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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: Tort reform gets late night breakthrough in Senate

South Carolina Public Radio | By Maayan Schechter,
Gavin Jackson, Russ McKinney
Published March 19, 2025 at 6:01 AM EDT
Senate lawmakers debate the major tort reform bill S. 244 at the South Carolina Statehouse on March 18, 2025.
Gavin Jackson
Fort Mill Republican Sen. Michael Johnson speaks from the Senate well on the major tort reform bill S. 244 at the South Carolina Statehouse on March 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.

Welcome to Wednesday.

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:

  • A tort reform compromise in the Senate got a breakthrough in the late hours after weeks of debate.
  • Gov. Henry McMaster taps a familiar name at the state Department of Social Services to run the agency full time.
  • Reporters spoke to McMaster about the pending Senate report about the $1.8 billion accounting error and his nominee to lead the new Public Health Department.
  • Federal economists interpret new unemployment and labor numbers for South Carolina.
Russ McKinney, Maayan Schechter and Gavin Jackson
SCETV
Russ McKinney, Maayan Schechter and Gavin Jackson

Tort reform revived in Senate

The tort reform bill, S. 244, got a late night breakthrough in the late hours of Tuesday after the Senate returned from a "30-minute recess" (what was actually a multi-hour break) with what Senate Republican leadership stated was a "compromise" amendment.

Sen. Michael Johnson, the York Republican who has been helping to shepherd the proposal through the upper chamber, explained the amendment, which the chamber adopted on a voice vote. (By voice vote means we don't have a breakdown of how each member voted.)

You can read the full amendment here.

“Everybody was just tired and ready to go home, and we'll deal with correcting the problems with that amendment tomorrow (Wednesday). So, hopefully, we'll get to do that,” Sen. Margie Bright Mathews, D-Colleton, told reporters Tuesday.

What's next: Johnson's amendment, which amended most sections of the bill, garnered support from some senators that seemed to be opposed to the original version of S. 244.

While the amendment's approval is a better indicator of the bill's chances of passage in the upper chamber, senators adjourned for the night before finishing one major issue: joint and several liability.

And Wednesday, senators will try to decide how to allocate responsibility among the parties that cause harm to a victim and possibly give the bill second key reading after weeks of debate.

“I do think they're going to offer some amendments to this language, because there are a few parts of it they want to try to tinker with, but we'll see,” said Senate Majority Leader Shane Massey, R-Edgefield. “I think everybody understands generally what the (Johnson's) amendment does, and now that they have that understanding, we're in a much better position, so I feel pretty good about it.”

The Senate gavels back in at 1 p.m. Wednesday.

There are still about 10 amendments on the desk.

S.C. Sen. Ronnie Sabb, D-Williamsburg, left, asks Sen. Michael Johnson, R-York, questions on the Senate floor on Tuesday, March 18, 2025.
MAAYAN SCHECHTER/SCETV
S.C. Sen. Ronnie Sabb, D-Williamsburg, left, asks Sen. Michael Johnson, R-York, questions on the Senate floor on Tuesday, March 18, 2025.

Gov names DSS lawyer to run agency

The governor on Tuesday announced Tony Catone as his pick to run the state Department of Social Services — an agency that oversees children and vulnerable adults.

The 47-year-old, who has been DSS's attorney since 2015, was named interim by McMaster early this year after the department's former director, Michael Leach, stepped down.

McMaster told reporters he has full confidence in Catone, who also told reporters that his own personal experiences have shown him the positive impact that the agency can have.

You can listen to Catone's full remarks below.

McMaster on calls to remove treasurer

Gov. McMaster on Tuesday weighed in on a pending state Senate report over the $1.8 billion accounting error that has entangled the state offices of the auditor, treasurer and comptroller general.

Remember: The state spent $3 million to hire outside audit firm AlixPartners to look over the state's accounting system and get to the bottom of the error. The firm determined that $1.6 billion of that amount never existed. But the error, they reported, originated in the treasurer’s office.

The panel, led by Berkeley Republican Sen. Larry Grooms, is expected to release its own report after now multiple hearings that have included testimony from AlixPartners, then-state Auditor George Kennedy, Comptroller General Brian Gaines and Treasurer Curtis Loftis and his chief of staff, Clarissa Adams.

The report also will include recommendations. And Grooms told reporters weeks ago they'll likely include a recommendation that Loftis be removed from office.

McMaster told reporters that removal is not necessary.

Instead, McMaster said, the Legislature should focus on the reforms laid out in the audit recommendations.

You can listen to McMaster's full remarks on Loftis below.

Gov. McMaster on calls to remove Treasurer Curtis Loftis 3.18.25

McMaster once again Tuesday defended Dr. Ed Simmer, his pick to lead the new state Department of Public Health.

Background: Simmer was confirmed to run the state Department of Health and Environmental Control in 2021 amid the COVID pandemic. He was the agency's fourth director since 2012. The Legislature later passed a law breaking up DHEC and, since, Simmer has been in an interim status awaiting confirmation. Simmer faces a harder vetting hearing this time before the Senate Medical Affairs Committee on Thursday as conservative Republican lawmakers have for months criticized the retired Navy doctor's response to COVID, often pointing to his wearing of a mask in the past (Simmer publicly stated he wore a mask to protect his wife's health.)

McMaster told reporters that those criticizing Simmer are "off base."

"He is not Dr. Fauci," McMaster said, referring to Dr. Anthony Fauci who oversaw the country's response to the COVID pandemic.

You can listen to his full remarks on Simmer below.

Gov. McMaster defends DPH director pick, Dr. Simmer 3.18.25

Reporters ask S.C. Gov. Henry McMaster questions in the Governor's Office on Tuesday, March 18, 2025.
MAAYAN SCHECHTER/SCETV
Reporters ask S.C. Gov. Henry McMaster questions in the Governor's Office on Tuesday, March 18, 2025.

SC unemployment rate ticks down

South Carolina added more people to the state's job count.

That's according to new data recently released by the state Department of Employment and Workforce.

Key highlights:

  • The unemployment rate fell to 4.3%, a decline of about 0.1 percentage points from December 2024. The national unemployment rate fell to 4.0%.
  • Seasonally adjusted number of state workers increased to 2,439,684 — an increase of 2,668 people over December 2024 and 19,332 people over January 2024.
  • Estimated labor force (people working and people who are unemployed looking for work) decreased to 2,549,034.
  • Labor force participation rate decreased to 57.6%.

"With notable increases in construction, manufacturing, and retail trade, South Carolina is continuing to experience stable levels of growth consistent with a healthy labor market," DEW's director William Floyd.

You can read the state's full report here.

Springtime at the South Carolina Statehouse.
Gavin Jackson/SCETV
Springtime at the South Carolina Statehouse.

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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