South Carolina’s two-year legislative session is set to end this Thursday, May 9. With three days left, here is what we’re watching in the State House this week.
A ban on medically necessary care
On Thursday, May 2, the South Carolina Senate voted to pass a ban on gender-affirming healthcare for transgender youth (H. 4624). The bill would ban the use of puberty blockers and hormone therapy for trans youth, despite peer-reviewed evidence showing their effectiveness in treating the effects of gender dysphoria.
The bill will return to House to accept the changes made in the Senate, and if approved, it will head to the desk of Governor Henry McMaster. This could all happen as soon as Tuesday, May 7.
We oppose this harmful and unconstitutional bill, as do the leading medical organizations and hundreds of South Carolinians who wrote or testified in opposition since this bill’s first hearing in January.
One last push to stop classroom censorship
One priority of the hard-right State Freedom Caucus Network for the past two years has been to pass laws forbidding classroom discussions of race, history, gender, and sexuality. South Carolina’s version of the teacher gag order, H. 3728, has passed both chambers of the legislature, but the House refused to concur with the Senate’s changes. As a result, a 6-member conference committee including leaders from both chambers must meet and attempt to find a compromise before this bill can pass.
After being rescheduled twice, the conference committee is set to meet on Tuesday, May 7, at 10 a.m. in Room 407 of the Gressette Building (1101 Pendleton St., Columbia). If you haven’t already, please write or call the six members of this committee and ask them to vote no on House Bill 3728. You can find their office phone numbers or use our form to contact them all via email at the link below.
DEFEND SC STUDENTS’ RIGHT TO LEARN
Book banning regulations still in the works
A regulation that would ban books with descriptions of “sexual conduct” from all K-12 libraries and classrooms recently received approval from the House Regulations and Administrative Committee but has not yet been discussed in the Senate Education Committee.
Nearly 700 South Carolinians have written letters in opposition to this proposal from Superintendent Ellen Weaver’s Department of Education. Please consider writing a letter to members of the Senate Education Committee via this form today:
STOP THE BOOK PURGE IN SOUTH CAROLINA
It’s been a bruising couple of years in the South Carolina legislature. We continue to be inspired by our fellow South Carolinians who keep showing up and fighting for our rights. While we breathe, we hope.
