2023-24 Legislative Advocacy
The LWVSC Board od Directors determines statewide legislative priorities grounded in the good governance issues that are at the heart of the League of Women Voters.
The League remains focused intensively on its Making Democracy Work (MDW) campaign: voting and elections, redistricting, and opposition to constitutional convention resolutions. The League, as always, will attempt to advocate on all bills falling within our areas of interest as defined in state and national policies. Follow our latest Making Democracy Work (MDW) Network Updates to organizations that share our interests.
Reference: LWVSC Human Rights & Human Services Positions/Issues
LWVSC Bills of Interest
Diverting Public Monies to Religious/Private Schools
H.5164 Expand Educational Scholarship Trust Fund Program
Until and unless South Carolina can produce data to show that its Educational Scholarship Trust Fund is supporting successful educational outcomes, there is no reasonable basis for expanding the program. The LWVSC opposes this bill.
S. 39 Education Scholarship Fund
We oppose Senate bill 39 because it aligns with current national efforts to privatize public education (Cunningham, 2021). The League has consistently opposed any mechanism that diverts public money to private schools.
S. 285 Education Scholarship Accounts (ESA) titled "Providing Academic Choice in Education (scholarships for private schools, tax-deductible)
The League of Women Voters of South Carolina has consistently opposed any mechanism that diverts public money to private schools. Senate Bill 285 uses tax credits to fund private school scholarships, but the net effect is the same. The approximately 100 million dollars of income tax credits that could be awarded to scholarship donors is 100 million dollars that will not go into the state treasury.
H.3591 Constitutional Amendment
If the General Assembly is inclined to enact mechanisms to divert potential tax dollars to religious or other private schools, then the League of Women Voters agrees that the question should be put to the voters. Our hope, indeed our expectation, is that the voters will agree that free public education is a public good and that funds intended for the public coffers should not be diverted to religious schools or to other private schools.
School Curriculum
State Board of Education Regulation 43-70 and Instructional Materials Review Status of PragerU Materials
For all instructional materials that are adopted in South Carolina, State Board of Education Regulation 43-70 requires an evaluation process, which is overseen by an Instructional Materials Review Panel and includes a thirty-day public review period. The League is concerned that this type of process may have been circumvented when the controversial PragerU materials were made available to South Carolina Public Schools. The League of Women Voters encourages adherence to the inclusive process described in Regulation 43-70, including a thirty-day period for public review and comment, prior to approval of instructional materials from any outside source before they are disseminated for use in the public schools.
SC Board of Education Proposed Uniform Procedure for Selection or Reconsideration of Instructional Materials
R.43-70:
The League urges the SC Board of Education to seek careful legal review from supporters of public education and revise this draft regulation to prevent negative consequences. For example, we urge revision to allow for language and images that are needed for education at middle and high school levels.
Document 5269: The prohibitions in Document 5269 related to sexual content are overly broad. We urge you to revise the regulation to allow appropriate references to sexual content while prohibiting materials that qualify as “obscene” under current state law.
H. 4375 Social Studies Standards
This bill attempts to narrow the discipline of social studies and creative an inordinate emphasis on American History. South Carolina does not need different social studies standards. The League opposes this bill that would misdirect energy and resources away from classrooms.
H. 3728 South Carolina Transparency And Integrity In Education Act
This public school censorship bill creates unnecessary risks for social studies teachers. The League of Women Voters supports the idea of requiring the Department of Education to create and make accessible model lesson plans for teaching the difficult topics of social studies. Codifying the best practices already used for handling parent complaints is sensible. Creating a process that encourages unfounded complaints against teachers and schools will undermine a public school system that is already in jeopardy.
Transgender Bans
H.4624 Gender Transition Under 18
The LWVSC opposes H.4624, an attempt to prohibit persons with gender dysphoria (transgender persons) under the age of 18 from receiving the medically accepted standard of care.
S.627 and S.623 Gender Transition Under 18
The League of Women Voters of South Carolina supports the right of all persons to autonomy in decision-making associated with health care. The ability to control our bodies, to have privacy in medical decision-making, and the right to make personal health care decisions are fundamental to our health, dignity, and freedom. The League opposes S. 627 and its companion bill S.623, because they violate these rights.
S. 627 prohibits medical treatments for gender dysphoria in the critical adolescent years. It prevents persons with this condition from making health care decisions for themselves in consultation with their physicians and families. S. 623 prevents persons from amending their birth certificate to accurately reflect their gender identity.
Women's Reproductive Health/Rights
S.874 Pro Birth Accountability Act
The State of South Carolina has demanded authority over the bodies of pregnant people. It is therefore only reasonable that the State also take responsibility for the consequences. The League supports this bill requiring compensation of certain women giving birth to a child who but for a fetal heartbeat law could choose to terminate the pregnancy,
S.474 Six Week (“Heartbeat”) Abortion Ban
The League opposes this bill. It is sometimes described as a moderate approach, but it is not. It gains that claim only by contrast with the even more draconian House bill H.3774. S.474 would prohibit abortion before most women even know they are pregnant, and provides ineffective window-dressing in the form of a few exceptions.
H.3774 Complete abortion ban, contraceptive access
The League opposes this effort to impose the religious beliefs of a minority of South Carolinians on all. H.3774 would force birth on those unwilling to carry a pregnancy to term. Access to contraception is the only positive feature of the bill. It does not outweigh the damage done by depriving South Carolinians of moral agency in a very important and personal decision.
H. 3563 Sales tax exemption for feminine hygiene products
Sales tax is a regressive tax. The League supports H. 3563. Eliminating the sales tax on feminine products would improve access to those necessary products for women by reducing the cost.
Gun Control
S.127, S.638, S.109 Gun Access
It is the national policy of the League of Women Voters that access to firearms should be regulated for public safety. We recommend forwarding S.127, helpful additions to criteria that disqualify individuals. S.638 provides for voluntary waiver of firearm rights, which could be helpful. We oppose S.109, removing requirements for permits and associated training to carry firearms.
S.440 Unorganized Militia
The League of Women Voters does not support this bill. An “unorganized militia” consisting largely of untrained and unsupervised persons, as described in this bill, should not have a right to unrestricted personal possession of weapons designed for the efficient and rapid killing of large numbers of people.
Hate Crimes
H. 3014, The Clementa C. Pinckney Hate Crimes Act, and S.615, Hate Crimes
South Carolina is long overdue to join the 49 states and territories that have enacted a hate crimes statute. We ask that legislators forward these bills. preferably the Senate version, with a favorable recommendation.
Safe Schools
H.3360 Establish Center for School Safety & Targeted Violence at SLED
The League of Women Voters of South Carolina encourages you to vote in favor of H.3360, which establishes The Center for School Safety and Targeted Violence within the South Carolina Law Enforcement Division (SLED) to provide training and education on school safety and targeted violence for law enforcement officers, school personnel, and parents.
Freedom to Read: Public Libraries, Schools
On October 27, 2022, the League of Women Voters of South Carolina joined “Freedom to Read SC,” a statewide coalition of advocates and community leaders that will work to defeat unconstitutional efforts to ban books from school and public libraries. Read more about the coalition and access resources.
