South Carolina General Assembly

Jan. 16, 2025

Jan. 15, 2025

Jan. 14, 2025

Republicans in the South Carolina General Assembly have taken the rare move of rejecting the only remaining candidate in a race to be a circuit judge. Some Republicans in recent days had become unhappy with James Smith's positions on abortion during his two decades in the South Carolina House and his unsuccessful 2018 Democratic run for governor.

Progress is being made in getting more women into leadership positions in South Carolina. The election of a sixth woman to the 46-member Senate in January pulled South Carolina up from last place in the U.S. in the percentage of women in its upper chamber.

After months of just talking among themselves, lawmakers in South Carolina are finally debating making changes in how the General Assembly chooses judges. Senators on Thursday tool up a bill altering the procedure for picking who sits on the bench.

Even though the General Assembly isn’t in session this summer the Republican controlled House of Representatives finds itself in turmoil following a recent federal court ruling which may have un-intentionally blown a hole in the state ethics act.

This year’s session of the General Assembly officially ended this week. The Republican led legislature was able to enact a number of G-O-P priorities this session, such as a new six-week abortion law, reform of the state’s bail- bond system, combatting the fentanyl epidemic, streamlining DHEC the state’s public health agency, and approving a record-setting state budget.

The $100 million deadlock in South Carolina's $13 billion budget erupted into public view Wednesday as the highest ranking House Democrat accused the Senate's budget leader of "putting pets over people." House Minority Leader Todd Rutherford directed the line at Senate Finance Committee Chairman Harvey Peeler for insisting on money for the state's first veterinary school at Clemson University. Peeler says House members have refused to meet with senators and are threatening pay raises for state employees, teachers and state law enforcement officers over the small, petty dispute. The state won't close without a budget on July 1, but no new money could be spent without passing the new spending plan.

This year’s regular session of the General Assembly ended late Thursday, May 11, 2023. It ended where it began with Republicans attempting to enact a new, restrictive abortion bill. A House committee this week approved and sent to the full House a six-week, heartbeat bill similar to a law the state Supreme Court overturned in January. Gov. McMaster plans to call lawmakers back to Columbia next week, and House Speaker Murrell Smith vowed the House will pass the bill which has already been approved by the Senate.