Legislative Update
South Carolina Baptist Convention
Legislative Update
As of this writing, there are only 8 legislative days left in the 2025 session. The House is in recess this week and the Senate is busy with committee meetings and full Senate debate on several bills. Because there is no crossover deadline for this session, either chamber can consider any bill that the other chamber passes until the last day of the session.
Between now and the end of the session, both chambers are likely to focus on tort reform, school choice, and tax reform. Three bills related to a major expansion of gambling are sitting in the Senate and the House. One would legalize casino gambling, one would allow pari-mutuel wagering on horse racing, and one would open the state to sports wagering. There is a national push by gambling interests to gain ground in states where sports wagering and casinos are illegal.
It is unlikely any of the gambling bills will pass before the end of the 2025 session, but these bills will undoubtedly reappear in the 2026 session. All the bills related to gambling are receiving increased media attention.
Please check your email regularly for Legislative Updates and Action Alerts from SCBaptist.
The South Carolina Senate approved S32, The Pregnancy Care Tax Credit. The legislation amends the South Carolina code of laws to establish the Pregnancy Resource Act to provide a tax credit for voluntary cash contributions made to a pregnancy resource center or crisis pregnancy center, and provide guidelines for the credit. The votes on second reading were 45 ayes and 0 nays. The Senate is expected to pass the bill on third reading next week. The Senate will then send it to the House, where passage is expected.
Last week, South Carolina became the first state to pass through at least one chamber, a ban on diversity, equity, and inclusion that mirrors President Trump’s Executive Order. H3927 is known as the “Ending Illegal Discrimination and Restoring Merit-based Opportunity Act.” Its purpose is “to prohibit every office, division, or other unit by name of every office or department of this state, and all its political subdivisions, including institutions of higher learning and school districts from promoting diversity, equity, and inclusion. The bill seeks “to promote individual initiative, excellence and hard work.” The final vote was yeas 82 and nays 32. It is unclear whether the Senate will take up this legislation before the end of the session.
The House, Senate, and Governor’s Office rolled out a major tax reform plan that would eventually lower the state’s income tax rate from its highest marginal rate (6.2%) to a flat rate of 3.99%. Additional state income level triggers could further lower the new flat rate to 2.49%. It also replaces the federal standard deduction and personal exemption with the “South Carolina Income Adjusted Deduction that is based on various income levels. The bill has encountered significant push back from critics who say the plan would result in higher taxes for South Carolina’s lowest income earners. Lawmakers in both chambers are looking for a solution. South Carolina currently has the highest state income tax in the region. If lawmakers find a path to passage for this bill, it will make South Carolina home to the lowest state income tax in the region (excluding Florida and Tennessee which has no personal income tax rate).
It is unlikely the House or the Senate will move to pass a parental rights bill before the end of the session. Neither bill has a scheduled subcommittee hearing. 2025 is the first year of a two-year session, meaning both parental rights bills can be considered in 2026 without having to be reintroduced. The leadership in the House and Senate favor passing legislation to strengthen parent rights, so I think we will see legislation strengthening parent rights pass in 2026.
BILLS RELATED TO GAMBLING
This bill would legalize casino gambling and create a State Commission to set rules for casino operators and determine how to use gambling tax revenue. There are many reasons to oppose all forms of gambling. The ERLC has produced research that can be found here gambling. I have several resources that will give you additional information about the negative effects of gambling. If you would like to receive them, please send an email to tbeam@ngu.edu.
The South Carolina Equine Advancement Act would establish the SC Equine Commission to set up application guidelines for pari-mutuel wagering and provide definitions related to horse racing. Money from betting on the races would be used, at least in part, to advance the equine industry in South Carolina. While the language of the bill restricts the wagering activity to horse racing, it opens the door to the expansion of gambling and unnecessarily links another South Carolina industry to growth at the expense of the losses to its citizens through gambling.
The South Carolina Sports Wagering Act will establish the South Carolina Sports Wagering Commission that will have the power to grant licenses to 8 venders who will provide access to betting on sporting events. The legislation sets the application for license fee at $100,000, with a fee of $1 million per license granted. Eighty-two percent of the taxes collected from sports wagering profits will go to the state general fund. Ten percent will go to municipalities and counties based on population as reported in the most recent census data. Money to these entitles will be dispensed quarterly and can be used for local infrastructure projects. Three percent will be used to cover the administrative costs of the Commission and five percent will go to the Department of Mental Health. Many news outlets are reporting on both the rise and the danger of addiction related to sports wagering. Multiple studies have revealed a link between bankruptcies, high credit card debt, and financial ruin.
OTHER LEGISLATION
A special subcommittee of the Senate Labor, Commerce, and Industry Committee discussed the South Carolina Social Media Regulation Act. The Committee voted to recommend the bill to the full committee. Social media companies use addictive algorithms to get young people hooked on their products. This bill will support the parent’s role in monitoring and protecting their minor children from the negative influence of social media.
This bill will allow the state to streamline the adoption process. The current cumbersome adoption process makes it difficult and expensive for couples to adopt. The Senate Family and Veteran Services Committee gave the bill a favorable report. The committee staff is finalizing the language of an amendment so the Senate can consider the bill. This bill is an important step in the process of reforming adoption laws through deregulation and a reduction in the amount of red tape involved. Hopefully, it will encourage more couples to adopt and encourage more women who see their pregnancy as a crisis to choose adoption over abortion.
The Education Scholarship Trust Fund bill would be the Legislature’s most recent attempt to expand school choice in South Carolina. The House sent the amended bill back to the Senate for a vote scheduled for Wednesday, April 16. The House amended version allows more students to qualify and would eventually phase out the requirements for qualification, allowing all students to be eligible for the scholarship.
Please familiarize yourself with these bills and if you have any questions, you are welcome email me at tbeam@ngu.edu.
To find out who your state senator and representative are and how to contact them, go to www.scstatehouse.gov.
He must increase, I must decrease,
Dr. Tony Beam
SCBaptist Policy Consultant
