March 9th Update

Sunday, March 9, 2026

WEEK 8 LEGISLATIVE UPDATE

Public Safety, Affordability, and Putting South Carolina First
Last week at the State House, House Republicans focused on legislation that strengthens public safety, helps families keep more of their hard-earned money, and puts South Carolina first. Here’s a quick recap of the progress we made.

Public Safety Week at the State House
Keeping our communities safe remains a top priority. Last week, the House passed a juvenile crime reform package focused on holding violent offenders accountable and improving communication between law enforcement, schools, and families. H.5120, sponsored by Rep. Brandon Cox, helps law enforcement better identify repeat juvenile offenders by requiring fingerprinting and photographs and improving information sharing. H.4151, sponsored by Rep. Weston Newton, allows 16 and 17-year-olds charged with serious violent crimes to be prosecuted in adult court when appropriate. Together, these bills give our justice system better tools to respond to violent crime and help ensure serious offenses carry serious consequences. Both bills now head to the Senate for consideration.

The House also passed the HALO Act (H.4763) sponsored by Rep. Melissa Oremus, to better protect the law enforcement officers, first responders, and healthcare workers who serve our communities every day. This bill creates a 25-foot buffer zone to prevent harassment or interference while they are responding to active situations, allowing them to focus on doing their jobs and protecting lives. It’s a simple but important step to make sure the men and women who put themselves in harm’s way for us have the support and protection they deserve. We often see footage on the news of law enforcement encountering dangerous resistance or interference by outsiders during an incident, but did you know that every day in South Carolina hospitals, there are an average of 7 injuries to healthcare workers through acts of violence as well? The SC State House hopes that by putting a strong deterrent through a clear message that this behavior is intolerable and illegal, we will help prevent unnecessary injury or worse. In case you missed it last week, here is the video of my speech in favor of this bill in Judiciary Committee. I also made comments on the matter in my latest Facebook post, linked here.

Fargo’s, Hyco’s, Rico’s, Coba’s, Wick’s, and Mikka’s Law (H.3034) sponsored by Rep. Neil Collins advanced out of House Judiciary Subcommittee last week, strengthening penalties for those who harm or kill a law enforcement horse or K9 officer. Handlers and K9 officers from 40 counties across South Carolina came to the State House to advocate for the bill and stand up for the K9s who serve alongside them. These highly trained dogs track dangerous criminals, protect their handlers, and play a vital role in keeping our communities safe.
 

Street takeovers are reckless and dangerous events that put lives at risk. H.4292, sponsored by Rep. David Martin, cracks down on these illegal gatherings and holds participants accountable. The bill passed the House Judiciary Criminal Law Subcommittee last week and now moves forward in the legislative process, giving law enforcement stronger tools to stop dangerous behavior and keep our roads safe.

Fighting for Affordability
House Republicans continue working on policies that help South Carolinians keep more of what they earn and protect families from rising costs. Last week, the House Ways and Means Committee advancedH.3368, South Carolina’s tax conformity legislation. The bill aligns the state’s tax code with federal provisions so taxpayers can benefit from federal tax relief measures, including provisions from the “One Big Beautiful Bill,” while also simplifying the filing process and preventing unexpected tax increases. House Republicans remain committed to lowering taxes and making South Carolina more affordable.
 

The Insurance Rate Reduction and Policyholder Protection Act (H.4817) advanced in a House Labor, Commerce, and Industry committee last week. This legislation focuses on bringing greater transparency and oversight to insurance rate increases while strengthening protections for policyholders. The goal is to make coverage more affordable and accessible for South Carolina families while ensuring consumers are treated fairly and protected from unfair practices.

Putting South Carolina First
Chinese Telecommunications Ownership Prohibition H.4974) sponsored by Rep. Doug Gilliam passed the House Medical, Military, Public and Municipal Affairs (3M) Committee last week, taking an important step to protect South Carolina’s military installations and national security. The bill establishes a 25-mile buffer zone around state and federal military bases and prohibits companies owned or controlled by the Chinese Communist Party from owning or controlling land in that area for telecommunications or broadcasting towers. It also requires certain equipment to be replaced with American-made technology installed by U.S. companies, ensuring critical infrastructure near our bases is secure. This legislation puts South Carolina and American security first by standing up to foreign adversaries and protecting sensitive military operations.

(The House passes H.4982, designating the future Interstate-73 as the PRESIDENT DONALD J. TRUMP HIGHWAY. President Trump played a key role in advancing this project, championing infrastructure that strengthens our economy, supports American workers, and connects communities across the country. Naming this future interstate in his honor recognizes his leadership and commitment to building a stronger America. Thank you to Representative Heather Ammons Crawford for championing this legislation and helping bring it across the finish line.

Update on Legislation I Have Proposed
My bill calling for Training for First Responders Regarding Autism H.3285) passed out of the Senate Judiciary Subcommittee last week. I was notified that it will be heard in the full Judiciary Committee on Tuesday, March 10th, upon adjournment of the Senate Session. As you may recall, this bill passed unanimously through the House General Laws Subcommittee, Judiciary Committee, and the full House last year and was sent over to the Senate in early April. It takes a lot of follow-up to be sure that a bill makes it all the way through the process to become law, even if it is not controversial or problematic. On behalf of the thousands of families in South Carolina who have an autistic child or adult, I will be grateful when this bill is signed by the Governor. In the meantime, it looks like my bill (H.3769) adding autism to the list of qualifying conditions for a Handicapped Plate or Placard, which currently resides in the Education and Public Works Committee, will likely be added on to another related bill in order to pass through the process before the end of Session. Whatever works, we just need to get these bills completed!

(I am still working hard behind the scenes to get a hearing for my bill regarding Solar Storms and Electromagnetic Pulse Protection (H.4818), which currently resides in the Ways and Means Committee. This bill should have been sent to the Medical, Military, Public and Municipal Affairs Committee because it involves a serious risk to municipalities about which the military has a great concern. Chairman Sylleste Davis has said she would be willing to hold a hearing on this, but first it has to be pulled from Ways and Means via Unanimous Consent. I have been trying to do this for several weeks, but as you can imagine, Chairman Bannister of Ways and Means has been extremely busy. I hope to accomplish this in the week ahead while there is still time for a hearing before it's too late for this year's Session.

H.5065, Enhanced Punishment for Crimes Against Minors, currently resides in the Criminal Law Subcommittee of the Judiciary Committee. Seeing no movement in the first several weeks since I introduced this bill, I spoke with Chairman Jeff Johnson this past week and handed him a printed-out copy of the bill. He is reviewing it and will work with the Legal Counsel for the Judiciary Committee about possibly scheduling a hearing. 

What Happened to the Closed Primaries Bill in Judiciary Committee This Week?
Some of you have already let me know you were watching the Committee meeting this past Tuesday. The agenda had been changed to include H.5183, which was the compromise bill that was written after the Constitutional Law Subcommittee Hearing in which many of my constituents and others testified on behalf of either of the two earlier bills. The meeting was of the Ad Hoc Tort Reform Committee, which is a "committee of the whole," of the Members of Judiciary. I am not sure why the item was added to this agenda instead of a regular Judiciary Committee meeting. As we were wrapping up debate about the first two matters of discussion regarding Tort Reform, a Democrat Representative suddenly called for adjournment. There had been no mention of the final item on the agenda, no explanation that we were running out of time (and it was not that late yet), and no indication that we would take up remaining items in our next regular committee meeting. I found out that since the item was on the agenda due to House Rule 4.6, where a House Member not on the Judiciary Committee had written a formal request that this item be brought up for a hearing, it was tacked onto the agenda at the last minute. You can see from the video below that I was very surprised, and expressed my dismay that it was not even mentioned when we would take this up in the future. There continues to be a strong opinion among some Members of the House that even if we could pass a closed primary bill, the Senate would not pass it, and the Governor would not sign it. The reasons given have to do with Members who live in "purple districts," or Republicans who say that they are in an area where the only choices of candidates are all Democrats (such as for a Sheriff's race), and they don't want to be kept out of voting in the primary. Some also claim President Trump would not have won his Primary Elections if we had closed primaries. What I know is that the vast majority of Republicans, and apparently many Democrat voters as well are proud to be in their party and want to be able to declare it officially. Also, most of us believe that Republican candidates should be chosen by Republicans, not to have Democrats cross over into our primary and help choose the candidate they want us to have. My feeling is that we should hear the agenda item, pass it on to the House floor, and let the Members vote. If it passes and goes to the Senate and fails, or goes to the Governor and he vetoes it, that is their issue, but it should not deter us from getting an up or down vote on it. You can hear an interview of me about this topic by Corey Allen on Palmetto Talk Live by clicking here. Unfortunately, there is no time stamp for when it starts, but the Dorchester County Party Chairman CJ Westfall speaks about this subject first, followed by a brief section about the MMR vaccine bill that was defeated in the Senate Subcommittee meeting, and then my interview.

Around the District and the Lowcountry
This week, we had a visit to the State House from the Charleston County Teachers of the Year. It was a joy to honor these men and women for their dedication to the education of our children. In addition to a hearty welcome in the House Chambers, Members from the Charleston County Delegation were able to meet each one of these hard-working educators in person and have a picture taken together with the whole group. Thanks to Clara Heinsohn who coordinated the visit and keeps us up-to-date on the latest news from CCSD and Superintendent Anita Huggins!