South Carolina lawmakers have returned to the State House. After taking a week to celebrate the inauguration of Donald Trump, they now resume debate on bills that threaten the civil liberties of South Carolinians.
To read more about our top-priority bills, both good and bad, check our Legislation page. You can filter bills according to subject area and learn more about the issues that matter to you most.
Project 2025, but local
Several bills introduced at the start of this session mirror the flurry of executive orders from the White House, which in turn echo the agenda of Project 2025 and its backers.
Many of these bills seek to curtail the rights of LGBTQ+ South Carolinians, especially transgender people. House Bill 3263 would endanger transgender youth by banning them from using public school bathrooms and dormitories in accordance with their gender. H. 3121 would enable faith-based organizations to discriminate against same-sex couples. H. 3506 would codify a new state-enforced definition of gender, separate from the definition used by scientists, medical doctors, and psychologists.
After failing to ban Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion programs via legislation last session, some lawmakers have decided to resume the attack in 2025. House Bills 3219 and 3572 would threaten colleges and universities with the complete loss of state funding for administering certain programs that promote Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (DEI).
As we see lawmakers discuss bills that would attack immigrants’ rights, reproductive rights, and more, lawmakers need to hear from their constituents who oppose those bills. If you don’t know the name and contact information of your state senator and house representative, today is a good day to look them up at scstatehouse.gov.
Return of the voucher debate
The state Senate spent most of its first week debating a school privatization bill (S. 62) that would divert public funding to subsidize private schools, including ones that require sectarian religious lessons. We expect the debate to resume on the Senate floor this week.
The South Carolina Education Association has a page laying out the dangers of private school vouchers, along with a form to help you start writing a letter to your lawmakers opposing this bill.
You can also help by spreading the word about the dangers of school vouchers, particularly in rural communities where public schools are already threatened by years of under-funding at the state level. See our recent blog post and a podcast episode for more information.
Book purge, Round 3
Next week, on Tuesday, February 4, at 1 p.m., the State Board of Education will consider a request to ban the following books from all public schools in grades K-12:
- Flamer by Mike Curato
- The Perks of Being a Wallflower by Stephen Chbosky
- Push by Sapphire
- All Boys Aren’t Blue by George M. Johnson
The board has also been asked to review Nikki Grimes’ Bronx Masquerade and Sandra Cisneros’ The House on Mango Street, but initial results from the January 9 book banning committee indicate that these books will likely be saved (see our Bluesky thread from that day for a rundown of the meeting).
If you are able, please join us at the board meeting in Columbia to speak out against book bans and the policy that enables them, Regulation 43-170. Meeting agendas and board member contact information are available on the State Board of Education website.
