It's Friday, Feb. 20.
We've wrapped Week 6 at the Statehouse.
There are 12 weeks and 36 days left of the legislative session.
You're reading 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.
And if you are a newcomer to South Carolina government, or just need a refresher, you can catch tonight's This Week in South Carolina interview with former state senator and current Camden Mayor Vincent Sheheen, as he talks to host Gavin Jackson about the release of his new book, "The Concise Guide to South Carolina State Government."
That interview will air at 7:30 p.m. on SCETV.
Notebook highlights:
- Why some senators say the state's schools chief is losing their trust
- Senate hits pause on NIL bill to question athletic directors on finances
- South Carolina will soon get a state migratory bird
- Our new occasional series, tiny mics with tour guides
Tough questions for a statewide elected official
A panel of the Senate Education Committee on Thursday questioned state education Superintendent Ellen Weaver for more than an hour over her department's interpretation of state law that has allowed homeschooled children to take advantage of taxpayer money for private school or other certain education-related costs.
Of the 10,000 students who got the $7,500 voucher through the Trust Fund, Weaver said 1,182 students were receiving an education from home at the school year's start.
The panel included Senate Education Chairman Hembree, an Horry County Republican and the original bill sponsor, who said it was clear from his remarks at committee hearings to debates that homeschooled students were never intended to be included in the law, known as the Education Scholarship Trust Fund.
"This was my bill. I was the floor leader on the bill. And, now, I have been made a liar," Hembree told Weaver.
In response, Weaver said her department's legal position was they did not believe the Department of Education had the statutory authority as the law reads to deny these students, who, she said, are meeting all the criteria of the program.
"I don't think your problem here is a legal issue, ... there is a real trust problem right now," Senate Majority Leader Shane Massey, R-Edgefield, told Weaver.
"I deeply, at a personal level, regret that this is a trust issue," Weaver responded in part.
The Senate Education Committee is now weighing new legislation — S. 692, also sponsored by Hembree — that would require parents whose children are getting the stipend to certify their child is not participating in at-home instruction or other "home-based personalized learning program" that is not approved by the State Board of Education.
Reporters spoke to Massey after the hearing:
Read more:
- SC Daily Gazette: ‘A real trust problem’: Senators question SC superintendent’s judgment giving homeschoolers vouchers
Senators want answers over student-athlete payments
It's rare that college and university athletic departments find themselves under the glare of the Legislature.
But, next week, the Senate Education Committee plans to haul in athletic officials to get answers to senators' questions about revenue-sharing contracts with student-athletes.
As we and others have reported, lawmakers have tried to fast track H. 4902, sponsored by House Majority Leader Davey Hiott, R-Pickens, to the governor's desk.
The effort for a quick law change is, in part, due to a pending lawsuit that was filed against the University of South Carolina to make those contracts public. Athletic directors also say that without that block, their programs would be put at a competitive disadvantage.
The legislation would shield from public records requests how much colleges and universities are doling out to student-athletes through their respective school's $20.5 million revenue-sharing program.
So, how much is USC spending on quarterback LaNorris Sellers?
You couldn't find out.
But just as it appeared the Senate was poised to send the name, image and likeness bill to the governor's desk, senators decided to head back to the huddle for some more discussion. That came after the release of a Post and Courier article that reported the Clemson athletics department received more than $20 million in "institutional support" in the last fiscal year.
Now senators want to know in part whether any of that money, or any future dollars spent via "institutional support," has or will fund student-athletes' revenue-sharing contracts.
Hembree, a busy lawmaker, has scheduled a Wednesday morning hearing with the purpose to do nothing else, he said, but to discuss the NIL bill and get senators' questions answered.
The hearing will be open to all members of the Senate.
"It appears to me that the supporting documentation supports the (Post and Courier) article," Massey told reporters Thursday.
New year, new SC bird
South Carolina is on the cusp of getting a new bird designation.
To quickly dispel worry, no, the bird does not replace the Carolina wren, also known as the South Carolina state bird.
But the House on Thursday voted 108-0 to back a Senate-passed bill — S. 383, sponsored by Sen. Tom Davis, R-Beaufort — to make the Prothonotary Warbler South Carolina's official state migratory bird.
We won't ourselves try to describe the greatness of this bird (or pronounce it, for that matter). Instead, we will let the legislation do the talking here, because we are no fowl experts.
The Prothonotary Warbler, the legislation says, "is a strikingly beautiful, golden-yellow songbird that migrates annually between South Carolina and its wintering grounds in Central and South America."
There's more.
"South Carolina provides critical breeding, stopover, and foraging habitat for the Prothonotary Warbler during its annual lifecycle, particularly in the state's bottomland hardwood forests, swamps, and wetlands, such as Audubon's 18,000 acre Francis Beidler Forest in Four Holes Swamp, providing tree cavities for nesting and an abundant supply of insects for food, which are essential for nesting, feeding, and resting as the species travels thousands of miles between continents," the bill adds.
We bet this is a future trivia question.
What else did the House pass Thursday?
- In a 110-0 vote, the House passed H. 5096, sponsored by Rep. Patrick Haddon, R-Greenville, that would make it illegal to manufacture, sell, or distribute artificial or "cell-cultivated" food products in South Carolina.
- In a 106-0 vote, the House passed H. 5097, also sponsored by Haddon, that in part exempts road markets from being classified or being required by a local government to be zoned as a commercial operation.
Tiny mics with tour guides
We're ripping the tiny mic out of the bag and dusting it off.
Introducing our new, occasional series, tiny mics with tour guides.
We decided to bring the tiny mics to the very people who know the Statehouse history better than most and ask them what they're favorite part is about the Capitol.
First up is Jamie Nobile, who works with the South Carolina State Park Service and started giving tours at the Statehouse last summer (Nobile has since transferred to another location).
The interview has been edited for length and clarity.
What is your favorite part about the Statehouse?
The mosaic stain glass (over the doors in on the second floor of the Statehouse). It's a very unique piece of art, because it's no longer manufactured in the United States. It's very thin pieces of colored glass layered on top of each other to create all the different color variations you see. And another tidbit that I usually tell guests, is that it's inlaid in lead strips still to this day, so it's really fun to give them that fact as well.
What surprises visitors most when they visit the Statehouse?
Things that really surprise a lot of guests that come through is we will tell them about our state sword. Our original state sword, it was gifted to us in 1951 by Lord Halifax. But, before that, we did have an OG sword, dated back to 1704. It was one of our oldest heirlooms, and it was just an old serpentine sword. And, unfortunately, in 1941, it grew legs and it walked off. We're not too sure who took it, where it went, or anything like that.
But on the other side in the House of Representatives, we have our mace. It's the oldest mace used by a legislative body. That also went missing for about 40 years in history.
What else do you love showing visitors?
The library (also on the second floor) ... because it's kind of a room a lot of people and especially large tour groups can't go see as well. It's the most original room here in the State House. It has the only original chandelier as well. So, it's like a fun little tidbit room that people get to see. It's the joint legislative council room now as well. So you get to tell them like, 'Hey, this is where the senators and legislators will hang out when they're in session too.' A little behind the scenes.
What's your message to people who have never been to the Statehouse?
I want them to walk away with a deeper appreciation for their state. South Carolina had such a long, rich history dating back to before we were even a colony. We were a proprietorship, so it's a very interesting story. We have Barbados-tied roots to how our colony was run. It's kind of like introducing a different side to our history for folks and letting them walk away with that, and have a deeper understanding and appreciation (for it).
Statehouse clips from around the state
- SC considers options for keeping pregnant women convicted of a crime out of prison, jail (SC Daily Gazette)
- Trump and McMaster pick for SC agriculture commissioner jumps into the race (The State)
- GOP-pushed parental rights bill passes SC House with every Democrat voting for it (Post and Courier)
- Lawmakers advance campus safety bill after deadly SC State shooting (WACH)
- South Carolina gambling bills hit early roadblocks in 2026 session (Greenville News)
- South Carolina could make changes to school grading system (WBTW)
- Clemson cuts ties with national program amid federal DEI-related investigation (SC Daily Gazette)
- Santee Cooper approves about $460M in bonds for capital projects and debt savings (WCIV)
