The House of Representatives and Senate met in regular session this week working through bills on the calendar. There is one week left in the second year of the 2025 – 2026 legislative session with adjournment by 5 p.m. on Thursday, May 14.
The Senate passed an adjournment resolution, S883, allowing the Senate and the House to return to Columbia after May 14 to handle specific issues. The House passed the resolution on Wednesday after adopting an amendment including redrawing the seven congressional districts in the list of issues that the General Assembly can take up after sine die adjournment. The resolution is back in the Senate for debate.
Election bill including municipal elections enrolled for ratification
H3556, a bill that requires the state executive committee of a political party to hear primary protests, was amended by the House to include language on municipal elections, municipal election commissions and municipal partisan elections. The amendments include these points:
- Municipal elections are to take place on the first Tuesday after the first Monday in either April or November of odd-numbered years. Municipalities that currently hold elections on the first Tuesday after the first Monday in April or November of even-numbered years will be allowed to keep their election dates in place.
- The amendments give guidance on the expiration of unexpired four-year terms of a mayor or member of council.
- The executive committee shall hear an election protest or contest within two weeks of the deadline for filing the protest or contest.
- Nomination of candidates for municipal offices may take place by party primary, party convention or by petition only in those municipalities with populations of fewer than 39,000.
- A municipality with a population over 39,000 that uses partisan elections must, by April 1, 2027, adopt by ordinance a nonpartisan method of nominating candidates prescribed in SC Code Sections 5-15-61, 5-15-62 or 5-15-63.
- A municipal election commission may only be established for municipalities with a population of 10,000 or more.
- Elections for municipalities with a population of fewer than 10,000 must be conducted and certified by the county boards of voter registration and elections.
The Senate concurred, or agreed, to the House amendments enrolling the bill for ratification and sending the bill to the governor’s desk for signature or veto. For questions about this bill, mailto:ewright@masc.sccontact Webster Hall (whall@masc.sc) at 803.933.1232.
State budget
The House of Representatives amended the Senate version of the budget back to its version also adding several new amendments. The Senate insisted on its version of the budget, which places the bill in a conference committee to work out the differences.
The budget conferees are Sens. Harvey Peeler (R-Cherokee), Brad Hutto (D-Orangeburg) and Tom Davis (R-Beaufort); and Reps. Bruce Bannister (R-Greenville), David Hiott (R-Pickens) and Jackie Hayes (D-Dillon). The budget conference committee has not met yet. For questions about the budget, contact Daina Phillips (dphillips@masc.sc) at 803.933.1203.
Bill updates
H5006, a bill that would exempt $10,000 from business personal property taxes for small businesses, unanimously passed the House of Representatives. In the Senate, senators amended the bill with language from S768, the homestead exemption increase, and S125, which corrects a property tax loophole in current law. The bill is now in the House of Representatives for further amendments or adoption.
S831, the SC Department of Transportation modernization bill, was amended by the House of Representatives and returned to the Senate. The Senate did not agree with the House amendments sending the bill to a conference committee. Sens. Larry Grooms (R-Berkeley), Sean Bennett (R-Dorchester) and Overture Walker (R-Richland); and Reps. Bruce Bannister (R-Greenville), Shannon Erickson (R-Beaufort) and Gary Brewer (R-Charleston) are the conference committee members. The committee has not met yet.
S508, the bill that prohibits local governments from relocating, removing, disturbing or altering historic monuments or memorials erected on public property, was passed by the Senate. The House of Representatives gave the bill second reading on Thursday after an extended debate.
S420, the local government investment bill, was given a favorable report by the House Ways and Means Committee on Wednesday. The committee amended the bill at the request of the SC Treasurer’s Office. The amendment requires investments that are rated investment grade by certain rating organizations. The amendment also prohibits the co-mingling of investment funds with other funds of the municipality. The bill is now on the House calendar for debate by the House of Representatives.
S227, the concurrency bill, remains on the Senate’s contested calendar. The bill’s sponsor, Sen. Tom Davis (R-Beaufort) began conversations on the floor of the Senate on an amendment to the bill but the bill was later contested and no action was taken.
H4764, the bill that would require municipalities and counties to enforce federal immigration laws, was given a third and final reading by the House of Representatives and sent to the Senate Judiciary Committee for debate. The Municipal Association worked with the sponsor of the bill to provide an option for cities and towns to be excused from this mandate if compliance would cause a fiscal or administrative burden. This language was amended on the House floor during debate to require the Attorney General’s Office to determine whether a municipality’s fiscal or administrative burden is sufficient to allow the excusal. This bill is now in the Senate Judiciary Committee.
S768, an increase in the property tax homestead exemption to $150,000 for South Carolina resident homeowners 65 years old and older, was passed by the Senate and sent to the House for debate. This bill includes a local government reimbursement with the increase in the exemption for local governments. The bill is currently in the House Ways and Means Committee. A version of this bill was added to the annual appropriations bill via proviso by the Senate. The bill was also added to H5006.
H5113 would prohibit local governments from preventing the continuance of legal nonconforming use of property when a preexisting manufactured home or mobile home is replaced with a new manufactured home or mobile home. This bill was passed by the House and amended and received second reading on the Senate floor on Thursday. The amendments included language from H4246 relating to Residential Improvement Districts’ authority to exercise powers. The amendments also included a requirement that the landowner consent to the replacement of the mobile home and the amendments further provide for reasons why a replacement may not be allowed — particularly where it would violate certain state federal or local laws or regulations.
From the Dome to Your Home podcast
Don’t forget to listen to the From the Dome to Your Home podcast every Friday for a recap of the week’s legislative issues and a look to the week ahead at the State House.
Senate Transportation subcommittee
H4679 – Enacts the South Carolina Drone Regulation and Public Safety Act – favorable report. On Wednesday, the bill was recalled from the Senate Transportation Committee and on Thursday the bill was amended on the floor and given second reading. The amendments altered definitions, penalties, and changed restrictions.
Summary of the bill as introduced: Establishes guidelines for drone operations and penalties for unlawful drone use.
House Education and Public Works Higher Education subcommittee
S832 – University campus zoning for events – favorable report. An hour later, the full House Education and Public Works Committee gave the bill a favorable report. This bill is now on the House contested calendar.
Summary of the bill as introduced: Prohibits a county or municipality from restricting, delaying, prohibiting or requiring land use approval for events held on the campus of a state-supported institution of higher learning based on zoning ordinances or land use classifications.
House Education and Public Works Committee
H3851 – Sunscreen devices in vehicles – favorable report
Summary of the bill introduced: Excludes law enforcement vehicles from the medical requirements for installing sunscreen devices.
Senate Judiciary subcommittee
H4151 – Changes the definition of a juvenile – carried over
Summary of the bill as introduced: Adds to the exclusions to the definition of a child or juvenile for the purposes of the Juvenile Justice Code.
Senate Finance Committee
H3551 – Compensation paid to managers of clerks of elections – favorable report
Summary of the bill as introduced: Clarifies that earnable compensation as it relates to the SC Retirement System does not include certain amounts paid to managers and clerks of elections.
H5093 – Gross proceeds of sales – favorable report
Summary of the bill as introduced: Excludes the amounts of gross proceeds of sales paid by state and local governments for the emergency services IP network
H3841 – Property tax designations – favorable report
Summary of the bill as introduced: Allows the 4% property tax assessment ratio to continue at 4% after the owner dies.
H3876 – Accommodations taxes – favorable report as amended. The amendment allows the property owner to choose who is the merchant of record. The amendment also requires cities and towns to provide several data points to the SC Department of Revenue. There are three objections to this bill on the Senate calendar.
Summary of the bill as introduced: Adds the position of accommodations intermediary to facilitate the rental of accommodations.
House Judiciary Committee
S829 – Joint water and sewer system governance – favorable report
Summary of the bill as introduced: Changes the process of membership in a joint system with procedures for commissioner appointment when a new member is added to a joint system.
S399 – Public transportation trespassing – favorable report
Summary of the bill as introduced: Charges someone with a misdemeanor in municipal court for entering a transportation facility after being warned not to enter the facility by the transportation director.
House Labor, Commerce and Industry Real Estate subcommittee
H3546 – Delinquent and unpaid utility bill balances – the subcommittee took testimony but did not take action on the bill.
Summary of the bill as introduced: Prohibits a public utility that supplies electricity or natural gas from transferring or applying a delinquent, late, overdue or unpaid balance from one account to another account.
House Ways and Means Revenue Policy subcommittee
S436 – Property tax on aircraft – favorable report. Later in the day, the full House Ways and Means Committee gave this bill a favorable report.
Summary of the bill as introduced: Adds a property tax exemption for a portion of the value of an aircraft of an airline company.