June 28th Weekly Update

Sunday, June 28, 2026

Happy Carolina Day! Many in the Charleston area will continue celebrating today our 250th anniversary of the day the Battle of Sullivan's Island was won. The story is legendary, of Patriots hunkering down in Fort Moultrie with a structure made of resilient Palmetto Tree wood in order to survive the attack of the British Navy. Thankfully for our nation, they not only survived, but this was seen as a turning point in the Revolutionary War. This week, we went back to Columbia for Session to vote on various Conference Committee reports on critical bills that had been negotiated, vetoes from the Governor, and we thought possibly, the Budget. Unfortunately, the latter was not ready yet as the Conference Committee cannot agree on several points. Finally, as you all know we now have our candidates for the General Election in November, and I will say a few words about that.

Bills We Were Able to Pass This Week:

Big Win for South Carolina's Small Businesses!

The South Carolina House has passed the Small Business Regulatory Freedom Act (H.3021) a major step toward cutting unnecessary government red tape and creating a stronger, more competitive business climate.

Small businesses are the backbone of our communities. They create jobs, support local families, and drive our state's economy. That's why House Republicans are working to make it easier, not harder, to start, grow, and succeed in South Carolina. H.3021 now heads to the Governor's desk!

✅ Cuts unnecessary regulations

✅ Increases accountability in state government

✅ Removes burdensome red tape

✅ Helps job creators focus on growing their businesses, not navigating bureaucracy



We're keeping South Carolina one of the best places in America to live, work, and do business.

A Win for South Carolina Shrimpers!

Today, the South Carolina House adopted the Conference Committee Report for H.4248, the Truth in Shrimp Labeling Act.

This legislation requires restaurants and food service establishments to disclose the country of origin of the shrimp they serve, helping prevent imported shrimp from being passed off as local.

It's a commonsense step that promotes transparency, protects consumers, and supports South Carolina's shrimping industry.

The Buy American Iron & Steel Act
This bill(H.4709) has officially passed the House UNANIMOUSLY! A major win for American manufacturing, hardworking families, and South Carolina manufacturing.
This strong, bipartisan vote ensures taxpayer dollars prioritize American-made iron and steel, strengthening our economy and supporting the jobs that power our communities across our state
.We’re putting America First — right here in South Carolina.

The Guarantee Banking Act (H.5538) is sent on to the Governor's desk!
No South Carolinian should lose access to banking services because of their political or religious beliefs. The Guarantee Banking Act protects consumers and businesses by ensuring financial institutions cannot discriminate based on ideology. If you do business in South Carolina, you should play by fair rules.

Article V Convention of States Faithful Delegate Override of the Governor's Veto

H.355 is referred to as the "Faithful Delegate" bill because it requires guardrails in the event that South Carolina ever has to send a delegate to a Convention of States to rein in bad behavior by Congress. Surprisingly, there are some conservatives who believe Article V of the Constitution is too dangerous because a Convention of States could become a "runaway convention" where the delegates try to throw out the Constitution altogether, or change things that we all know are extremely important to our Republic. But the Constitution includes this provision specifically so states have the power to push Congress when it is not doing its job properly. With this new law, a delegate from SC would have to stick strictly to the stated issues and not participate in any radical or "runaway" behavior to endanger the Constitution. Even with this, there are people who say it is not possible to have guardrails for this process, but I believe they are wrong. Congress has failed to act numerous times, especially regarding passing an actual budget, much less a truly balanced budget. States must have the right to protect their citizens' interests when they are being ignored.

Failures Regarding Bills That Should Have Passed
Two bills did not pass this week, and sadly, both were held up for purely political reasons. I strongly believe we should always accomplish the people's work regardless of petty partisan or even internal party squabbles. Because we still have to go back to Columbia at least one more time to finalize the Budget, we will have another opportunity to vote on both of the following bills, both of which passed the House solidly earlier in the year. The first one is the HALO Bill, H.4763, which requires a perimeter of 25 feet around law enforcement when they are trying to handle a dangerous situation, and a "reasonable perimeter" for medical personnel administering life-saving care. The reason given for the change away from 25 feet for medical situations is that some events occur inside in tight places where 25 feet would not be possible. The other bill that did not pass was H.4042, which would allow for human-grade ivermectin to be able to purchased over the counter due to its numerous applications. Both bills were delayed with procedural motions that never should have happened, in my opinion. See below for the statement from Majority Leader Davey Hiott regarding this delay. When internal politics gets in the way of doing what is right for the people of South Carolina, as with both of these bills, we must admit fully that this is wrong and do better. Hopefully, in the next couple of weeks, we will get the chance to do that.