Research

Statehouse Update March 24-26

Update 3/26/26: Adjustments were made to this summary to reflect developments that occurred throughout the week. The Senate is picking up where it left off last week with budget hearings and committee hearings on data center regulations, as well as an interesting AI bill. Meanwhile, the House is back after...

Written by Brendan Connors
March 24, 2026

Statehouse Update March 17-19

Update 3/18/26: Adjustments were made to this summary to reflect developments that occurred during the week. The House is off this week after passing a $15.4B budget last week following two days of intense debate, cutting around $400M from the governor’s proposed budget. The House proposal now heads to the...

Written by Brendan Connors
March 16, 2026

Judicial reform gathering momentum at the Statehouse

Two very important legislative proposals that would make substantial changes to the judiciary are working their way through the Statehouse. Both bills – H. 3530 (magistrate reforms) and H. 4755 (Judicial Merit Selection Commission reforms) – originated in the House.

Written by Sam Aaron
March 16, 2026

Media Release: SCPC statement on H.4216

March 11, 2026 The South Carolina Policy Council supports continued progress toward comprehensive state income tax reform. H.4216 includes our amendment from last spring that ensures $200 million, or 25% of future budget surpluses, will be allocated to tax reform. This represents the most ambitious tax reform proposal in decades—a fight SCPC has championed since its inception. The amendment passed by a margin of...

Written by South Carolina Policy Council Team
March 12, 2026

Statehouse Update March 10-12

Update 3/12/26: Adjustments were made to this summary to reflect developments that occurred during the week. Budget debate started in the House on Monday, with the process expected to last all week and possibly into next week. After finalizing a budget proposal, the House will debate tax cuts. Meanwhile, the...

Written by Brendan Connors
March 09, 2026

Statehouse Update March 3-5

Update 3/5/26: Adjustments were made to this summary to reflect developments that occurred throughout the week. Last week, the Senate passed the income tax bill (H.4216) with an amended tax rate, cutting the top rate by an additional 0.18%. Click here to learn more about the proposal in a recent...

Written by Brendan Connors
March 02, 2026

Finish the Job: Make South Carolina’s Tax Reform Sustainable

South Carolina is closer than ever to a real, structural path to zero income taxes. The amended version of H.4216 is a meaningful improvement over earlier drafts. Based on recommendations from the South Carolina Policy Council, it now includes a provision dedicating 25 percent of the recurring income tax revenue...

Written by Vance Ginn, Ph.D.
February 25, 2026

Statehouse Update February 24-26

Update 2/24/26: Adjustments were made to this summary to reflect developments that occurred during the week. The Statehouse saw some exciting floor activity last week when the Senate passed S.768, an increase to the homestead property tax exemption. If passed by the House and signed into law, this bill would add...

Written by Brendan Connors
February 23, 2026

Student achievement missing from new school board ethics bill

Improving K-12 education remains a top priority for the South Carolina General Assembly.

Written by Ethan Brawer
February 23, 2026

South Carolina voters back tax cuts, spending limits, and transparency as GOP governor race remains wide open

South Carolina voters are signaling strong support for tax relief, spending restraint, and government transparency as the state heads into a wide-open, unsettled Republican primary for governor in 2026, according to a new statewide poll commissioned by the South Carolina Policy Council.

Written by Randy Ellison
February 20, 2026