2023 Legislative Scorecard
The ACLU of South Carolina advocates for civil rights and civil liberties at the State House. We mobilize activists, track bills and votes, hold politicians accountable, and advance public policy that creates a more just South Carolina for all of us.
The 125th South Carolina General Assembly convened on January 10, 2023 to begin the first year of its two-year legislative session. Within the 80 days of the 2023 legislative session, we reviewed more than 1,000 bills and tracked those that would have advanced or threatened civil rights or civil liberties in our state. We fought alongside our partners to ensure the protection of South Carolinians’ rights at every turn.
To help South Carolinians hold our elected officials accountable, we created a scorecard that details vote counts for some of the most important bills considered this session. We encourage you to use this scorecard to give your legislators feedback on their votes in the 2023 legislative session and their stances on the issues impacting your rights and freedom. Direct communication with your elected officials is a valuable way to encourage them to stand up for freedom and protect civil liberties and civil rights.
Key Civil Liberties Votes
A.Key Civil Liberties Votes
H. 3728: CENSORS PUBLIC EDUCATORS
This bill will prevent educators from teaching the truth about America’s past and present racial and gender inequalities. It also subjects our teachers to undue surveillance of their instruction, burdens our educators with unnecessary complaint processes, and places school districts at risk of losing a significant amount of state funding for unjustified reasons. The bill language is so vague that it’s impossible for teachers to know which lessons, language, or materials might be prohibited.
Status: Passed House and Senate, now in conference committee.
S. 39: DEFUNDS PUBLIC SCHOOLS
This bill allows the state to divert public funds to support private schools that are able to refuse enrollment to (and therefore discriminate against) students based on gender, religion, or academic aptitude. This violates the separation of church and state created by the First Amendment of the US Constitution.
Status: Passed House and Senate, Signed by Governor McMaster on May 5, 2023
S. 120: SHIELDS EXECUTIONS
This bill conceals the identities of all people or entities involved in the planning or execution of a death
sentence. Capital punishment is a deeply broken process, and even lethal injection carries an intolerably high risk of extreme pain and torture. Shielding the details of executions reduces accountability to the public and undermines the freedom of information.
Status: Passed House and Senate, Signed by Governor McMaster on May 12, 2023
S. 474: BANS ABORTION
This bill bans abortions beyond six weeks, a time at which many people do not realize they are pregnant. While the bill does provide some exceptions, they are so onerous and burdensome that they will not be practically useful in many instances.
Status: Passed House and Senate, Signed by Governor McMaster on May 25, 2023.
About This Scorecard
A.About This Scorecard
HOW WE CHOSE THE SCORED BILLS
We make sure legislators know the ACLU’s position on important issues prior to voting. We then select a range of bills voted on by the full House or Senate to include in our scorecard. We do not include bills that were only voted on in committee.
PURPOSE OF THE SCORECARD
We want to make it easy for South Carolinians to know where legislators stand on civil rights and civil liberties. Legislators may promise many things while running for office, but it is their votes that show their constituents whether or not they live up to their promises. The scorecard is not an endorsement of legislators who score highly, or a statement of opposition against those who do not.
ADDITIONAL NOTE
The lifecycle of any given bill may have several rounds of votes. The most recent vote is recorded in this scorecard and represents how each state senator and state representative last voted. To research all legislative votes on a bill, visit www.scstatehouse.gov and search for legislation by its bill number.
Get Involved
A.Get Involved
For questions, contact a member of the Advocacy Team:
Josh Malkin, Senior Advocacy Strategist: jmalkin@aclusc.org
Matthew Butler, Advocacy Strategist: mbutler@aclusc.org