This is the time when State lawmakers file a flurry of bills (known as "prefiles") in preparation for the 2025-26 legislative session. This list will be updated as additional prefiles are released and will highlight some of the most significant bills addressing issues facing South Carolina.
Taxation
H. 3125 Elimination of State income tax – This bill would repeal the state income tax of individuals, estates, and trusts.
H.3298 Overtime income tax exemption – This bill would make overtime income exempt from income tax.
H.3424 South Carolina Property Tax Relief for Seniors Act – This bill proposes increasing the property tax exemption for seniors, disabled individuals, and the legally blind by raising the exemption from the first $50,000 to the first $1 million of their home's market value.
Legal reform
H.3033 Lawyer-legislators participation in judicial elections – States that members of the General Assembly who are attorneys licensed to practice law in South Carolina cannot vote or participate in the election process of any judge or justice before whom the attorney has appeared, or had appeared before, in the preceding five-year period.
H.3526 Judicial election reform – This bill proposes an amendment to the Constitution regarding the process of selecting judges. Under the proposed amendment, judges would be appointed by the Governor with the advice and consent of the General Assembly.
H.3526 Tort Reform – this bill would allow for nonparties or entities to be included when determining allocation of fault.
Education
H.3011 Parental Bill of Rights – This bill asserts that the State cannot infringe upon a parent's fundamental right to direct the upbringing, education, healthcare, and mental health of their child. (Similar bills: H.3118, H.3185)
H.3199 Open enrollment in public schools – This bill allows parents to apply to enroll their children in any public school, regardless of their designated attendance zone. The bill also states that each school board must develop an open enrollment policy.
H.3200 School board transparency – Requires school boards to “make reasonable and necessary efforts” to ensure the entirety of meetings are open and accessible to the public and available by means of live streaming.
H.3208 Grade inflation prohibition – This bill would require the State Board of Education to update the uniform grading scale for high schools to make grading a more accurate reflection of students' academic achievement.
Regulation
H.3021 Small Business Regulatory Freedom Act – Creates the "Small Business Regulatory Review Committee" with the goal of reducing regulatory requirements by 25 percent. It aims to achieve this by reviewing existing regulations, requiring that for every new regulation introduced, two existing regulations must be removed, allowing challenges to existing regulations in court, and introducing expiration dates for regulations.
H.3322 Tax litigation deference – This bill requires that all legal decisions made by a court must be based on the law itself, without giving preference to any previous interpretations made by the Department of Revenue.
H.3334 South Carolina Government Efficiency Act – Would establish the "South Carolina Government Efficiency Task Force" to develop recommendations for improving and streamlining government operations.
Government structure
H.3282 Lieutenant Governor as Transportation Secretary – This bill delegates the role and responsibilities of Secretary of Transportation to the Lieutenant Governor.
Miscellaneous
H.3387 Unlawful occupants – This bill allows property owners to quickly remove unlawful occupants by initiating a court process that can result in an immediate order for their removal.
2025 marks the first year of South Carolina's two-year legislative cycle. The General Assembly will convene for the 2025-26 legislative session on Tuesday, January 14.
Publication note: The bills outlined here represent a selection of what we consider to be some of the most significant proposals from the first batch of House prefiles. Please note that this is not an exhaustive list, and we will continue to update as additional bills are released and reviewed.
Comments