Copper Dome Chronicle: 2025 Session Week 3
Welcome to this week’s edition of the Copper Dome Chronicle, sponsored by Advocatus. We strive for substantive writing with brevity, inspired by the book Smart Brevity.
This week’s edition, covering January 28-30, 2025, is 1,430 words or a 5.5 minute read. The 126th South Carolina General Assembly convened on Tuesday, January 14, 2025 and will adjourn on Thursday, May 8, 2025. Thanks for reading and sharing; we welcome your feedback and commentary!
Resources
Senate Budget Calendar (TBA)
FY 2025-2026 Agency Budget Requests
Week 3 Preview
The House will hold floor sessions on Tuesday (12pm), Wednesday (2pm), and Thursday (10am). However, there are no bills pending on the House calendar. Dozens of House subcommittees are meeting this week to debate legislation.
The Senate will hold floor sessions on Tuesday (12pm), Wednesday (1pm), and Thursday (11am) and has three bills on its calendar to begin the week:
S.213 (Greenville Airport Commission)
S.62 (K-12 lottery scholarships)
S.237 (set date for judicial elections)
The Senate will continue its debate on S.62. This is the Senate bill to respond to the South Carolina Supreme Court’s decision in Eidson v. Department of Education, where the Court struck down the use of Educational Scholarship Trust Fund (ESTF) accounts to pay for private school tuition as created by Act 8 of 2023. More amendments will be proposed and debated, and this week happens to be National School Choice Week. The annual school choice rally will be held on Thursday from 9am-12pm. It remains to be seen if Senate Republicans will invoke Senate Rule 15 (cloture rule) on this bill to speed its passage.
Governor McMaster will deliver his annual State of the State Address on Wednesday, January 29 at 7pm. The speech will be livestreamed on SCETV.
Week 2 Review
The House and Senate met in local session this week, which means floor sessions will be perfunctory only and no votes taken. The chambers made this decision to allow committees to meet, debate legislation, and begin populating floor calendars. Committees met on January 21 but the inclement weather cancelled several meetings on January 22 and 23; many were rescheduled for the week of January 28.
The Senate Finance Committee drew the most attention with subcommittee and full committee hearings about the $1.8B accounting error that has been widely covered in the media. Spoiler alert: this money only existed on paper and none of it was real money available for appropriation. The State Auditor resigned last week and Senator Larry Grooms renewed his call for State Treasurer Curtis Loftis to resign.
There are 52 judicial elections in 2025 between seats on the Court of Appeals, Circuit Court, Family Court, and the Administrative Law Court. The Judicial Merit Selection Committee report was published on January 16. Elections have tentatively been scheduled for February 5 via H.3760, which passed the House and is awaiting consideration in the Senate. While all judgeships are consequential, the most closely watched will be Seat 2 on the Court of Appeals to fill the vacancy when Associate Justice Letitia Verdin was elected to the South Carolina Supreme Court. Three candidates were found qualified and nominated for this seat. This will be the final set of elections under the current selection process, as the provisions of Act 219 of 2024 take effect July 1, 2025. As we have written time and time again, after the budget, judicial elections are the most important and most political activity undertaken by the General Assembly each year.
Committee Schedule Week 3
If a live stream link is not provided with a committee meeting that means no live stream is available. Additional meetings may be added during the week and while 24 hours notice is generally given, it is not always possible to provide such notice.
House Ways & Means Budget Subcommittees (14 budget hearings)
Higher Education; January 28, 10:30am; Agenda; Livestream
Economic Development; January 28, 30 minutes upon adjournment; Agenda; Livestream
Healthcare; January 28, 30 minutes upon adjournment; Agenda; Livestream
Constitutional; January 28, 90 minutes upon adjournment; Agenda; Livestream
Public Education; January 28, 90 minutes upon adjournment; Agenda; Livestream
Transportation; January 28, 90 minutes upon adjournment; Agenda; Livestream
Constitutional; January 29, 10am; Agenda; Livestream
Criminal Justice; January 29, 10am; Agenda; Livestream
Healthcare; January 29, 10am; Agenda; Livestream
Public Education; January 29, 10am; Agenda; Livestream
Higher Education; January 29, 12pm; Agenda; Livestream
Economic Development; January 29, 30 minutes upon adjournment; Agenda; Livestream
Transportation; January 29, 3pm; Agenda; Livestream
Higher Education; January 30, 9am; Agenda; Livestream
Senate Meetings
Senate Family & Veterans Services Committee
January 28, 10:15am; Agenda; Livestream
Summary: There are two bills and two resolutions on the agenda: S.89 (SC Military Affairs Council), S.195 (Honoring Marquis de Lafayette), S.218 (veterans nursing home admissions criteria) and S.224 (designate January as Mentoring Month). For fun, have a listen to Cabinet Battle #1, Cabinet Battle #2, and Guns and Ships from the musical Hamilton.
Senate Finance Committee
January 28, 3pm; Agenda; Livestream
Summary: There is one bill on the agenda: S.253 (state audit support), a joint resolution authorizing the hiring of an independent compliance consultant and implementation of recommendations in the AlixPartners report released January 15. This hearing is in regards to the mysterious $1.8B in state funds discovered in 2024 that ultimately turned out to be non-existent as the result of accounting errors.
Senate Judiciary Subcommittee
January 28, 3:30pm; Agenda; Livestream
Summary: There are five bills on the agenda: S.28 (child abuse via artificial intelligence), S.29 (morphed images of minors), S.74 (electronic records disclosure), S.143 (orders of protection), and S.180 (orders of protection).
Senate Special Committee on South Carolina’s Energy Future
January 29, 10am; Agenda; Livestream
Summary: The special committee will hear testimony on possible legislation solutions for large energy users.
Senate Fish, Game and Forestry Committee
January 29, 10am; Agenda; Livestream
Summary: There are two bills on the agenda and one confirmation hearing: S.167 ( South Carolina Waterways Protection Act) and S.26 (watercraft liability insurance). Mr. Tom Mullikin, the nominee for Director of the Department of Natural Resources, will have his confirmation hearing.
Senate Banking & Insurance Subcommittee
January 29, 11am; Agenda; Livestream (none)
Summary: There is one bill on the agenda: S.163 (cryptocurrency).
Senate LCI Committee
January 30, 9am; Agenda; Livestream
Summary: There are nine regulations on the agenda for consideration.
Senate Judiciary Subcommittee
January 30, 10am; Agenda; Livestream
Summary: There are two bills on the agenda: S.184 (dram shop/liquor liability) and S.244 (tort reform plus dram shop). These bills are priority legislation for the hospitality and alcohol industries, as well as the broader business community regarding tort reform efforts.
Senate Medical Affairs Subcommittee
January 30, 10am; Agenda; Livestream
Summary: There is one bill on the agenda: S.2 (behavioral healthcare agency restructuring). This legislation is a top priority for Governor McMaster and several members of legislative leadership.
House Meetings
House Judiciary DRBP Subcommittee
January 28, 11am; Agenda; Livestream
Summary: There are four bills on the agenda: H.3020 (delete crime of playing pinball), H.3432 (grantor trust reimbursement), H.3472 (small estates), and H.3502 (child welfare proceedings).
House Agriculture, Natural Resources, and Environmental Affairs Subcommittee
January 28, 90 minutes upon adjournment; Agenda; Livestream
Summary: There are two bills on the agenda: H.3503 (prohibit solid waste or mining facilities near public areas) and H.3656 (prohibit denial to repair/replace septic tanks or wells).
House Education & Public Works Higher Education Subcommittee
January 28, 90 minutes upon adjournment; Agenda; Livestream
Summary: The subcommittee will receive presentations from the Commission on Higher Education, the Lottery Commission, and the Tuition Grants Commission.
House Education & Public Works Committee
January 28, immediately upon adjournment of Higher Education Subcommittee or 4pm whichever is later; Agenda; Livestream
Summary: The full committee will receive presentations from the Education Oversight Committee, the Department of Education, and the Department of Motor Vehicles.
House Regulations and Administrative Procedures Environment and Natural Resources Subcommittee
January 29, 9am; Agenda; Livestream
Summary: There are four regulations on the agenda from the Department of Natural Resources.
House LCI Public Utilities Subcommittee
January 29, 10am; Agenda; Livestream
Summary: The subcommittee will consider H.3309 (SC Energy Security Act), priority legislation for House Speaker Murrell Smith and the House Republican Caucus.
House Judiciary Criminal Laws Subcommittee
January 29, 1pm; Agenda; Livestream
Summary: There are three bills on the agenda: H.3523 (organized retail theft), H.3650 (discharging firearms into dwellings), and H.3394 (homicide by child abuse).
House Regulations and Administrative Procedures Education & Public Works Subcommittee
January 30, 9am; Agenda; Livestream
Summary: As of January 26 no agenda has been posted.
House Judiciary Constitutional Laws Subcommittee
January 30, 9am; Agenda; Livestream
Summary: There are five bills on the agenda: H.3007 (Convention of States balanced budget), H.3008 (Convention of States term limits), H.3521 (11th Circuit family court judges), H.3529 (family court judges), and H.3570 (economic interests disclosures).
House Judiciary General Laws Subcommittee
January 30, 9am; Agenda; Livestream
Summary: There are three bills on the agenda: H.3048 (coroner qualifications), H.3127 (felony failure to stop) and H.3276 (Hands-Free and Distracted Driving Act).
Joint Meetings
Joint Insurance Study Committee
January 28, 2pm; Agenda; Livestream
Summary: This is the final meeting and the committee will consider its study report.
Key Dates
January 14, 2025: Session Convenes
January 16, 2025: Judicial Merit Selection Commission final report published
January 29, 2025: State of the State
February 5, 2025: Judicial elections (subject to change)
February 13, 2025: Board of Economic Advisors (BEA) February revenue estimate
March 10-14, 2025: House floor budget deliberations
March 17-21, 2025: House Furlough Week (tentative)
April 10, 2025: Crossover Day (Senate bills to the House only)
April 10, 2025: Board of Economic Advisors (BEA) April revenue estimate
April 14-18, 2025: House Furlough Week
April 21-25, 2025: Senate floor budget deliberations (tentative)
May 8, 2025: Session Adjourns
July 1, 2025: Fiscal Year 2025-2026 begins
