Our legislative session ended this year on May 8. I was proud of the way my colleagues in the Senate came together to push legislation through on the tough issues that were not necessarily “party-driven.” There is always work left to be done, but that’s why it’s a two-year session.  

This week, we passed the final budget. Click here to see all the bills that were passed by the Senate, the bills that have already been signed by the Governor, and bills that are awaiting the Governor’s Signature.  I’d like to highlight a few of the bills that passed this session, not necessarily because they were the most important issues we dealt with, but because of the interest and attention they generated.

Tort Reform

I am proud to say we were finally able to get tort reform passed that will benefit all businesses, both large and small, along with every citizen that pays for any kind of liability insurance.

H3430 closes loopholes in civil liability laws that forced businesses like trucking and logging companies, restaurants, manufacturers, and others to pay for someone else’s wrongdoing, even if those businesses contributed just 1% of fault. As mentioned many times at the bill signing ceremony yesterday, this is a good start, but it can’t be the end. Also included in this bill:

• Joint and several liability only applies to a defendant determined to be 50% or more of the total fault compared with the fault of all defendants, tortfeasors, and plaintiff.
• Settling parties and tortfeasors identified within 180 days of an action by a defendant shall be added to the verdict form for apportioning damages.
• Exclusions from the verdict form include those who conduct is willful, wanton, reckless, intentional, or involves illegal use of drugs.
• Conduct involving alcohol no longer triggers joint and several liability.
• Also, no non-defendants may be added in actions involving asbestos or PFAS.
• Drops state required liability insurance for those bars and restaurants that actively practice risk management to prevent selling to minors and people that have been overserved.

For a more detailed breakdown, please click here. 

State Treasurer Removal

The Senate passed bill S534, which called for the removal of the State Treasurer from office. It took a 2/3 vote. My vote to remove him from office was not personal. I voted for Curtis Loftis every time he ran for office. He did nothing criminally wrong, and this was not an impeachment. 

I received a text the next morning from a good friend saying it was a sad day in South Carolina when the legislature can remove a statewide elected officer. I sent him a copy of the text he sent me last in April 2024, demanding the refund that he was due because he heard Curtis Loftis on a morning talk show saying the $1.8 Billion dollars was real and it belonged to the people.  Loftis now says the money is not real, but that we earned almost $200 million in interest with it. 

In his testimony, Loftis said his Chief of Staff knew about the error in 2017, but he (Loftis) didn’t know about it until 2023. This was a triangle of errors involving the Comptroller General, the State Auditor, and the State Treasurer, where no one wanted to take ownership of the problem.  The first two have resigned.

Currently, we are under SEC investigation as a result of this debacle. The Attorney General has assigned Defense Counsel for the Treasurer’s office and budgeted $5,000,000 for their defense/help in the investigation. 

I feel like this is an old NCAA investigation, where by the time it is announced, it’s already done. At the same time, NCAA’s penalties are usually based on corrective actions the institute has taken to fix the problem.  I believe the Treasurer’s removal is one of those corrective actions we need to take. This was a business decision for the state, not a political one. 

The House did not get to the bill this session.

Fentanyl-Induced Homicide

After listening to grieving families and testimony of many law enforcement officers, we passed a bill creating the felony of fentanyl-induced homicide to capture dealers knowingly dispensing fentanyl to others who later die as a result of the drug. This will help law enforcement keep the criminals off the street. Guilty persons can face up to 30 years in prison.

Revolutionary War License Plate

Not the biggest issue by any means, but I do think this one is pretty cool. In celebration of the 250th anniversary of the American Revolution, the standard South Carolina license plate will be changing. The Sestercentennial Commission will design the license plate to include the words – “Where the Revolutionary War was Won” and also the Moultrie Flag.

Click here for more on the 250th anniversary.

Budget

We passed another balanced budget that places almost 10% in reserve funds, and includes an accelerated income tax cut that now takes us to 6%, down from 7% just 4 years ago. This will add up to approximately $1.2 billion dollars that we’ll put back in workers pockets.  

Highlights include:

• Total spending authorization for state agencies is nearly $2 billion less than Fiscal Year 2025.
• Increases starting teacher pay to from $47,000 to $48,500.
• Fully funds School Resource Officer program.
• Provides for law enforcement officer retention.
• Provides an additional $100 million for bridge repairs.
• Allocates more than $200 million for Hurricane Helene disaster relief.
• No earmarks included.

For the Conference Report Summary document, please click here.