2023-2024

The Senate spent most of the week in chamber working its way through the calendar in preparation of the full Senate debate on the budget bill (H.

The Senate spent most of this week on the floor working through its calendar in preparation for the Thursday, April 11 crossover deadline. This deadline requires any bill that has not crossed over to the other chamber to receive a two-thirds vote to be considered. The House was on furlough this week and the Senate will be in perfunctory session next week.

Both chambers worked through their respective calendars in advance of the April 11 crossover deadline. Bills that have not crossed over from their originating chamber will require a two-thirds vote after the deadline to be considered by the other chamber. In advance of furlough next week, the House passed one of its priority pieces of legislation — a comprehensive 10-year energy bill (H. 5118) — and sent it to the Senate.

It was a productive week at the State House.

The House debated and passed H. 5164 to revise the Education Scholarship Trust Fund Program enacted in 2023.

The Senate finished debate and gave third reading to the Judicial Merit Selection Reform bill, S. 1046.

The House this week passed the 2024-25 state budget including an increase to the Local Government Fund. A Senate Medical Affairs subcommittee took up S. 763, a bill that would alleviate the financial burdens placed on counties in the disposal of waste tires. The subcommittee carried the bill over due to last minute concerns from manufacturers. 

Please contact members of the Senate Medical Affairs subcommittee to express your support of passing the bill.

Legislators met in a Joint Assembly this week and elected Hon. John W. Kittredge as the new Chief Justice of the South Carolina Supreme Court. The Senate spent most of the week debating a Judicial Merit Selection Commission reform bill (S. 1046) that was previously set for special order.

After weeks of the judicial elections being held up in the Senate, legislators reached a resolution by placing a judicial reform bill (S. 1046) in the special order status. Senators began debating the bill Thursday. The Senate and House then agreed to hold the election for the South Carolina Supreme Court Chief Justice at noon March 6. All the other judicial elections will be at noon April 17.

The Senate debated several bills this week and passed S.915, which creates the Executive Office of Health and Policy.