR A TERM THAT WILL EXPIRE JUNE 30, 2028, TO FILL THE TERM OF THE MEMBER FOR THE FOURTH JUDICIAL CIRCUIT, THAT EXPIRED JUNE 30, 2024, FOR THE REMAINDER OF A NEW TERM THAT WILL EXPIRE JUNE 30, 2028, TO FILL THE TERM OF THE MEMBER FOR THE TWELFTH JUDICIAL CIRCUIT FOR A TERM THAT WILL EXPIRE JUNE 30, 2026, AND TO FILL THE TERM OF THE MEMBER FOR THE FIFTEENTH JUDICIAL CIRCUIT, THAT EXPIRED JUNE 30, 2024, FOR THE REMAINDER OF A NEW TERM THAT WILL EXPIRE JUNE 30, 2028; FOR THE PURPOSE OF ELECTING MEMBERS TO THE BOARD OF TRUSTEES OF WINTHROP UNIVERSITY TO FILL THE TERM OF THE MEMBER FOR THE SEVENTH CONGRESSIONAL DISTRICT, SEAT 7, THAT EXPIRED JUNE 30, 2024, FOR THE REMAINDER OF A NEW TERM THAT EXPIRES JUNE 30, 2030, AND TO FILL THE TERM OF THE MEMBER FOR THE AT-LARGE SEAT 10, FOR A TERM THAT WILL EXPIRE JUNE 30, 2027; AND FOR THE PURPOSE OF ELECTING THREE AT-LARGE MEMBERS TO THE BOARD OF TRUSTEES FOR THE WIL LOU GRAY OPPORTUNITY SCHOOL THAT EXPIRED JUNE 30, 2023, FOR THE REMAINDER OF NEW TERMS THAT WILL EXPIRE JUNE 30, 2027.
At 2:10 p.m. the House, in accordance with the motion of Rep. C. MITCHELL, adjourned in memory of Reverend Charles Heyward McLendon, Sr., to meet at 10:00 a.m. tomorrow.
This web page was last updated on Wednesday, April 15, 2026 at 7:31 P.M.