In this week’s edition of our Advocacy Summer School series, we will be looking more closely at the South Carolina House of Representatives.
Background
The South Carolina House of Representatives has been around for over 200 years. The House is made up of 124 members elected every two years with no term limits.
Like the U.S. House of Representatives, there is a Speaker of the South Carolina House of Representatives. Each political party also has a leader. The party with the most members is called the majority party, while the party with fewer members is called the minority party.
The regular legislative session is held in Columbia from the second Tuesday in January to the second Thursday in May. South Carolina has two-year-long legislative sessions. 2023 is the first year of a new legislative session which will end in 2024.
Present Day
Today there are 88 Republican and 26 Democrat members of the House of Representatives. The last regular election was held in 2022 and the next one will be held in 2024.
House members in South Carolina serve on a part-time basis with most work happening between January and May of each year.
Officers
In 2022, the House of Representatives elected Representative Murrell Smith as the newest Speaker of the House. Speaker Smith is a Republican from Sumter and has served in the House of Representatives since 2000.
Representative Tommy Pope, a Republican from York, serves as the Speaker Pro Tempore.
Representative Davey Hiott, a Republican from Pickens, is the majority leader. He has served in the House of Representatives since 2005.
Representative Todd Rutherford, a Democrat from Columbia, is the minority leader. He has served in the House of Representatives since 1999.
Legislative Process
Once a bill is introduced by a General Assembly member, it is assigned to a committee by the Speaker of the House. There are 13 standing committees in the House of Representatives that focus on broad topics (for example the Education and Public Works Committee). Representatives are assigned their committee by the Speaker. Each committee has a committee chair, who is elected by the committee itself.
Within most committees there are several subcommittees, these focus on more narrow topics (for example, the K-12 Education Subcommittee of the Education and Public Works Committee). Once a bill is assigned to a committee, the chair assigns it to a subcommittee. Each subcommittee also has a chair who sets the agenda of the subcommittee.
Typically, when a subcommittee holds a hearing on a bill, there is an opportunity for public comment. We will delve more into public comments later in this series. If a bill passes the subcommittee, it is sent to the full committee.
If the full committee approves the bill, it is sent to the floor of the House where it will be voted on by the full body. This vote is typically a roll call vote and is called “second reading.” Normally, if a bill passes second reading, it receives “third reading” the next legislative day, which is usually done by unanimous consent, instead of a roll call vote. If the bill that originated in the House passes the House, it goes to the Senate.
Most of the bills that Children’s Trust watches go through the Judiciary and Education and Public Works House committees.
Legislator Spotlight: Rep. Neal Collins
Representative Neal Collins is a Republican from Easley who has served in the State House since 2015. Representative Collins is an attorney, wrestling official, and new dad!
This year Representative Collins sponsored a bill to expand paid family leave for state employees to cover the education community (like teachers, lunchroom workers and more).
Children’s Trust supported this bill, and we are proud to say it was signed into law in May 2023.
Pop Quiz
The answers will be included in next week’s post.
Question 1. What is the last day of the legislative session usually called?
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The Finale
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Sine Die
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Thrilling Thursday
Question 2. You must be at least 35 years old to be a member of the South Carolina House of Representatives. True or False?
Question 3. Members of the House of Representatives are required to disclose who they have received campaign contributions from. True or False?
Extra Credit
Find out who represents you at the State House.
The answers to last week’s quiz:
1. The first South Carolina State House was located in Charleston.
2. The South Carolina constitution was amended to allow governors to run for two consecutive terms in 1980.
3. South Carolina has 46 counties.
