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The State House Gavel

The State House Gavel shares updates about the South Carolina General Assembly, including legislative actions, debates and discussions. Featuring news and interviews, so you have access to the latest developments in policy and decisions that shape South Carolina’s future.

The State House Gavel: Speaker says no action on treasurer this session

South Carolina Public Radio | By Maayan Schechter,

Russ McKinney, Gavin Jackson

Published April 30, 2025 at 6:01 AM EDT

Statehouse reporters Gavin Jackson, Russ McKinney and Maayan Schechter are back at the Capitol reporting what you need to know when lawmakers are in Columbia. They'll post news, important schedules, photos/videos and behind-the-scenes interviews with policymakers.

Welcome to Wednesday.

There are five days remaining on the Statehouse calendar.

We'll break down where we're at in the legislative session.

First, a couple of notable mentions.

Vice President JD Vance is headed to the Lowcountry.

Vance will tour the Nucor Steel plant in Berkeley County Thursday with Environmental Protection Agency Administrator Lee Zeldin.
The White House said Vance and Zeldin will deliver remarks at the Huger plant, highlighting "America's manufacturing renaissance" during the first 100 days of the Trump administration. Details are still forthcoming.
It's Vance's first visit to South Carolina as vice president.
The trip comes as the White House has softened automotive tariffs on automakers so they won’t also be charged for other tariffs, like those on steel and aluminum, The Wall Street Journal reported.

And former Sen. Dick Harpootlian is penning his first book.

The former Midlands-area solicitor announced he and New York Times bestselling author Shaun Assael are releasing a true crime thriller, "Dig Me a Grave," a book about the notorious South Carolina serial killer Pee Wee Gaskins.

"Using exclusive files never before made public, Harpootlian offers a chilling look at Donald 'Pee Wee' Gaskins, who transfixed the nation as the Charles Manson of the South," the release said. "He brings the reader deeply inside Gaskins’ world as a crime boss, cult leader, sexual predator, and ultimately, a backwoods killer who kept a private graveyard in the swamps of South Carolina. As brazen as he was depraved, Gaskins even attempted to kidnap Harpootlian’s four-year-old daughter while awaiting execution."

You're reading The State House Gavel, a daily reporter notebook by reporters Gavin Jackson, Russ McKinney and Maayan Schechter that previews and captures what goes on at the South Carolina Statehouse this year while lawmakers are in session.

Notebook highlights:

The House passed a new paid parental leave bill, why House Speaker Murrell Smith says no movement on the treasurer this session and other highlights.
Senators advanced a K-12 private school bill compromise that is likely to be the center of a second lawsuit.
Gov. Henry McMaster signed a top priority for this year: a bill to consolidate three health-care related agencies.

Russ McKinney, Maayan Schechter and Gavin Jackson

House highlights: treasurer, wagering

House Speaker Murrell Smith indicated Tuesday that the lower chamber will not consider a Senate resolution that calls for the removal of state Treasurer Curtis Loftis, during the remainder of this session.

Last week, the Senate voted 33-8 to remove Loftis over a roughly decade-old $1.8 billion error that accrued after the state switched accounting systems.

Both the House and Senate must pass the removal resolution by a two-thirds vote to remove a statewide constitutional official.

Loftis told senators that he didn't know about the error until early 2023, though his staff knew earlier. Senators said that Loftis as treasurer had a statutory duty to tell the Legislature.

Smith told reporters the House has too many pending bills in the final weeks of the session to consider the removal matter.

In response to the decision, Loftis said in part, "I am grateful for the House leadership’s decision today to choose the people's business over political theatre. I feel sure that South Carolinians are thankful that they are the first priority, and political games are not."

But the Sumter Republican also left the door open for some sort of potential response — whatever that may be.

You can listen to his remarks below:

S.C. House Speaker Murrell Smith, R-Sumter, on process whether to remove treasurer 4.29.25

All bets are off on a House sports wagering bill.

A House Ways and Means subcommittee on Tuesday voted to adjourn, effectively pause for the year, a sports wagering bill — H. 3625 — over a lack of clarity on a path forward.

State Rep. Lee Hewitt, R-Georgetown, said there had been thoughtful discussion and detailed proposals, particularly around betting on fantasy sports. But he said there hasn’t been an agreement on what the best regulatory options are for the state.

“It’s not our role to pick winners between competing industry proposals. What we need is a clear, collaborative position and a clear path forward and that will make for smoother policy,” Hewitt said.

With debate adjourned, that makes one less bill competing for attention in the final days of session.

The same Revenue Policy Legislative Subcommittee advanced a bill that would open the door for a possible casino off Interstate 95 in Santee.

The bill has been hailed by Orangeburg-area business leaders, but opposed by members of the religious community and the Catawba Nation, which requested inclusion in the effort.

Gov. Henry McMaster is also against gambling bills, and the bill is unlikely to move through the Legislature to his desk this year.

House moves to expand paid parental leave

The House voted 80-31 Tuesday to pass H. 3645, a bill that would expand paid parental leave for eligible state employees.

The legislation would increase leave for the parent of a newborn from six to 12 weeks, and two to four weeks for the co-parent, including for people who foster and adopt.

It's in question whether the bill will get through the Senate.

Teachers are also affected under the current bill and some lawmakers said they've heard from districts concerned about the cost.

Liquor liability tacked onto Senate bills

There's still no movement over tort reform, S. 244.

But the House Judiciary Committee made moves Tuesday to ensure the Senate does not forget about its liquor liability bill.

In committee, Chairman Weston Newton, R-Beaufort, made the move to amend a few Senate bills by inserting the House-passed liquor liability bill, H. 3497 — which was approved unanimously back in March and was amended by the Senate to include its larger tort reform package.

If you have end-of-session dejá vu, you're not alone.

The House has not held a hearing on the tort reform bill.

S.C. House Ways and Means Committee Chairman Bruce Bannister, R-Greenville; House Speaker Murrell Smith, R-Sumter; and Speaker Pro Tem Tommy Pope, R-York in the S.C. House on Jan. 15, 2025.

Senate highlights: Special order, vouchers

Two bills are on the Senate's special order calendar.

That means they will take priority status when the chamber returns Wednesday.

H. 3276, the hands-free driving bill that would prohibit drivers from scrolling through their phone while driving
H.3127, which ups penalties for not stopping for law enforcement

The Senate also took action Tuesday on two top priorities in the chamber: K-12 private school vouchers and fetanyl-induced homicide bills.

S. 62: The Senate already amended the voucher, or scholarship, bill after the respective education chairs struck a compromise that would pay for the vouchers through the state budget and install a third-party trustee to oversee the program. The bill is now back in the House, which can vote to concur on the compromise and send the bill to the governor, who is likely to sign it. Of course, a lawsuit is also likely and the state Supreme Court is expected to take up the measure a second time.
S. 156: The Senate voted to non-concur on House changes to a bill that would create a felony offense for fetanyl-induced homicide. Someone convicted of the felony could face a prison sentence of up to 30 years.
H. 3862: The Senate voted 37-0 on a House-approved bill that would let charter schools give enrollment preference to children of active-duty military members living or stationed in South Carolina without requiring lottery participation, with certain enrollment measures.

S.C. Senate President Thomas Alexander, R-Oconee, speaks with Senate Majority Leader Shane Massey, R-Edgefield, on Jan. 15, 2025 in the S.C. Senate.

Gov signs health care bill

Gov. Henry McMaster has signed into law a bill — S. 2 — that will create a new Cabinet agency, the Department of Behavioral Health and Developmental Disabilities.

The new office will combine the services of the former departments of mental health, disability services and alcohol and drug abuse services.

One of the governor's top 2025 priorities, McMaster told reporters that the law is the most significant restructuring move since the late-Gov. Carroll Campbell's successful effort in the early 90s.

You can listen to McMaster's remarks below:

Gov. Henry McMaster on S. 2's signing into law 4.29.25