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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: Boat tax cut goes to gov's desk, Senate puts school bathroom use bill in priority slot

South Carolina Public Radio | By Maayan Schechter,
Gavin Jackson
Published March 25, 2026 at 6:01 AM EDT
Ethics Committee Chairman Jay Jordan, R-Florence, Speaker Pro Tem Tommy Pope, R-York, and House Majority Leade Davey Hiott, R-Pickens, in the House chamber at the South Carolina Statehouse on March 24, 2026.
GAVIN JACKSON
S.C. House Ethics Committee Chairman Jay Jordan, R-Florence, Speaker Pro Tem Tommy Pope, R-York, and House Majority Leader Davey Hiott, R-Pickens, in the House chamber at the South Carolina Statehouse on March 24, 2026.

It's Wednesday, March 25.

The House gavels in for session at 10 a.m.

The Senate will return at 1 p.m.

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.

First, congratulations to the House Amenders, who reclaimed the softball throne by defeating the Senate Filibusters 11-7 at Founders Park last night to take home the the 2026 BlueCross Blue Shield of South Carolina Mary Elizabeth Mullikin annual legislative softball game trophy.

After a close seven innings, the House took home the trophy after losing last year to the Senate for the first time in years.

We anticipate absolutely zero gloating inside the lower chamber today.

The annual event was recently named after the late Mary Elizabeth Mullikin, a lobbyist and daughter of Thomas Mullikin, director of the state's Department of Natural Resources.

State leaders — Gov. Henry McMaster, Senate President Thomas Alexander and House Speaker Murrell Smith — joined Mullikin's family for a pre-game ceremony.

Director Mullikin threw out the opening pitch, and state Rep. Roger Kirby, D-Florence, sang an operatic national anthem.

in the House chamber at the South Carolina Statehouse on March 24, 2026.
GAVIN JACKSON
in the House chamber at the South Carolina Statehouse on March 24, 2026.

And speaking of contests, while it may be March Madness on the courts for some South Carolina teams, it's also South Carolina Manufacturing Madness.

More than 200,000 votes were cast in the fifth annual South Carolina Manufacturers and Commerce competition for the coolest thing made in the Palmetto State

This year's winner was the Boeing 787 Dreamliner that is built in the North Charleston plant that employs some 9,000 people.

The aircraft beat out the Constant Velocity Joint made by JTEKT, Greenville; the PFX Flex Sub-Lite-Wall by Zeus in Orangeburg and the CardioEducator by NursEdvance Innovations in Richland County.

The Manufacturers and Commerce association said manufacturing adds more than $300 billion a year to the state's economy, supporting about 30% of all jobs statewide.

Previous coolest thing winners include Nucor Steel Berkeley, Lockheed Martin’s F-16 Fighting Falcon, Honda’s Talon 1000R-4, and Gallo’s High Noon Sun Sips.

Notebook highlights:

  • House lawmakers send another tax cut to the governor's desk, Senate highlights and what else is on the chamber's agenda
  • The return of our tiny mic with tour guide series, with a look at some of the movies that graced the Statehouse

House steers boat bill to the gov

The South Carolina House returned Tuesday from its weeklong furlough but left the floor almost as quickly as they arrived.

They did not leave, however, before taking two closely-watched actions:

  • The House voted unanimously to concur (agree) to Senate changes on H. 3858, sponsored by Charleston Republican Rep. Gary Brewer, which would nearly cut in half property taxes on boats that are registered in the state, phasing in the exemption over three years, and eliminate the requirement for owners to title an outboard boat motor. An updated state fiscal impact statement reports the cut will reduce county property tax revenue by nearly $40 million by the time the tax cut is fully phased in. The legislation now heads to the governor's desk.
S.C. REVENUE AND FISCAL AFFAIR'S OFFICE
S.C. REVENUE AND FISCAL AFFAIR'S OFFICE

  • The House requested debate over another Brewer bill — H. 4817 — that positions the legislation for a heavier debate expected today. The insurance-related legislation in part aims to increase oversight over insurance fraud, creates penalties for violations of policyholder protections and tweaks particular sales and income tax measures.

In other House business, fresh off his appointment as the new South Carolina poet laureate, the House Education and Public Works Committee temporarily delayed passage on Tuesday of legislation to name "Carolina When I Die" by Patrick Davis the state's third official state song.

Davis actually sang the song to the committee virtually.

A concern of some on the committee?

The line in the song that references “señoritas of the night.

We understand the song sponsor is open to amendments.

Rep. Gary Brewer, R-Charleston, speaks on his boat tax cut bill H. 3858 that now heads to the governor's desk the in the House chamber at the South Carolina Statehouse on March 24, 2026.
GAVIN JACKSON
Rep. Gary Brewer, R-Charleston, speaks on his boat tax cut bill H. 3858 in the House chamber at the South Carolina Statehouse on March 24, 2026.

What about the Senate?

In what could have felt like a bit of deja vu, the chamber took the third and final vote over two contested proposals that senators worked through just last week.

  • S. 922: Sponsored by Senate Majority Leader Shane Massey, R-Edgefield, the bill mostly deals with governor appointments and the Senate's role as it relates to advice and consent. The Senate added a measure that would remove Dr. Edward Simmer, Gov. Henry McMaster's nominee to lead the state Department of Public Health, by May 14, the final day of the legislative session. Simmer, who was previously the director of what was the Department of Health and Environmental Control, has been serving in an interim capacity since the agency was split into two. Democrats tried unsuccessfully Tuesday to move the date to Dec. 31, because, their amendment said, it would be "to the detriment" of the state to remove the director. The bill now heads to the House.
  • H. 3924: Sponsored by Rep. Chris Wooten, R-Lexington, the legislation regulates the sale and access to consumable hemp drinks and gummies to 21 and older. Under Senate changes, retailers can sell 5 milligram THC drinks but from behind the counter. Any milligram higher must be sold from a liquor store, and gummies can only be sold at liquor stores from behind the counter. The bill now goes back to the House, which can decide whether to amend it further, agree to the Senate changes and send it to the governor or decide to push the bill to a conference committee between three House members and three senators.

What else does the Senate plan to deal with this week?

The Senate placed H. 4756, sponsored by Rep. Tommy Pope, R-York, on special order, which positions the bill in a priority status slot. The bill, often referred to as the "bathroom bill," would require anyone at K-12 public schools and college and universities to use the restroom, locker room or changing room that corresponds to their biological sex at birth.

The bill codifies what is law now under a budget item, but it also would further expand the law's reach. And it would require all public school and college and university buildings to have at least one single-user restroom and changing facility.

Though the debate is on the special order calendar, Senate leaders said there's a stack of bills the chamber will have to get through before the bill comes up for debate on the floor.

What else is the Senate expected to get through?

Leaders said the chamber could take up the House's tax conformity legislation, a bill that would conform the state's tax code for one year to changes made under the federal legislation signed by President Donald Trump last year, known as the "Big Beautiful Bill."

And senators may tackle a road naming bill — H. 4982, sponsored by Rep. Heather Crawford, R-Horry — that would ask the state transportation department to name a portion of the future Interstate 73, long a dream road project for the Grand Strand business community, after the president.

Democrats have their own resolution — S. 1040, sponsored by Sen. Darrell Jackson, D-Richland — that asks to name a portion of Interstate 77 from U.S. Highway 1 to Interstate 20 in Richland County after former President Barack Obama.

Sen. Ed Sutton, D-Charleston, speaks with Sen. Deon Tedder, D-Charleston, and Sen. Rusell Ott, D-Calhoun, during the hemp derived consumable debate in the Senate chamber at the Statehouse on March 19, 2026. during the hemp derived consumable debate in the Senate chamber at the Statehouse on March 19, 2026.
GAVIN JACKSON
S.C. Sen. Ed Sutton, D-Charleston, speaks with Sen. Deon Tedder, D-Charleston, and Sen. Russell Ott, D-Calhoun, during the hemp-derived consumable debate in the Senate chamber at the Statehouse on March 19, 2026.

Tiny mics with tour guides

We are back with our tiny mics with tour guides series, an occasional series we launched this year.

We decided to bring the tiny mics to the people who know the Statehouse history best and ask them their favorite stories.

Our next guide is Billy Routh, a native South Carolinian, a retired lobbyist and a familiar face for nearly four decades between the Statehouse halls who decided to join the guides and share his love for state history.

The interview has been edited for length and clarity.

What is one of your favorite parts about the Statehouse?

It's hard to to nail down a favorite. Of course, having worked for the House of Representatives, that chamber is very special to me. I've spent a lot of time in there, made a lot of friends, same (with) downstairs in the governor's office. I spent 10 years down there, so, I've got a lot of wonderful memories in this building, and it's fun being able to share some of those stories with the folks that come to take a tour of the Statehouse.

What surprises people when they visit the Statehouse?

One of the things I think surprises most people when they come is the realization that we have a fake dome that is underneath the dome that they see on the exterior of the building. One of the other things that always gets a laugh out of people is when they find out about the Senate sword and the House mace both having been stolen. The mace was recovered, the sword we didn't, but that always seems to get people's interest as well.

Many people notice that big chunk missing out of the John C. Calhoun statue in the middle of the Statehouse lobby. You know the back story because you were there. What happened?

One of the things we get asked about a lot is the chip that's on the statue of John C. Calhoun. And I was here the day that that accident occurred. It was in 1998. We had just completed a three-year renovation of the Statehouse and all of the artifacts that were in the building, and they were taken out for the renovation and being brought back in.

The base of the Calhoun statue was on a strap, and two cranes were simultaneously moving it up the steps, the north steps of the Statehouse and into the building when the cranes got a little out of sync with each other.

As a result, the granite started swinging back and forth, and right when it got to the top of the steps, it dropped out of the sling and bounced down the steps of the north side of the Statehouse, causing the damage that you see today. There was, from what I understand, a lot of discussion among the Statehouse Committee, members of the House and Senate, to decide what to do about it, whether to repair it or not. The decision was made to leave it as is, and that makes for a great story.

Most people don't know that there were movies filmed at the Statehouse. What's an example of a movie filmed here?

The first movie that I remember was when I was working in Gov. Caroll Campbell's office in the mid-90s. It was a football movie called "The Program," which starred actor James Caan, who is probably best known for his role in the "Godfather" movies. But those who have been around Columbia for a while may remember that movie because a lot of the football scenes were filmed during the halftime of the University of South Carolina football games at the stadium. Many of the scenes were also filmed here at the Statehouse.

Campbell's office was actually used for some of the scenes in the movie, as well as the underground parking garage.

In 2010, Caan was again in another movie here at the Statehouse, a movie called "Nailed." It actually came out under the name "Accidental Love." It starred Caan as well, until he was fired from the set by the director for not following directions. The movie also included Catherine Keener and Jessica Biel. It also starred Jake Gyllenhaal.

Celebrities, from film to music and politics, have also come through the Statehouse. Who are some of the big ones?

As far as politicians, because South Carolina is an early primary state for both the Republican and Democratic parties, we see anybody who's even considering running for president of the United States come to the state of South Carolina.

The first one that comes to mind is Dwight Eisenhower. But John F. Kennedy came in 1960 when he was running for president. And, of course, I love this picture of when Ronald Reagan held a rally on the Statehouse steps when he was running for president.

We've had a number of celebrities over the years, basically any South Carolinian of note has been to the Statehouse to be honored by the House or Senate chambers. But also Arnold Schwarzenegger came to the Statehouse shortly after George H.W. Bush was elected president.

Schwarzenegger came here after he had been named chairman of the President's Council on Physical Fitness and spoke to the General Assembly.

Probably my favorite memory of all the many years I've been around the Statehouse was in April of 2002, when South Carolina's own James Brown, the "Godfather of Soul," came and spoke at the Statehouse when he received an award and then went and sang with a group on the south steps and sang his famous song, "I Feel Good," which is just a wonderful memory.

Billy Routh
MAAYAN SCHECHTER
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Billy Routh

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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