As we look ahead to another difficult week in the South Carolina Statehouse, let’s talk about one piece of good news.
A bill we support, S. 385, would protect the wellness of pregnant women who are entering the prison system by making them eligible for release on bail for the duration of the pregnancy and 12 weeks after the birth of a child.
On Thursday, the Senate Corrections Subcommittee heard from a diverse group of people who support the bill, including the ACLU of South Carolina, Women’s Rights and Empowerment Network, and Pro-Life Greenville.
The unusual alliance was not lost on lawmakers, who voted unanimously to advance the bill to the full committee.
“Can we just send this straight to the governor’s desk?” joked Sen. Ed Sutton of Charleston.
The bill still has a long way to go, but it passed an important milestone on Thursday. Now let’s talk about the week ahead. In addition to the following bill hearings, the S.C. Healthy Families Coalition will host a Reproductive Health Advocacy Day on Tuesday, Feb. 24 from 9 a.m. - 1:30 p.m. on the Statehouse grounds. You can find more details and register for the event here:
Anti-trans bathroom bills advancing
South Carolina lawmakers are continuing their senseless, relentless attack on the rights of transgender South Carolinians, with an especially cruel focus on trans students. On Tuesday, Feb. 24, at 10 a.m. in Gressette Building Room 407, the Senate Education Subcommittee will consider two bills restricting trans students’ access to school bathrooms and changing facilities.
The bills being discussed are S. 199 and H. 4756, which recently passed in the House. Both bills would harm all people, trans or not, whose appearance does not conform with gender stereotypes. Under the cloud of suspicion this bill would create, they would face the threat of being misgendered and harassed in restrooms at schools, colleges, and universities.
The subcommittee does not plan to hear public comments. You can look up your lawmakers’ contact information using the Find Your Legislators tool at scstatehouse.gov.
Restricting your right to record police
On Tuesday, Feb. 24, at 11 a.m. in Blatt Building Room 516, the House General Laws Subcommittee will consider making it a crime to stand too close to police officers.
House Bill 4763 would impose up to a 60-day prison sentence on people who “harass” a law enforcement officer, cause the officer “emotional distress,” or remain within a 25-foot radius of the officer after receiving a warning.
It bears repeating: You have a right to observe and record officers, including federal immigration agents, as long as you are not obstructing them. The First Amendment also protects your right to say things that hurt their feelings.
The bill’s authors are calling H. 4763 the Helping Alleviate Lawful Obstruction (HALO) Act. You can submit written comments to [email protected] or show up early to sign up for spoken public comments.
Rigging election maps (again)
When we took state lawmakers to the South Carolina Supreme Court last year to challenge their openly admitted practice of partisan gerrymandering, Chief Justice John Kittredge warned: “[W]e are seeing — and will continue to see — state legislatures race to further minimize and perhaps erase the representation of the state's minority political party in Congress.”
The court gave a green-light to partisan gerrymandering anyway, and now some lawmakers from the authoritarian State Freedom Caucus Network are going for it with House Bill 4717. On Wednesday, Feb. 25, at 9 a.m. in Blatt Building Room 516, the House Constitutional Laws Subcommittee will consider a proposal to re-draw Congressional district maps at mid-decade, seeking to secure an even stronger advantage for the majority party.
You can submit written comments to [email protected] or arrive early to sign up for spoken comments.
A worrying bill for privacy and medical care
On Wednesday, Feb. 25, at 9 a.m. in Gressette Building Room 308, the House Child Welfare Subcommittee will consider reducing young people’s privacy and access to healthcare.
Senate Bill 710 would require a parent or legal guardian of a minor under age 16 to provide consent before a medical professional prescribes medication to the minor. This bill has the potential to hinder teenagers’ privacy and access to birth control.
You can submit written comments to [email protected] or arrive early to sign up for spoken comments.
Religious indoctrination in the classroom
Religious authoritarians want to require the Ten Commandments to be displayed in every public school classroom. This is state-mandated religious indoctrination. It has no place in a country founded on the freedom of religion.
The bill forcing this change, H. 4762, has been approved by a committee and can come up for debate on the House floor any day now. We have a form you can use to contact your state House representative and urge them to vote No on this fundamentally anti-American bill.
