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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: SC House starts K-12 school voucher debate

South Carolina Public Radio | By Maayan Schechter,
Gavin Jackson, Russ McKinney
Published February 26, 2025 at 6:01 AM EST
Lawmakers at the South Carolina Statehouse on Feb. 18, 2025.
GAVIN JACKSON Gavin Jackson
Lawmakers at the South Carolina Statehouse on Feb. 18, 2025.

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.

Happy Wednesday.

And we're all happy about another 70-something-degree weather day.

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 S.C. House starts its debate over the chamber's amended version of the K-12 private school voucher/scholarship bill that does not include spending Education Lottery dollars.
  • A breakdown of what both chambers passed Tuesday.
  • Gov. Henry McMaster talks House budget plan and possible veto.
  • The freshman tiny mic series is back. Today's featured guest is from the Midlands.
Russ McKinney, Maayan Schechter and Gavin Jackson
SCETV
Russ McKinney, Maayan Schechter and Gavin Jackson

Voucher debate back in SC House

Is the second time a charm for South Carolina public dollars going to private schools?

The House gavels in at 10 a.m. Wednesday, and we're told the chamber plans to get right to tackling S. 62, a Senate proposal filed by Senate Education Chairman Greg Hembree, R-Horry.

That's after attendance-taking and guest introductions, of course.

If you've read the Gavel since the 2025 legislative session started, then you probably have a grasp on Hembree's bill.

If not, here's a very brief overview:

  • Two years ago, the Legislature passed a law that spent some $30 million in public taxpayer dollars on K-12 private school tuition vouchers/scholarships for children of families that meet certain poverty income thresholds.
  • The state Supreme Court overturned the law in a 3-2 decision, citing a prohibition in the state Constitution that says public money cannot be spent for the direct benefit of religious and private institutions.
  • Hembree proposed a new way to fund the vouchers, instead pulling money out of the state Education Lottery account, which, in part, covers costs of college and university scholarships. The Senate passed that version.
  • The House Education and Public Works Committee scratched off that funding source, the same day the House budget-writing Ways and Means Committee set aside $45 million in public tax dollars for the vouchers. The House version also adds a trustee to oversee the so-called trust fund (what lawmakers hope is a workaround of the court's opinion) and in year 2027 they open up the program to all households, no matter the income, known as universal school choice.

With the House having 88 Republicans to only 34 Democrats, who have typically opposed the idea, the measure is very likely to pass and head back to the upper chamber, which can decide whether to send it to the governor (leading to a subsequent lawsuit to send it back to the high court) or kick it to a conference committee to negotiate differences.

But at least one Republican, Rep. Neal Collins, says he intends to oppose the legislation — just as he did two years ago.

Collins, of Pickens, spoke to Maayan Schechter last week about his opposition to the bill. You can listen below to part of that conversation:

S.C. Rep. Neal Collins speaks about opposition to S. 62

Collins also spelled out his opposition in a post on X.

South Carolina Rep. Shannon Erickson, R-Beaufort, speaks in favor of an education voucher bill on Wednesday, April 26, 2023, in Columbia, S.C. (AP Photo/Jeffrey Collins)
Jeffrey Collins/AP
/
AP
South Carolina Rep. Shannon Erickson, R-Beaufort, speaks in favor of an education voucher bill on Wednesday, April 26, 2023, in Columbia, S.C. (AP Photo/Jeffrey Collins)

Senate speeds up, tort reform gets OK

Last week, Senate Majority Leader Shane Massey, R-Edgefield, opined to reporters that he was a little bummed by the slow start to the legislative session, blamed, in part, on weather delays.

Well, if today is any indication, the seventh week of session may change that.

First, the Senate Judiciary Committee voted to send S. 184 and S. 244, the chamber's liquor liability and tort reform bills, respectively, that have been debated concurrently. The bills should hit the Senate floor for debate next week. Don't expect this to be a one-day affair, due to the complexity of the topic and because the committee saved all amendments, and there will be plenty, for the floor.

Here's what else the chamber did Tuesday:

  • S. 51, Beaufort Republican Sen. Tom Davis' joint resolution to support state-owned Santee Cooper's request for proposals on construction of two reactors at the V.C. Summer nuclear site, cleared the chamber in a 43-0 vote.
  • S. 136, a bill filed by Charleston Democratic Sen. Deon Tedder, that would mandate the dismissal of pending unlawful handgun possession charges prior to the enactment of the 2024 constitutional carry law passed the Senate, 43-0.
  • S. 156, a bill by Senate President Thomas Alexander, R-Oconee that would create the offense of fentanyl-induced homicide passed 43-0.
  • S. 159, Greenville Republican Sen. Ross Turner’s organized retail theft bill passed 43-0. The House-approved version, H. 3523, was amended to the Senate version and passed.
  • S. 183, Goose Creek Republican Sen. Brian Adams's drug-induced homicide bill passed 43-0.
  • S. 291, the continuing resolution to keep state government funded should a budget not be reached by the start of the new fiscal year on July 1 passed 43-0. The resolution is sponsored by Senate Finance Chairman Harvey Peeler, R-Cherokee. 

Over in the House:

  • H. 3048, a bill sponsored by House Judiciary Chairman Weston Newton, R-Beaufort, which updates coroner qualifications by requiring background checks and fingerprints, passed the chamber 115-0.
  • The House Judiciary Committee slapped a favorable report on H. 3650, which would create the offense of firing a gun into a home or car; H. 3046, which would outlaw creation, possession and distribution of digitally morphed child abuse sex material; and H. 3127 that would add penalty enhancements for drivers who fail to stop for blue lights.  

In non-bill-related updates, Newton started his meeting on a "point of personal privilege" by addressing an out-of-state group that he says put out "patently false information" over the weekend about a restrictive abortion ban bill — H. 3457 — filed by one of his committee members, Rep. John McCravy, R-Greenwood.

“(I’m) transparent on my pro-life legislative record and it’s not going to be blurred — and it can’t be blurred by anybody that actually takes the time to read it and understand it," he said. "This is a very important issue, as is the debate that we’ve had in protecting life virtually every year that I've been here.” 

As background: South Carolina has a six-week abortion ban with limited exceptions on the books. McCravy's bill would further restrict the practice and tighten those exceptions. McCravy, who is the leader of the Family Caucus, invoked a House rule that requires the committee to hold a hearing on his bill. Earlier this session, after a disagreement with Newton, McCravy asked House Speaker Murrell Smith, R-Sumter, to remove him from the committee and place him elsewhere where he said he could be more effective. Smith did not and McCravy remains on Judiciary. (House members, unlike senators, only sit on one standing committee).

What's next: A House Judiciary subcommittee will meet on the bill at 9 a.m. March 4.

The S.C. House Judiciary Committee meets Tuesday, Feb. 25, 2025, in Columbia, S.C.
The S.C. House Judiciary Committee meets Tuesday, Feb. 25, 2025, in Columbia, S.C.

McMaster on fed cuts, SC budget plan

Gov. Henry McMaster on Tuesday joined the University of South Carolina as it celebrated the groundbreaking on its new medical school in Columbia's Bull Street District.

The school is set to open in 2027.

After turning dirt on the sprawling complex, the governor spoke to a few reporters about a nagging concern for the university: the federal cuts to indirect costs at the National Institutes of Health, which sends millions of dollars to South Carolina colleges and universities to conduct research.

The top three recipients: USC, the Medical University of South Carolina and Clemson University.

Altogether, the schools have said the cuts to indirect costs could result in a $50 million annual loss, a particularly giant gap that the state likely would not be able to cover.

We asked McMaster about those cuts, in addition to millions of federal grant dollars in question for the S.C. Office of Regulatory Staff, a chunk of which is targeted for broadband expansion.

You can listen below:

Gov. McMaster speaks on fed cuts 2.25.25

The governor also weighed in on the House Ways and Means Committee's proposed budget plan, up for debate in the House next month.

Specifically, he responded to questions about the proposed teacher pay raises and a one-year budget measure (known as a proviso) that would target tuition mitigation.

Listen to what he said below:

Gov. McMaster on House budget plan 2.25.25

The governor returned to the question of a budget veto, telling The State's Joe Bustos that "I don't veto many things, but that's one thing that just might draw a veto, and I'm ready to do that."

University of South Carolina medical school groundbreaking at BullStreet in Columbia, S.C.
GAVIN JACKSON
University of South Carolina medical school groundbreaking at BullStreet in Columbia, S.C.

Daily planner (2/26)

SC House

SC Senate

SC governor

  • 3 p.m. — Lt. Gov. Pamela Evette speaks at the 2025 South Carolina Nonprofit Summit in Columbia
  • 4:15 p.m. — Gov. Henry McMaster speaks at at the 14th annual South Carolina Automotive Summit in Greenville
GAVIN JACKSON

Freshman spotlight: Tiny mic edition

A whopping 32 new lawmakers are in the General Assembly.

Nineteen of them are in the House. The Senate has 13.

Welcome back to our freshman spotlight: tiny mic edition, where we introduce a new member of their respective chamber. (We edit for length and clarity.)

Next up: State Rep. Hamilton Grant, a Democrat who represents District 79, which covers part of Richland County.

What has been the biggest surprise in your first year: How nice everyone is. In this hyperpolitical state, we see so many beefs, ... and then you get here and you're so disarmed because everyone is so nice. So, it's been really cool to see how pleasant everybody is.

What is your favorite go-to restaurant: Shoutout to Southern Crave on Hardscrabble Road. (Order everything, he says.)

Who is your favorite artist right now: I'm old school, old school marching band guy at South Carolina State, so anything with a high tempo. Earth, Wind & Fire. Old school Michael Jackson. Anything from 70s and 80s, you'll find on my playlist.

Favorite movie: Coming to America. I watch it too much.

Favorite actor/actress: I'm a fan of Eddie Murphy. Some people say we look alike. I disagree.

Go-to vacation spot: Always the coast. Myrtle Beach, the Grand Strand.

Who is your team: South Carolina State University Bulldogs. You're talking to a former drum major in the Marching 101 Band. HBCU pride. We've got so many MEAC championships, I can't name them all. Go dogs!

S.C. Rep. Hamilton Grant, D-Richland
MAAYAN SCHECHTER
S.C. Rep. Hamilton Grant, D-Richland, and his daughter, 10-month-old Hilton.

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Maayan Schechter
Maayan Schechter (My-yahn Schek-ter) is a news reporter with South Carolina Public Radio and ETV. She worked at South Carolina newspapers for a decade, previously working as a reporter and then editor of The State’s S.C. State House and politics team, and as a reporter at the Aiken Standard and the Greenville News. She grew up in Atlanta, Georgia, and graduated from the University of North Carolina-Asheville in 2013.
See stories by Maayan Schechter
Gavin Jackson
Gavin Jackson graduated with a visual journalism degree from Kent State University in 2008 and has been in the news industry ever since. He has worked at newspapers in Ohio, Louisiana and most recently in South Carolina at the Florence Morning News and Charleston Post and Courier.
See stories by Gavin Jackson
Russ McKinney
Russ McKinney has 30 years of experience in radio news and public affairs. He is a former broadcast news reporter in Spartanburg, Columbia and Atlanta. He served as Press Secretary to former S.C. Governor Dick Riley for two terms, and for 20 years was the chief public affairs officer for the University of South Carolina.
See stories by Russ McKinney