Copper Dome Chronicle: 2026 Session Week 9
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 9-12 is 1,492 words or a 6 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
Week 9 Preview
The House will hold floor sessions on Monday (1pm), Tuesday (9am), Wednesday (TBA), and Thursday (if necessary). The House has four bills eligible for consideration on its calendar to begin the week. Those bills are:
House budget week has arrived. In recent years the House has given the budget second reading on Tuesday of budget week, then convened just after midnight on Wednesday to give it a third reading on a separate legislative day. The House adopted a resolution establishing the order of business for the week because H.3368 (tax conformity) requires two readings since it has not passed either chamber.
In an ideal world, the House will give H.5126 (FY27 Budget) and H.5127 (capital reserve fund) second reading on Tuesday by early evening. Then the House will take up the Senate amendments to H.4216 (income taxes), debate any amendments to the bill, and then pass a version of the bill. Lastly on Tuesday, the House will take up H.3368 (tax conformity), debate amendments, and then pass a version of the bill for second reading. The House would be in a position to convene just after midnight on Wednesday to give third reading to H.5126, H.5127, and H.3368.
House Rules 5.3.B (1)-(5) are important to know and use during the floor debate. If one wants to win the game, one must know the rules of the game.
The Senate will hold floor sessions on Tuesday (12pm), Wednesday (1pm), and Thursday (11am). The Senate has 36 bills (28 are contested), one Senate resolution, two joint resolutions (one is contested), and two 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)
S.183 (drug induced homicide) - uncontested for the first time since February 25, 2025
S.76 (criminal gang and anti-racketeering)
H.3974 (medically necessary providers in public schools)
H.3556 (political party nominating contests)
H.3557 (candidate filing)
S.222 (utility terrain vehicles)
S.831 (SCDOT modernization)
The Senate will continue to work its calendar but two bills are candidates for Special Order slots: H.3924 (regulate hemp-derived consumables) and S.831 (SCDOT modernization). As passed by the House, H.3924 was four pages. The Senate Agriculture and Natural Resources committee report is 40 pages - a substantially different bill. A lengthy explanation and debate is anticipated. Likewise, the committee report for S.831 is 32 pages but is slimmer than the original bill’s 34 pages. Infrastructure is a top priority for both chambers so it is anticipated the Senate will conduct its due diligence on its bill; the House version of SCDOT modernization remains in committee. Lastly, behind both of these bills but appearing soon on a Senate calendar: data centers.
Week 8 Review
House floor sessions consumed 9 hours, 8 minutes (excluding the joint assembly). The House held three floor sessions, passed 18 bills, several road-naming concurrent resolutions, and several congratulatory and memorial resolutions. Legislation that passed the House last week included:
H.3798 (military chaplains & privileged communications)
S.583 (funeral directors continuing education)
H.4163 (SC High School Athletic Association Act)
H.4468 (special education advisory councils)
H.4762 (display Ten Commandments/US History documents in public classrooms)
H.4343 (human trafficking awareness & prevention training for medical professionals)
H.5179 (higher education mapping program)
H.3474 (transportation network companies)
H.5060 (St. John’s Fire District)
H.5089 (Beaufort County precincts)
H.5120 (youth offender fingerprints)
H.4151 (youth offenders & weapons crimes)
H.4763 (Helping Alleviate Lawful Obstruction “HALO” Act)
S.405 (homicide by child abuse)
H.5182 (Jasper County and local funds for charter schools)
H.4342 (restricted dentistry instructor license)
H.3227 (mandated offer of earthquake insurance)
H.5073 (Uniform Grading Policy)
The House spent much of its floor time debating H.5073 (Uniform Grading Policy) and H.4763 (Helping Alleviate Lawful Obstruction “HALO” Act).
Senate floor sessions consumed 6 hours, 42 minutes (excluding the joint assembly). The Senate held three floor sessions, passed eight bills and several congratulatory and memorial resolutions. Legislation that passed the Senate last week included:
S.819 (tuberculosis testing in nursing homes)
S.694 (Aiken County precincts)
H.4342 (restricted dentistry instructor license)
S.832 (zoning ordinances and university events)
S.715 (solicitation of charitable funds)
S.751 (prohibit sale of nitrous oxide to minors)
H.5261 (alcohol server training extension)
H.3858 (watercraft & outboard motor taxes)
By far, the most important meeting last week was the joint assembly on March 4 to elect judges. This cycle was the first conducted under the new requirements enacted in Act 219 of 2024. But what was anticipated a contentious joint assembly fizzled out on March 3 when sitting Justice John Few withdrew from the election for Seat 2 on the South Carolina Supreme Court. Section 2-19-80(C)(2) states that if an incumbent judge withdraws prior to the election, then the election for that judgeship is canceled and the screening process must start over.
The new screening process has not started, but it remains to be seen if Court of Appeals Judge Blake Hewitt, former Speaker of the House Jay Lucas, and Administrative Law Court Judge Ralph K. Anderson III will run again and if other candidates will file given it will be an open seat, such as Court of Appeals Judges John Geathers, Aphrodite Konduros, or Stephanie McDonald. Judge Konduros and Judge McDonald were found qualified and nominated in 2022 but withdrew from the election, clearing the way for Justice Gary Hill to run unopposed for the Supreme Court.
The remaining five contested judicial elections turned out to be uncontested as various candidates withdrew. The only true elections held were for two seats on the Public Service Commission.
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 10, 10am; Agenda; Livestream
Health and Human Services; March 11, 9am; Agenda; Livestream
Constitutional; March 11, 11am; Agenda; Livestream
Higher Education; March 12, 10am; Agenda; Livestream
K-12 Education; March 12, 10am; Agenda; Livestream
Transportation; March 12, 12pm; Agenda; Livestream
Senate Meetings
Senate Agriculture and Natural Resources Subcommittee
March 10, 9am; Agenda; Livestream
Summary: There is one bill on the agenda: S.867 (regulate data centers).
Senate Finance Sales & Income Tax Subcommittee
March 10, 3pm; Agenda; Livestream
Summary: There are six bills on the agenda: S.519 (taxes on heated cigarettes), H.4303 (taxes on heated cigarettes), H.4137 (bingo licenses for veteran’s organizations), S.682 (tax credit for timber casualty loss), S.866 (Municipal Tax Relief Act), and H.3768 (extend sunset of Act 36 of 2019).
Senate Judiciary Committee
March 10, 15 minutes upon adjournment; Agenda; Livestream
Summary: There are ten bills on the agenda:
S.175 (Helping Alleviate Lawful Obstruction “HALO” Act)
H.4763 (Helping Alleviate Lawful Obstruction “HALO” Act)
S.504 (distribution of controlled substance within proximity to childcare facility)
S.808 (interference with workers providing critical services)
S.829 (joint authority water and sewer system governance)
S.823 (contact orders & family courts)
S.922 (governor appointments)
H.3020 (delete crime of playing pinball)
H.4720 (pretrial intervention programs)
H.3285 (law enforcement autism spectrum disorder training)
Senate Transportation Subcommittee
March 10, 3pm; Agenda; Livestream
Summary: There is one bill on the agenda: H.3856 (omnibus licenses and license plates bill).
Senate Education Subcommittee
March 11, 9am; Agenda; Livestream
Summary: There is one bill on the agenda: S.863 (culinary arts management degree programs).
Senate Family & Veterans’ Services Committee
March 11, 9am; Agenda; Livestream
Summary: The committee will hold a confirmation hearing on Margaret Fent Bodman, Esquire, to be the State Child Advocate and Director of the Department of Children’s Advocacy.
Senate Medical Affairs Subcommittee
March 11, 9:30am; Agenda; Livestream
Summary: There are five bills on the agenda: S.485 (adoption records), S.637 (Alzheimer's Disease Registry data), S.894 (death certificates), S.895 (rural hospitals and certificate of need), and S.958 (hospital beds in hallways).
Senate Education Committee
March 11, 10am; Agenda; Livestream
Summary: There are four higher education regulations and four bills on the agenda: S.692 (ESTF cleanup bill), S.711 (school crossing guards), H.3831 (AED mandate), and H.4756 (Student Physical Privacy Act).
Senate Transportation Subcommittee
March 11, 10am; Agenda; Livestream
Summary: There is one bill on the agenda: S.812 (bicycles & stop signs).
Senate Banking & Insurance Committee
March 11, 11am; Agenda; Livestream
Summary: There are three bills on the agenda: S.851 (financial exploitation), S.830 (auto insurance & nonprofit members), and S.342 (PBMs & pharmacy services).
Senate FVS Subcommittee
March 11, 12pm; Agenda; Livestream
Summary: There is one bill on the agenda: S.996 (background checks technical corrections).
Senate Labor, Commerce and Industry Committee
March 12, 9am; Agenda; Livestream
Summary: There are two bills and 11 regulations on the agenda: S.688 (unemployment trust fund reform) and S.227 (local government concurrency programs).
House Meetings
House committees will not meet due to the budget debate.
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 (scheduled)
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
