The 125th Legislative Session of the South Carolina General Assembly Reconvened Recently...

The 125th legislative session of the South Carolina General Assembly is well underway in Columbia, with lawmakers hitting the ground running on various issues critical to our industry. At the beginning of this session, Republican lawmakers, who now have a supermajority in the House, fast-tracked a bill affecting 1 out of 5 men in our state, which would prohibit the SC Department of Labor, Licensing and Regulation from denying professional licenses based solely on or in part of a prior criminal conviction. That bill is now with the Senate for further consideration.

The Senate has spent weeks debating the merits of giving South Carolina families public dollars to send their children to private schools and have now turned their attention to increasing penalties for those found to be in posession of or trafficking deadly fentanyl.

While the House and Senate continue to debate bills of varying importance to our state, there have been numerous bills introduced this session that could potentially have an immediate impact on our industry if enacted into law. The bill topics range from lawsuit reform, minimum wage, and workforce development to alcohol, accommodations/hospitality taxes, and short-term rental regulation, among others. The SCRLA Governmental Affairs team is monitoring these bills as they work their way through the Statehouse – attending legislative sessions and committee hearings, as well as meeting with various stakeholders, including the Department of Revenue and the SC Insurance Association, among others. Although new bills are filed daily, refer to the next page for a sample of bills that we are following closely this session.

For a complete list of bills we are monitoring at the Statehouse, please visit our website at SCRLA.org/125 or scan the QR code below to learn more. Scan