The State House Gavel: Energy, liquor liability, hands-free driving bills head to gov's desk

A very happy Thursday.

It's the final day of the South Carolina legislative session.

The House returns at 10 a.m. and the Senate is in at 10:01 a.m.

Sine die strikes at 5 p.m.

A Friday preview: Don't miss Friday's edition of The State House Gavel that will include interviews with House and Senate leaders about what lawmakers accomplished in 2025, and what they hope to get done next year.

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 Senate put the final vote on a sweeping energy bill that utilities argue will help them keep up with state demand, and liquor liability legislation that bars and restaurant owners have urged lawmakers to pass.
• A bill to deter motorists from holding the phone while driving heads to the governor's desk after a years-long effort by one state lawmaker.
• Gov. Henry McMaster has signed more than 20 bills into law. The latest would pay for K-12 private school vouchers with money in the state budget.

SCETV

With one day to spare, the Senate on Wednesday gave final approval to a major energy policy bill aimed at making it easier and faster for utilities to bring new energy generation online by streamlining the regulatory process.

By a vote of 35-11, the Senate agreed to concur — or agree — with the latest version of H. 3309, coined the "South Carolina Energy Security Act."

“This is a historic day … with (the state) being on the cusp of ensuring South Carolina energy independence,” said Senate Judiciary Chairman Luke Rankin, R-Horry.

State leaders are concerned that South Carolina will not be able to provide adequate future energy generation to meet the needs of a rapidly-growing population and industrial expansion.

The bill also specifically authorizes state-owned utility Santee Cooper to partner with Dominion Energy for a new gas generation plant at Canadys in Colleton County.

Some senators voiced concerns that, under the House version, residential electric customers will have to share in the cost of energy that utilities must generate for very large users like data centers.

Senate Majority Leader Shane Massey, R-Edgefield, and Sen. Chip Campsen, R-Charleston, urged the Senate to reject the latest House version of the bill that deleted Senate language which contained requirements that very large users including data centers incur most of the costs to generate and transmit electricity to their sites.

“You’re gonna regret this one,” Massey told colleagues.

Clips you might have missed:

• The State: Sweeping energy bill gets blessing of SC Senate, despite concerns about rate increases
• SC Daily Gazette: SC legislature passes massive energy bill paving way for new gas-fired power plant
• Post and Courier: South Carolina energy reform bill now awaits Gov. McMaster's signature

And, in a 41-1 vote, the Senate sent the governor the liquor liability compromise that owners of bars and restaurants in South Carolina have begged lawmakers to pass for more than a year.

Bar and restaurant owners have asked lawmakers to ease their exposure to alcohol-related liability and soaring insurance costs that they've warned without, could close their businesses.

That has included Rep. Jay Kilmartin, a Lexington Republican who owns two businesses affected by high alcohol liability costs.

"It's been stressful" over the last few years, Kilmartin said. "... It's a years-worth of frustration just trying to pay bills. And, luckily, I split it between two restaurants. There's so many restaurants that can't do that, and they just quietly go out of business."

Kilmartin said he's hopeful the legislation fixes the problem.

The agreement addresses liquor liability, the level of responsibility bars and restaurants have to victims when their patrons leave and hurt someone after drinking alcohol.

And it tackles the liability topic of joint and several liability, or how much responsibility is split among parties that cause harm to a victim — what senators pushed to be included.

Gov. Henry McMaster is expected to sign both bills into law.

Gavin Jackson

South Carolina is expected to soon crack down on motorists holding their phone and scrolling and making calls while driving.

The state already bans texting and driving.

On Wednesday, the House voted 77-37 to pass a hands-free driving bill — H. 3276 — that prohibits the use of a cellphone while driving with exceptions of an earpiece, wrist device or voice activated calling and texting. The bill already passed the Senate.

The legislation would not apply to first responders on official duties, someone who reports an accident or uses navigation, or listens to audio-based content.

The penalties also go up:

• For a first offense, a driver would be fined $100
• For a second or subsequent offense, the driver would be fined $200 and two points would be added to their license

State Rep. Bill Taylor, an Aiken Republican who had pushed for passage for roughly a decade, celebrated the bill finally making it beyond legislative action and onto the governor's desk.

What else did the House do Wednesday?

• H. 3127: A bill that ups penalties for failing to stop for police cleared both the House and Senate and will head to the governor's desk.
• H. 3058: The House concurred with Senate amendments on a bill that creates an offense over the intentional sharing of intimate images or digitally forged images without consent, known as "revenge porn." The bill now heads to the governor's desk.
• H. 4176: Known as the casino bill, the House "continued" a bill that would open the door for a casino on Interstate 95 in Santee. By continuing the bill, lawmakers agreed to push debate over the bill to next year. "We remain committed to transformational economic progress for citizens who live along the I-95 corridor that the bill addresses, and look forward to continuing the conversation and working with lawmakers to ensure this project becomes a reality," casino developer Wallace Cheves said in a statement.

Gavin Jackson

Gov. Henry McMaster this week put the signature pen to use.

So far this year, he has signed 27 bills into law.

Many of them are local bills, but some have statewide impact that range from excused absences to child welfare and judges.

McMaster has signed two bills into law this week:

• S. 62: The so-called Education Scholarship Trust Fund that spends state budget dollars on K-12 private school tuition vouchers that includes a third-party trustee to oversee the program. This is the second time McMaster has signed a voucher bill into law. It is highly likely to be challenged, and the state Supreme Court will weigh this version's constitutionality.
• H. 3196: The Educator Assistance Act that seeks to ease the burden on teachers by dealing with in part contracts, sick leave and professional development days.

There are more bills for the governor to sign this week, from school meals for children living in poverty, electric vehicle charging stations and wild turkeys.

You can view the full list of bills on the governor's desk here.

Meg Kinnard/AP

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AP

SC House

• 10 a.m. — House in session
  Live Broadcast
  Live Broadcast - Audio Only
• 9 a.m. — Blatt 403 — Insurance Rate Review Ad Hoc Committee
  Agenda Available
  Live Broadcast
  Live Broadcast - Audio Only
• 3 p.m. — Statehouse, third floor conference room — State House Committee
  Agenda Available

SC Senate

• 9 a.m. — Gressette 308 — Senate Agriculture and Natural Resources Committee
  Agenda Available
  Live Broadcast
  Live Broadcast - Audio Only
• 10:01 a.m. — Senate in session
  Live Broadcast
  Live Broadcast - Audio Only
• 3 p.m. — Statehouse, third floor conference room — State House Committee
  Agenda Available

SC governor

• 10:30 a.m. — Lt. Gov. Pamela Evette to speak at a water safety event, the World’s Largest Rubber Duck Makes a Splash in Myrtle Beach
• Noon — Lt. Gov. Pamela Evette to attend the ONEflight Myrtle Beach Classic

• USC makes changes to certain diversity-related names, programs amid political pressure (Post and Courier)
• State health plan insurance rates set with latest SC House budget proposal (The State)
• State bill would take final approval of budgets away from Greenville County Schools (WSPA)
• SC nonprofit got $800K grant to fight crime. Where did the money go? (The State)
• Bill criminalizing ‘revenge porn’ in South Carolina heads to governor’s desk (WIS)
• Meet the marketing company behind South Carolina's $30B tourism industry (Post and Courier)
• ‘Is this pork?’ SC Democrat highlights what won’t get aid due to earmark refusal (SC Daily Gazette)
• SC now leads nation in book bans, largely due to one Beaufort County parent (The Island Packet)
• Hardline SC House Family Caucus sees mass resignation following concerns over leadership tactics (Post and Courier)
• Columbia must answer AG challenge of conversion therapy ban. When will it act? (The State)
• Activists’ push for near-total abortion ban leads to split among SC Republicans (SC Daily Gazette)