It's Friday, Jan. 16.
We've completed the first week of the 2026 legislative session.
That leaves 17 more weeks of session before sine die adjournment for the year.
This is the 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.
We will note below all the key takeaways from the General Assembly on Thursday and the week (and there are a lot), but first we want to mention the death of Dr. Eddie Floyd, who for decades was a prominent physician, Republican Party kingmaker, and the longest-serving trustee on the University of South Carolina Board of Trustees.
Floyd, a Lake City native who lived in Florence, was 91.
Floyd served on the USC board from 1982 to 2024.
“His beneficial influence in the success of our students, in the mission of our university, in the fields of medicine and the arts, and in the betterment of life across our state will be felt for countless decades to come," USC President Michael Amiridis said. "He will be deeply missed.”
Notebook highlights:
- A recap of Thursday, including the power of college football in South Carolina and what legislation the Senate will prioritize on the floor next week
- Senate Democrats release comprehensive proposal they say compliments Republican-pushed tax bills
- The politics of primary voting splits Republicans
- What Statehouse leaders said at the South Carolina Manufacturers & Commerce's Business Speaks forum
NIL and DUI move to the front of the proposal pack
The House moved faster than speedy Gamecock wide receiver Nyck Harbor this week to move legislation to tackle the latest debate over the state's name, image and likeness law (NIL).
Only filed on Wednesday and skipping the committee process entirely, the House a day later passed the fast-tracked legislation, H. 4902, in a 111-2 vote. The bill is authored by House Majority Leader Davey Hiott, R-Pickens and will limit public disclosure of money paid to college and university student-athletes through each school's $20.5 million revenue-sharing program and NIL deals.
Hiott said the change will prevent anyone from filing a public record's request to get athletes' contract pay information.
Statehouse leaders want to get the bill to the governor ASAP.
That's because it's time sensitive, Hiott said, pointing to a lawsuit filed against the University of South Carolina to make those contracts public, which is expected to get a hearing in state court in the next month.
Deeper look: Lawmakers want to send a strong message to the court hearing the case, and ensure the state's universities stay competitive since most states have the privacy protection already in place.
Responding to questions from colleagues, Hiott said the money raised by the universities is private and not public money, therefore details about much and from whom should be private too.
What is the House getting done on the floor next week?
What happens on the floor may be in flux, but we're told there's a possibility — how serious a possibility we'll find out next week — that the House takes action or debates H. 4176, otherwise known as the "casino bill."
The legislation would create the "I-95 Economic and Education Stimulus Act," which would greenlight legal casino gambling in South Carolina.
Under the bill, any casino could only be located in a section of Interstate 95 that classified as a Tier IV, or counties with high unemployment and low per capita income. Only three counties would be eligible: Dillon, Marlboro and Orangeburg counties.
No specific site has been identified, though multiple news reports and comments made over the last year made it pretty clear casino developer Wallace Cheves — the main player in the debate — is interested in land in Orangeburg County in Santee.
The issue resurfaced this week, after numerous pastors spoke out against the legislation, and House Ways and Means Chairman Bruce Bannister, R-Greenville, shared a proposed amendment that would split revenues from the casino into different pots, like the Conservation Bank and Veterans' Trust Fund.
"They have a moral objection to it," Bannister told reporters, noting the criticism, but added the money generated from the casino could "do something positive for South Carolina."
There is no specifics of how much revenue could be generated.
The bill's fiscal impact statement, however, noted Arkansas and Virginia, which in the last several years legalized casino gambling, putting a potential first-year revenue generation of almost $21.9 million to $38.1 million.
The bigger question is whether there's enough support.
Gov. Henry McMaster has continued to oppose gambling, and Senate Republican Leader Shane Massey, R-Edgefield, didn't commit that the bill would garner enough support.
Here's what he told reporters last week:
And speaking of the Senate, the upper chamber on Thursday put S. 52, a bill by Sen. Tom Davis, R-Beaufort, on the special order calendar in a 40-1 vote (Sen. Ronnie Sabb, D-Williamsburg was the lone vote against).
That means legislation senators hope will toughen the state's DUI laws will slide into the top priority debate spot when the Senate returns next week.
Senate Dems unveil comprehensive bill for families
Senate Democrats, who hold 12 of 46 seats in the chamber, on Thursday released a comprehensive proposal they said puts families and affordability at the center of debate in the upper chamber.
The bill — S. 825, filed by Senate Minority Leader Brad Hutto, D-Orangeburg — is dubbed the "Family Protection Act." It would, in part, offers more tax credits for families, start an office within the Department of Administration geared toward families, caregivers, and underserved workers, and the proposal would exempt certain items related to child birth, like diapers, from the state sales tax.
"It's a big picture problem," Hutto said. "The people that work and make South Carolina perform, they go to work every day, they're facing an affordability (problem)."
Hutto said he hopes this legislation can run parallel with other tax-related bills, such as the House income tax bill and the Senate's homestead exemption expansion bill.
You can watch the full press conference below:
Primary politicking picks apart GOP
Next week, a House Judiciary subcommittee will stare down a packed agenda that includes two bills that have pitted Republican legislators on either side.
The first — H. 3643, filed by Rep. Brandon Newton, R-Lancaster — would require registration by party and closed primaries. And it would impose new requirements for candidates, including new filing fee deadlines and voting history rules.
Newton's bill has support from dozens of Republican legislators, but has seen some colleagues drop their sponsorship over the past few days.
Critics have argued the bill would effectively restrict political party candidates like Solicitor David Pascoe, a Republican who switched political parties last spring and is running for attorney general, from being on the ballot.
The state GOP has said as much.
"Anyone is free to run for office. But if you want to run on the Republican ballot, you should actually be a Republican — not a last-minute party switch or a Democrat using our primary as a loophole," the party posted on X this week.
The second bill — H. 3310, filed by Rep. Mike Burns, R-Greenville, and supported by many several members of the conservative hardline House Freedom Caucus — would also close primaries.
"Call your reps and tell them to get behind H.3310, the real closed primary bill!" Rep. Thomas Beach, R-Anderson, said on X.
Few Republican lawmakers have spoken out against the overall topic of party registration.
Among the few is state Rep. Neal Collins, a Pickens Republican who spoke on the issue Tuesday as he was awarded the Riley-Wilkins OneSouthCarolina Legislative Leadership Award.
"Why close primaries when only 10% vote? The truth is we should be educating the 10% that their fears are not legitimate and encouraging the other 90% to vote," Collins said. "This lack of leadership is a vicious cycle.”
Legislators get candid on leadership
The newly created S.C. Manufacturers and Commerce — formerly the state Chamber of Commerce and the Manufacturer’s Alliance — held its Business Speaks event Wednesday, featuring House and Senate leadership of both parties.
Here's a sample of what the leaders said:
Gov. Henry McMaster: "We know where we want to go, and we know how to get there. And all we have to do is keep doing it."
Senate President Thomas Alexander, R-Oconee: "It is indeed vital that we hear what business has to say, because if business speaks, we listen and then the improvements can be made. You are out there where the rubber meets the road."
House Speaker Murrell Smith, R-Sumter: "You have a lot of people running for office and you have a crowded primary to replace Gov. McMaster, who by every measure has been an excellent governor for South Carolina. And so you're going to hear about what's wrong. You're going to hear about what's wrong a lot from South Carolina, how the House, Columbia is an infested place and it’s full of corruption and all these buzzwords to try to play to the fears of people. But I'll tell you, the one thing that I'm proud of, of serving in the House and serving with leaders like Sen. (Chip) Campsen and President (Thomas) Alexander, is we don't play to the people's lowest fears.”
Senate Majority Leader Shane Massey, R-Edgefield: “The biggest issue facing South Carolina is leadership. Leadership matters. It is something that we should think about during the election season that’s coming up who the next leader will be will matter. But it's not just in government service — whether it's a nonprofit or private sector or government or wherever. Leadership matters and we especially know it when we don't have it.”
Senate Minority Leader Brad Hutto, D-Orangeburg: "You know, I walked outside today. There was a chill in the air, and it said to me, ‘It's January in Columbia.’ And I looked over to the Blatt building and I saw massive security and long lines and then I knew for sure because in Columbia, in January, if it's January, it's abortion (issues). Now, I say that to say that I hope that our leadership will not allow us to be sidetracked on all the election-year issues that come up. And I'm not saying that that's not important. But what I'm saying is this when we're growing as fast as we're growing, there are some really important issues that we've got to address.
House Majority Leader Davey Hiott, R-Pickens, “They won't remember what you did for them. They won't remember what title you had, but they'll remember how you treated people.”
House Minority Leader Todd Rutherford, D-Richland: “This is South Carolina, and I don't get up here and talk about corruption in the Republican Party and tell you that they are stealing this and doing away with that because they're not. I'm not going to get up here and tell you how our governor is just wrong and he can't do this and can't do that because that's not true. We all collectively try and figure out what we can do for South Carolina and you all are truly that engine.”
There were a few jokes too, so why not, we'll add a sample:
Massey (about Dominion Energy's rate hike request): "I do have to point out that the Bible asks us for 10%, whereas the Dominion is asking for 12.7%."
Keller Kissam, president of Dominion Energy South Carolina (in retort to Massey): "I'd just like to point out that before they started with that tithing stuff, the Lord stretched out his hand and said, ‘Let there be light.’"
Hiott (on heavy accents): "We had Keller Kissam and Gov. Henry McMaster on the same stage and I was looking for the interpreter."
Statehouse clips from around the state
- Teacher pay raises, education bank top SC Education Department’s asks from legislators (Post and Courier)
- Turning over state roads to counties, restructuring SCDOT, and toll lanes: What's in a proposal to overhaul the state transportation system (WLTX)
- More than $30 million projected for conservation under SC casino gambling plan (The State)
- Gun possession charges to be dismissed after SC legislators override veto (SC Daily Gazette)
- US Sen. Cory Booker, Democrat from New Jersey, to tour South Carolina. Here’s where he’ll stop. (Post and Courier)
- Proposed South Carolina bill would require law enforcement to enter agreements with federal immigration enforcement (WIS)
- How much did SC governor candidates raise last quarter? See the totals (Greenville News)
- USC taps Prisma Health as partner for new $30M brain health center (SC Daily Gazette)
- SC lawmakers vote to stop Clemson and USC contracts with athletes from being disclosed (Post and Courier)
- Former SC Rep. RJ May excluded from SC lawmaker retroactive pay proposal (The State)
- South Carolina lawmakers push to make school bathroom policy permanent (WIS)
- Rep. Ralph Norman calls for closed primaries in South Carolina (WLTX)
- SC Republicans advance bill that targets telehealth abortions (SC Daily Gazette)
