By Jack O’Toole
StatehouseReport.com
South Carolina legislators prefile hundreds of bills every year ahead of the January session.
Some are serious bills, filed by serious legislators with serious plans to get them passed. Others are the political equivalent of a Hail Mary in football – thrown up with more hope than confidence. And a few are pure “message bills,” offered to get attention or make a point, but with no hope of even getting a committee hearing.
Here are a few of each kind that have caught the City Paper’s eye heading into 2025.
Bills with popular support
Several bills currently have popular support or are new ideas on major issues that may get serious consideration during the 2025 session, including:
School vouchers (S. 62): After seeing two private school voucher plans struck down in the S.C. Supreme Court due to the state constitution’s prohibition against using public funds to benefit private schools, supporters are now proposing to use state lottery dollars to fund the program. Under the bill, families making up to $187,000 would be eligible. Primary sponsor: Sen. Greg Hembree, R-Horry.
Raise teacher pay (S. 30): Higher teacher salaries are a bipartisan priority heading into the next session, with the S.C. Education Department already requesting a new $50,000 minimum, up from $47,000 this year. Going even further, and more of a stretch, is S. 30, which would require teachers “to be paid the average national teacher salary instead of the Southeastern average.” The national average is currently $71,699. Primary sponsor: Sen. Karl Allen, D-Greenville.
Hate crimes (H. 3039): Named the “Sen. Clementa C. Pinckney Hate Crimes Act” in remembrance of the nine parishioners lost in the hate-fueled massacre at Emanuel AME Church in Charleston in 2015, the law would stiffen penalties for crimes motivated by racial, religious or other animus. Previous versions of the bill have passed the House in each of the last two sessions before dying in the Senate without a vote. South Carolina and Wyoming are currently the only states without a hate crimes law on the books. Primary sponsor: Rep. Wendell Gilliard, D-Charleston.
Nuclear restart (S. 51): The 2017 collapse of the V.C. Summer nuclear power project sent several utility officials to prison and left ratepayers on the hook for $9 billion. After a state panel determined earlier this year that the project could in theory be restarted to allow the state to generate much-needed power, this bill would direct state-owned utility Santee Cooper to invite proposals from private companies to complete the project using non-public funds. Primary sponsor: Sen. Tom Davis, R-Beaufort.
Diversity, equity and inclusion ban (H. 3184): With university DEI departments under fire across the country, this legislation would restrict DEI initiatives in state institutions of higher education. The ban would include mandatory DEI training, DEI statements and the consideration of diversity issues in admissions and employment decisions. Primary sponsor: Rep. Josiah Magnuson, R-Spartanburg.
Tax-free baby formula (S. 14): Under current law, South Carolina exempts several categories of goods and services, including unprepared food and prescription medicines, from the state’s 6% sales tax. Under this bill, which already has two Republican cosponsors, baby formula and baby food would be added to the list. Primary sponsor: Sen. Brad Hutto, D-Orangeburg.
Potentially tougher paths
The following proposals, while popular among factions of lawmakers who tend to be on the ends of political spectrums, may face steeper uphill climbs for passage in the coming year.
Death penalty for abortion (H. 3537): Under current law, abortions are banned in South Carolina after six weeks, with limited exceptions for rape, incest and the life of the mother. This bill would effectively ban the procedure by establishing that life begins at conception and bringing abortion under the state’s homicide statutes, which allow the death penalty for murder. Primary sponsor: Rep. Robert Harris, R-Spartanburg.
No income tax up to $1M (H. 3498): House leaders have said that income tax cuts will be a major focus in 2025, with a goal of getting rates below the Southeastern average. The most ambitious legislation filed to date is H. 3498, which would set the tax bracket on all income up to $1 million at 0%. Primary sponsor: Rep. Jordan Pace, R-Berkeley.
Medical marijuana for veterans with PTSD (H. 3018): After failing to get medical marijuana legislation over the finish line in the last two sessions, supporters will try again next year with a limited initiative to OK the use of marijuana by U.S. military veterans suffering from post traumatic stress disorder (PTSD). Under the bill, vets with a combat-related diagnosis of PTSD and an honorable discharge would be allowed to possess up to one ounce of marijuana or 10 grams of hashish. Primary sponsor: Rep. Todd Rutherford, D-Richland.
A voter referendum on Medicaid expansion (H. 3377): Facing seemingly implacable opposition from Gov. Henry McMaster and GOP supermajorities in both chambers of the legislature, Democratic supporters of Medicaid expansion are now proposing to let the voters have their say directly in a non-binding advisory referendum. South Carolina is one of 10 states that has not expanded Medicaid under the Affordable Care Act, leaving more than 350,000 otherwise eligible residents without coverage. Primary sponsor: Rep. Kambrell Garvin, D-Richland.
No gender changes on birth certificates (H. 3095): With youth gender-dysphoria treatment bans such as the one passed in S.C. last year under active review in the U.S. Supreme Court, S.C. Sen. Majority Leader Shane Massey, R-Edgefield, has said that further transgender legislation is unlikely to be a priority. Nevertheless, this House bill would prohibit gender changes on state-issued birth certificates. Primary sponsor: Rep. Steven Long, R-Spartanburg.
Sports betting (H. 3625): Despite almost $300,000 in lobbying support from major industry players like the Sports Betting Alliance, a bill to legalize mobile phone-based sports gambling in the Palmetto State died late in the 2024 session. Supporters of proposed legislation note that North Carolina has brought in about $100 million in sports gambling tax revenues since instituting it nine months ago. Opponents point to studies showing that severe problem gambling rates rise dramatically after such laws are passed. Primary sponsor: Rep. Chris Murphy, R-Dorchester.
Published in coordination with StatehouseReport.com with assistance from the S.C. Institute for Independent Journalism.
