Copper Dome Chronicle: 2026 Session Week 10
Welcome to this week’s edition of the Copper Dome Chronicle, sponsored by Advocatus USA. We strive for substantive writing with brevity, inspired by the book Smart Brevity.
This week’s edition, covering March 17-19 is 1,184 words or a 5 minute read. The General Assembly convened on January 13 and will adjourn on May 14. Thanks for reading and sharing; we welcome your feedback and commentary!
Resources
FY 2026-2027 Agency Budget Requests
***NEW RESOURCE: Candidate Tracking Portal***
Week 10 Preview
The House will not hold any floor sessions or committee meetings this week.
The Senate will hold floor sessions on Tuesday (12pm), Wednesday (1pm), and Thursday (11am). The Senate has 54 bills (31 are contested), two joint resolutions (one is contested), and four concurrent resolutions eligible for consideration on its calendar to begin the week. Some bills that are not contested that may generate debate and earn floor time:
H.5060 (St. John’s Fire District)
H.5182 (Jasper County and local funds for charter schools)
S.583 (funeral directors continuing education)
S.76 (criminal gang and anti-racketeering)
H.3650 (discharge firearm at a dwelling)
H.3974 (medically necessary providers in public schools)
S.831 (SCDOT modernization)
S.385 (Women's Childbirth Alternatives, Resources, and Education Act)
S.504 (distribution of controlled substance within proximity to childcare facility)
S.711 (school crossing guards)
S.808 (interference with workers providing critical services)
S.823 (contact orders & family courts)
S.829 (joint authority water and sewer system governance)
S.922 (governor appointments)
S.961 (reduce red drum catch limit)
H.3629 (Forestry Commission)
H.3831 (AED mandate)
H.4763 (Helping Alleviate Lawful Obstruction “HALO” Act)
S.227 (local government concurrency programs)
S.688 (unemployment trust fund reform)
S.830 (auto insurance & nonprofit members)
S.851 (financial exploitation)
S.996 (background checks technical corrections)
S.1011 (transfer Barnwell County armory)
The Senate will continue to work its calendar but spending a significant amount of time debating amendments to H.3924 (regulate hemp-derived beverages) and S.831 (SCDOT modernization). The Senate carried over all amendments to third reading on S.831, so it is poised to move first.
There are many more amendments to H.3924, which if a version of it passes the Senate will give the House an opportunity to agree to the Senate amendments. A key difference between H.3924 and H.4759 (regulate hemp-derived consumables), which the House recommitted to the House Judiciary Committee after a series of test votes failed, is the House bill included THC beverages and edibles. The Senate version of H.3924, after the committee amendment was adopted, restricts sales only to THC beverages; every other product is banned. Time will tell if votes have changed in the House.
Week 9 Review
House floor sessions consumed 17 hours, 5 minutes (excluding Tuesday recess). The House held three floor sessions, passed four bills, and several congratulatory and memorial resolutions. Legislation that passed the House last week included:
H.5126 (FY27 Budget)
H.5127 (capital reserve fund)
H.4216 (income taxes) - Enrolled for ratification
H.3368 (tax conformity)
The House spent much of its floor time debating H.5126 (FY27 Budget) and amendments to H.4216 (income taxes) before agreeing to the Senate amendments.
Senate floor sessions consumed 10 hours, 57 minutes. The Senate held three floor sessions, passed one bill and several congratulatory and memorial resolutions. Legislation that passed the Senate last week included:
S.183 (drug induced homicide)
The Senate spent much of its floor time on Tuesday debating S.831 (SCDOT modernization), which received a second reading but all amendments were carried over to third reading. The remaining floor time was spent debating H.3924 (regulate hemp-derived beverages).
The House didn’t have the votes to pass a bill to ban hemp-derived consumables nor the votes to regulate them. The Senate debated an amendment by Senator Richard Cash to ban them, which failed by a vote of 18-22. Five senators were absent for the day or the week: Sens. Bright-Matthews, Campsen, Goldfinch, Martin, and Sabb. Once this test vote occurred, the Senate proceeded to debate additional amendments , which under the committee amendment is restricted solely to hemp-derived beverages (THC beverages); hemp-derived edibles are banned under the committee amendment.
2026 Candidate Filing Opens
Candidates running for federal, state constitutional, State House of Representatives, solicitors, and local government offices may file the required paperwork and filing fees beginning 12pm on March 16. The filing period closes at 12pm on March 30. Candidate filings are updated in real-time.
Committee Schedule
If a livestream link is not provided with a committee meeting that means livestream is not available. Additional meetings may be added during the week and while 24 hours notice is generally given, it is not always possible to provide such notice.
Senate Finance Budget Subcommittees (6 budget hearings)
Natural Resources and Economic Development; March 17, 10am; Agenda; Livestream
Health and Human Services; March 17, 10am; Agenda; Livestream
Constitutional; March 18, 9:30am; Agenda; Livestream
K-12 Education; March 18, 10am; Agenda; Livestream
Transportation; March 18, 12pm; Agenda; Livestream
Higher Education; March 19, 10am; Agenda; Livestream
Senate Meetings
Senate Finance Committee
March 17, 3pm; Agenda; Livestream
Summary: There are nine bills on the agenda:
H.3514 (Made in the USA American flags)
S.97 (county treasurer qualifications)
S.98 (county auditor qualifications)
H.3768 (extend sunset of Act 36 of 2019)
H.4303 (taxes on heated cigarettes)
S.682 (tax credit for timber casualty loss)
S.866 (Municipal Tax Relief Act)
H.4137 (bingo licenses for veteran’s organizations)
S.508 (monuments and memorials)
Senate Fish, Game and Forestry Subcommittee
March 18, 10am; Agenda; Livestream
Summary: There are three bills on the agenda: S.927 (airboats & Lake Moultrie), S.532 (nuisance alligators), and H.3872 (Hunting Heritage Protection Act).
Senate Education Committee
March 18, 10am; Agenda; Livestream
Summary: There are five bills on the agenda: S.708 (school district flexibility), H.3195 (physical education requirements), H.3258 (mobile panic alert systems), H.3453 (veterans' children tuition assistance), and H.5064 (Northeastern Technical College Area Commission).
Senate Medical Affairs Subcommittee
March 18, 10am; Agenda; Livestream
Summary: There are six regulations on the agenda.
Senate LCI Regulatory and Local Government Subcommittee
March 18, 10:30am; Agenda; Livestream
Summary: There are four bills on the agenda: H.4730 (billboard structure repairs), H.3950 (soil classifiers), H.4752 (remove barber apprenticeship requirement), and S.788 (psychotherapy & restrict AI use).
Senate Banking & Insurance Subcommittee
March 18, 11am; Agenda; Livestream
Summary: There is one bill on the agenda: S.767 (vehicle glass repair).
Senate Transportation Committee
March 18, 11am; Agenda; Livestream
Summary: There are two bills and one appointment on the agenda: H.3856 (omnibus licenses and license plates bill) and S.812 (bicycles & stop signs). The committee will screen one candidate for the State Ports Authority Board: Thomas Limehouse, Jr., former Chief Legal Counsel to Governor Henry McMaster. Additionally, the committee will receive a presentation from the Department of Transportation.
Senate FVS Child Welfare Subcommittee
March 18, 12pm; Agenda; Livestream
Summary: There is one bill on the agenda: S.770 (work requirements & federally-funded child care scholarships)
Senate Medical Affairs Subcommittee
March 19, 9am; Agenda; Livestream
Summary: There are 11 bills and two appointments on the agenda:
S.299 (transporting mental health patients)
S.862 (involuntary commitment)
S.935 (seizures informational document)
S.893 (underground storage tanks)
H.3931 (coastal tidelands and wetlands permits)
H.3967 (bioenergy forest products)
S.741 (prohibit vaccines for children under age 2)
S.485 (adoption records)
S.894 (death certificates)
S.895 (rural hospitals and certificate of need)
S.958 (hospital beds in hallways)
House Meetings
House committees will not meet due to the furlough week.
Joint Meetings
Joint Bond Review Committee
March 25, 10am; Agenda; Livestream
Summary: The JBRC agenda has not yet been posted.
Joint Bond Review Committee
June 9, 1pm; Agenda; Livestream
Summary: The JBRC agenda has not yet been posted.
2026 Key Dates
January 13, 2026: Session Convenes
January 28, 2026: Judicial Merit Selection Commission draft report published
January 28, 2026: State of the State Address
February 12, 2026: BEA revenue forecast update
March 4, 2026: Judicial elections
March 9-13, 2026: House floor budget deliberations
March 16-20: House furlough week
March 16, 2026: Candidate filing opens (all statewide constitutional offices, federal offices, SC House of Representatives)
March 30, 2026: Candidate filing closes
April 9, 2026: BEA revenue forecast update
April 6-10: House furlough week (confirmed)
April 20-24, 2026: Senate floor budget deliberations (projected)
May 14, 2026: Session Adjourns
May 19, 2026: BEA revenue forecast update
