Buried deep in the $14.5 billion annual budget that state lawmakers voted to approve today, politicians have added two dangerous budget provisions.
Both of these provisions would weaponize the state budget to attack personal freedoms and jeopardize the budgets of local services. We’re asking Gov. Henry McMaster to veto them on the principle of “home rule,” or the right of towns and cities to make local decisions without unnecessary state interference. You can use the action pages linked below to write to the governor and ask him to take a principled stand.
One of these provisions, Proviso 27.1, threatens to withhold state funding from any public library that fails to certify there are no books or materials that appeal to the “prurient interest” of children.
We have already seen book banners across the state appealing to a skewed standard of “prurient interest” when attempting to throw out books and fire librarians. Again and again, they have targeted books by authors of color, women, and LGBTQ people. If Proviso 27.1 stays in the budget, our state will hand these activists the power to slash entire library systems’ budgets over books they don’t like.
Do you want Moms for Liberty to wield the power of the purse strings over your local librarians? If not, please reach out to the governor and ask him to veto Proviso 27.1.
TELL THE GOVERNOR: VETO PROVISO 27.1
Another provision, Proviso 113.10, threatens the funding of exactly one municipality: The City of Columbia. If enforced, this budget proviso would withhold an estimated $3.7 million in state funding to the city unless it repeals an ordinance written to protect LGBTQ youth.
Columbia's 2021 ordinance bans licensed professionals from practicing so-called “conversion therapy” on minors — a discredited, harmful practice condemned by every major medical association that seeks to force a change in a person's sexual orientation or gender identity. The ordinance does not affect religious institutions or private individuals. It applies only to licensed mental health providers and carries a maximum civil fine of $500.
After hearing an outcry from Columbians at the last two City Council meetings — most recently on May 27 at a special called meeting — City Council has deferred a vote to rescind that ordinance. So far, the city is not backing down.
Beyond all the petty political wrangling and posturing, the question is: Will city leaders continue to stick up for the safety and belonging of LGBTQ youth, or will they bend the knee to ambitious state politicians who want to use the budget as a cudgel?
TELL THE GOVERNOR: VETO PROVISO 113.10
Both of these budget provisos harken back to dark days in South Carolina when state lawmakers held overwhelming power in local politics. If Provisos 27.1 and 113.10 are allowed to pass, they also open the door for more politicians in the future to enact their will through sneaky budget tricks rather than the full, deliberative process of passing a law.
