It's Friday, May 1.
That wraps Week 16 of the South Carolina legislative session.
There are two weeks and six days left until the clock strikes 5'clock on Thursday, May 14, otherwise known to all as sine die.
Who's counting? We all are.
You're reading The State House Gavel, your daily reporter notebook by Maayan Schechter and Gavin Jackson that previews and captures what goes on at the South Carolina Statehouse.
TWISC: Tonight’s episode of "This Week in South Carolina" continues host Gavin Jackson's series of interviews with candidates running for governor, with tonight's episode focused on Republican Attorney General Alan Wilson. And Jackson speaks with newly confirmed State Elections Commission Executive Director Conway Belangia about the agency's agreement with the Department of Justice over voter data and the upcoming primaries. You can watch that episode at 7:30 p.m. tonight on SCETV.
Notebook highlights:
- With two weeks left, what legislative highlights the House and Senate pushed through and what's on the docket for Week 17
- Some Republican lawmakers push to strip funding for historically Black university after Lt. Gov. Pamela Evette disinvited from speaking
- Despite national push, legislative leaders reemphasize stance on mid-decade redistricting
- The sine die question: will there be a resolution?
House amends, passes Senate's DUI bill
Looking to toughen South Carolina's laws over driving under the influence, the House joined the Senate on Thursday by passing S. 52, sponsored by Beaufort Republican Sen. Tom Davis.
The unanimous 108-0 vote pushes the bill back to the upper chamber, which will have to decide whether to revert the bill back to its original writing, endorse the House-made changes, or, the more likely scenario, send the bill to a conference committee for both chambers to negotiate differences.
The expansive legislation covers new DUI penalties, interlock devices, license suspension, and blood samples.
Attorney and Rep. Robby Robbins, a Dorchester Republican and former solicitor who presented the bill to the House Thursday, said there are three main areas changed from the Senate version in the more than 40-page bill.
The changes deal with the ignition interlock device and when it's required, the videotaping statute and where blood draws can be done — the latter which may become the biggest point of contention between the two legislative bodies.
"The current law says licensed medical facility (for blood draws), and we stuck with that," Robbins told us, saying facilities could include hospitals, urgent cares or facilities that do testing, like LabCorp.
For blood draws, the House also changed language in the bill from the Senate's "reasonable suspicion" to "probable cause."
But a main question around the bill is will it solve the state's DUI problems, and ultimately curb anyone from being intoxicated getting behind the wheel?
Robbins, like other lawmakers who've endorsed the legislation, say they're hopeful. But they also say that this legislation, at least for Robbins, needs to be accompanied by a more serious conversation around alcohol education and a boost in law enforcement activity throughout the state to catch intoxicated drivers.
"I think it's going to help, no question about it," Robbins said. "It's going to help law enforcement, because they now have a clearer road map for what they need to do, and we're not hamstringing them in any way on how to do their job. And they can do their job. And if they do it properly, they'll get a conviction. And if they (the drivers) get convicted, we're going to make them get some treatment, go without a license for a while, drive with an interlock (device). ... We're trying to get the message across. Hopefully it will work."
What else did the legislature pass this week?
- The House in an 87-7 vote passed H. 4641, sponsored by Rep. Tommy Pope, R-York, which regulates kratom by classifying it as a Schedule I controlled substance. Kratom can have similar effects to opioids and stimulants, and it can come in organic and synthetic forms, the latter of which the bill seeks to outlaw.
- The House also in a 91-13 passed H. 5504, sponsored by Rep. Heather Crawford, R-Horry, that would prohibit public colleges and universities from soliciting or accepting gifts or travel from known foreign adversaries or foreign terrorist organizations.
- The Senate voted to reject House changes made to S. 831, legislation sponsored by the chamber's Transportation Chairman Larry Grooms, R-Berkeley, which largely seeks to modernize state DOT operations, fix congestion and speed up infrastructure work. Grooms and Sen. Sean Bennett, R-Dorchester, and Sen. Overture Walker, D-Richland, were named as Senate conferees. The Senate also refused to concur with House-made changes to consumable hemp/THC drink legislation, H. 3924, sponsored by Rep. Chris Wooten, R-Lexington. Senate Majority Leader Shane Massey, R-Edgefield, Sen. Michael Johnson, R-York, and Sen. Russell Ott, D-Calhoun, will be the Senate's negotiators.
- In a 40-2 vote, the Senate passed H. 5168, sponsored by Rep. Cody Mitchell, R-Darlington, which would add Patrick Davis's song "Carolina When I Die" to the list of state songs.
- In a 42-0 vote, the Senate amended and passed H. 4248, sponsored by Rep. Bill Herbkersman, R-Beaufort, which aims to more clearly communicate whether shrimp is harvested locally or from outside of South Carolina.
- The Senate further amended and passed H. 4270, sponsored by Rep. Carla Schuessler, R-Horry, which allows for the removal of certain eviction records and filings in a certain timeframe.
What's on the docket next week?
- The House plans, at this time, to focus on three main bills: Known as "H2," the lower chamber will get another crack at the budget that originated from the lower chamber. House leaders also said they're expected to debate legislation that would permit the over-the-counter sale of ivermectin (H. 4042) and legislation (S. 508) to further expand the Heritage Act, a 2000 law that prohibits the removal, disturbance, alteration or relocation of certain monuments and memorials
- The Senate will continue working through its calendar, with a potential expected concentration in part on a regulatory bill (H. 3021) sponsored by House Speaker Murrell Smith, a top priority for the Sumter Republican. Senate GOP Leader Massey said he expected some bills to take the priority slot on the calendar.
Some GOP lawmakers focus on SC State budget over Evette
A handful of Republican House legislators on Thursday sent a letter to the Ways and Means chairman calling on the chamber to strike money set aside for South Carolina State University in the budget that will be debated by the House next week.
Nine members, none of whom hold leadership positions in the lower chamber, sent the request to budget Chairman Bruce Bannister, R-Greenville, and is the latest in the continuing saga after the university rescinded an invitation for Lt. Gov. Pamela Evette, a Republican candidate for governor, to give the school's commencement address following student protests.
"There is no reason why state tax dollars should continue to fund a state institution where not all South Carolinians are welcome," their letter states. "If the Lt. Governor of South Carolina is unwelcome due to different political ideologies and an inability to keep her safe, it is time to defund and reevaluate."
Next week, the House will get to amend the $15 billion state spending plan passed by the Senate last week.
In this year's budget, the state's four-year historically Black university received more than $921,000 for tuition mitigation in the revised Senate plan, plus hundreds of thousands, or in some cases millions more, for police department and security upgrades, community engagement and replacement of an convocation and academic center.
The student-led protests started earlier this week, sparking a response from Evette in which she referred to the protesters as "woke mobs" who were "coming after me for being a champion of eliminating radical DEI (diversity, equity and inclusion) scams on college campuses."
"To say a speech that I would deliver about hard work, about being the best you can be, about having big dreams, and about the importance of family as a support would be a bad thing — that is inherently wrong," Evette told a group of reporters Thursday at the Statehouse. "And it's going to stop, because, when I'm the next governor of South Carolina, I will make sure that any state funds that go to school allow all kinds of perspectives to be talked about and nobody will ever be disinvited because of safety concerns."
Evette refuted claims she picked a fight with student protesters. She also defended her use of the word "mob" to describe them.
And while Evette certainly had her defenders within the Statehouse, the Senate's GOP leader, who noted Evette was a good choice for a graduation speaker, said her response could have been better.
"I was disappointed in the protests, but I think you expect that from college students," Senate Majority Leader Massey, who has not formally endorsed in the 2026 race, told reporters Thursday. "I think you also expect gubernatorial nominees to act gubernatorial. And the response, in my mind, was not very gubernatorial."
Asked whether he supported calls to strip the university of funding in response, Massey said, "no."
"We're talking about whether they can invite this person to be a graduation speaker or not," he added. "There shouldn't be a financial penalty for that."
Evette said she received the invitation to speak in December.
The S.C. State board met Thursday, in which board Chair Douglas Gantt defended the decision to invite her.
The university's president "did not deserve the ridicule because he’s only asked to do what the chairman is asking him to do,” Gantt said, reported by WIS. “And that is walking into rooms to help us get funding. Not just for the kids now, but for the kids who are to come later. That’s the whole purpose of having this role."
You can hear Evette's full remarks to reporters below:
GOP leaders stick by congressional map
We reported this week that, for now, Republican legislative leaders have shown no interest or talked plans to redraw South Carolina's congressional map this year, even in the wake of the U.S. Supreme Court's 6-3 ruling over Louisiana's map.
That sentiment was further cemented on Thursday, when Massey said his position has not changed over whether to redraw the map currently broken down by six Republican-leaning seats and one Democratic-leaning seat.
"And that is, I think we need to be careful about this because in an effort to go to 7-0, we very well could go to 5-2, because the the population in South Carolina, the breakdowns are not what a lot of people would expect it to be about how easy it is just to draw seven congressional districts," Massey told us. "That's not easy at all. In fact, I think you risk losing a Republican if you try to get too cute with it."
There are other factors weighing, including:
- South Carolina's statewide primary elections are fewer than 40 days away on June 9. Early voting starts next month
- Though critics argue they are one in the same, South Carolina's congressional map has been upheld by the U.S. Supreme Court as done by way of a "partisan gerrymander," rather than a "racial gerrymander" — what the six conservative justices set their Louisiana ruling on. The state Supreme Court has also upheld South Carolina's map
And in a state boasting more than 5 million residents already — estimates put South Carolina's population at 6.6 million by 2040 — South Carolina could very well need to amend the map further in years to come.
"In fact, if you do it (redraw the map) in '28, that litigation is probably not going to be done before you have to redraw again," Massey said. "... I understand there are a lot of folks, especially on the right, who want to try to be more aggressive, especially in response to Virginia. I would caution us to be very careful about that because we're at 6-1. It would be much easier to be 5-2 than it would be to 7-0. And I think that's just the reality."
We've heard similar remarks from House GOP leadership and Gov. Henry McMaster — all who have defended the current map.
House Majority Leader Davey Hiott, R-Pickens, told reporters the lower chamber wouldn’t redraw the map this year, The State reported.
As of Friday morning, McMaster had not weighed in on the court's decision and where he thinks the state should go now.
The search for sine die
Will there be a sine die agreement that outlines what the legislature can return post-May 14 to take up without having the governor call them back to Columbia?
Though a sine die resolution has not cleared the full legislature, lawmakers are working to pass a continuing resolution that will let budget operations continue should no spending plan be ready by July 1 and a standalone bill that would solely center on giving the General Assembly flexibility to meet on the budget without a sine die agreement in place.
The last time the state operated on a continuing resolution was back in 2020 amid the COVID-19 pandemic.
The sine die resolution has already passed the Senate, which passed a so-called "clean" version, limiting post-May 14 work to issues such as the budget, conference committees, appointments and gubernatorial vetoes.
We asked House Speaker Murrell Smith, R-Sumter, what's the hold up Thursday.
"I think there's a possibility we have a sine die resolution," Smith told us, adding "we'll look at that next week, and see whether we'll move that forward."
"To me, it's an institutional process," he added.
Historically, Smith said, the legislature has preferred to call itself back, rather than leave the option to the governor.
So, why is it so hard to move?
It's an election year, Smith noted.
Hear more from Smith below:
Statehouse clips from around the state
- Concerts at The Citadel's Johnson Hagood Stadium may be blocked after Statehouse bill gets killed (Post and Courier)
- SC could change how car insurance covers repairs when a rock cracks a driver’s windshield (SC Daily Gazette)
- Why Supreme Court map ruling won’t lead to new congressional districts for SC (The State)
- SC candidates for attorney general let barbs fly in bitter debate with Goldfinch, Pascoe and Stumbo (Post and Courier)
- 40 days to primaries — Evette, Wilson, & Johnson vie for votes at Columbia Chamber forum (WOLO)
- Senators approve requiring shrimp advertised as local to come from SC’s shores (SC Daily Gazette)
- SC State removes non-voting faculty, student representatives from university board (Post and Courier)
- Mark Sanford quits latest bid for Congress and says he’ll set up a debt-focused nonprofit instead (AP)
- How a SC animal cruelty bill divulged into a push for an abortion bill (Greenville News)
- SC federal judge nominee Sheria Clarke heads to US Senate (The State)
