From Jesse Jackson to Charlie Kirk in Four Days. Week 8 at the South Carolina State House.
- Alpha Strategies
- Mar 8
- 9 min read
ALPHA STRATEGIES | LEGISLATIVE SESSION UPDATE | WEEK 8
Week of March 2, 2026 | South Carolina General Assembly, 126th Session
If you wanted one image to capture the range of Week 8 at the South Carolina State House, it might be this: the same building that opened its rotunda to thousands of mourners paying respects to the Rev. Jesse Jackson on Monday closed out Thursday with the House voting to name a highway after Charlie Kirk.
That is not a political statement. It is just a fact. And it is the kind of week this was.
A Supreme Court race collapsed the night before the scheduled vote.
The HALO Act cleared the House and is headed to the Senate.
Three more closed primary bills dropped, bringing the total this session to nine.
Senate subcommittees heard hours of testimony on a child welfare bill and sobering measles outbreak numbers that did not move the needle on the vaccine bill.
A bill asking South Carolina to recognize the God of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob as the Creator of the universe was introduced and referred to committee.
And yes, three road-naming resolutions in the name of Charlie Kirk and Donald Trump passed with almost no Republican opposition and almost no Democratic support.
Here is what happened, what it means, and what is coming next.
Rev. Jesse Jackson Lies in State at the South Carolina State House
On Monday, March 2, the South Carolina State House opened its rotunda to the public for the lying in state of the Rev. Jesse Louis Jackson Sr., who died February 17 at the age of 84. Thousands lined up across the State House grounds to pay their respects during public visitation. Gov. Henry McMaster ordered flags to fly at half-staff from sunrise to sunset.
Lying in state at the South Carolina State House is an extremely rare distinction. Jackson was only the second Black person to receive it, and the first who was not an elected official. He was a native son of Greenville who became a two-time presidential candidate, a civil rights leader who marched alongside Dr. Martin Luther King Jr., and a figure whose relationship with South Carolina was complicated, contested, and deep all at once.
The same building would, three days later, vote to name a highway after Charlie Kirk. South Carolina contains multitudes. That is worth sitting with for a moment before moving to the rest of the week.
The Supreme Court Race: Cancelled the Night Before the Vote
On the day before the General Assembly was scheduled to meet in joint session to elect the next Associate Justice of the South Carolina Supreme Court, incumbent Justice John Cannon Few withdrew from the race. He acknowledged publicly that he did not have the votes to win reelection and submitted his withdrawal to the Judicial Merit Selection Commission.
Few became the first sitting justice in more than 20 years to face a serious challenge for his seat. What cost Few his seat was not courtroom performance. It was a 2023 vote. Few joined the majority in a 3-2 decision striking down the Legislature's 2021 abortion ban. He later joined his colleagues to uphold the rewritten six-week ban, but the original vote put a target on his back.
Few's withdrawal cancelled the March 4 election and restarted the application process entirely. Former House Speaker Jay Lucas, Administrative Law Court Chief Judge Ralph King Anderson III, and Court of Appeals Judge Blake Hewitt remain in the field.
H. 4763-- Helping Alleviate Lawful Obstruction (HALO) Act
The HALO Act cleared the House this week, passing second reading 95-18 on Wednesday, and third reading on Thursday, before being sent to the Senate. The bill has a Senate companion, S. 175, already waiting in Senate Judiciary.
Sponsored by Rep. Melissa Oremus (R-Aiken), H.4763 makes it a misdemeanor to approach, impede, harass, or cause harm to a first responder or emergency medical care provider after receiving a verbal warning to stop. The penalty is a fine of up to $500 and up to 30 days in jail. The 25-foot buffer that has driven most of the public debate is not a fixed requirement in the bill itself but rather the practical framing that has emerged from the warning mechanism. Once a first responder issues a verbal warning, remaining in close proximity and continuing to interfere becomes the offense.
The Full Senate Judiciary Committee meeting scheduled for March 10 already includes H. 4763.
H. 4573, H. 5000, H. 4982 -- Three Road-Naming Resolutions
The House passed three resolutions to rename two highways and a bridge after Charlie Kirk and President Donald Trump. All three passed primarily along party lines. All three now head to the Senate.
• H. 4573 (Rep. Luke Rankin, R-Laurens) -- would rename a portion of U.S. Highway 76 in Laurens County, from the Greenville County line to State Highway 101, the "Charlie Kirk Memorial Highway." Passed 75-31. Two Republicans, Reps. Neal Collins of Easley and Tom Hartnett of Mount Pleasant, voted no. No Democrat voted yes.
• H. 5000 (Rep. Daniel Gibson, R-Greenwood) -- would rename a bridge across Little River along U.S. Highway 378 in McCormick County the "Charlie Kirk Memorial Bridge." Passed 75-29. Rep. Collins was the only Republican no vote. No Democrat voted yes.
• H. 4982 (Rep. Heather Crawford, R-Horry) -- would name the proposed Interstate 73 corridor through Marlboro, Dillon, Marion, and Horry counties the "President Donald J. Trump Highway." Passed 76-28. No Republican voted no. No Democrat voted yes.
Kirk, founder of Turning Point USA and host of a nationally syndicated podcast, was fatally shot on a college campus in Utah last year. He had no personal ties to South Carolina. Rep. Rankin, one of the youngest members of the House, said Kirk's death affected him deeply and that Kirk was a champion of the pro-life cause and a devout Christian who encouraged young people to get involved in politics.
Rep. Gilda Cobb-Hunter, the longest-serving member of the House, led the opposition from the floor with most of the Legislative Black Caucus gathered behind her. Rep. Hamilton Grant called it a slap in the face to many South Carolinians, arguing that the traditionally routine process of naming roads in a member's district was being used to elevate nationally polarizing figures.
On the Trump highway: the proposed I-73 has been discussed for decades as a route connecting the Pee Dee region and Grand Strand to I-95. It does not yet exist. Local funding milestones, including the RIDE IV program that committed $450 million in local matching funds after voter approval in November 2024, have made the project more viable than it has been in years. Rep. Crawford tied the naming to the first Trump administration's Army Corps of Engineers permit that cleared a multi-decade logjam. All three resolutions still need Senate passage.
S. 686 -- Prohibition on Race-Discriminatory Public Contracts and Grants
The Finance Constitutional Subcommittee will take up S.686 on Wednesday, March 11. The bill does one targeted thing: it adds a new section to the South Carolina Procurement Code prohibiting public entities from awarding contracts or grants that discriminate based on race. Any contract awarded in violation is void and unenforceable.
It is a companion piece to the broader DEI debate happening. H. 3927, the wider DEI ban covering offices, training, and hiring, passed the House 82-32 last April and remains in Senate Judiciary.
S. 540 -- Child Abuse and Neglect Definitions
The Senate Family and Veterans' Services Child Welfare Subcommittee voted S. 540 out 3-2 along party lines on Wednesday, March 4, after hours of testimony covering child welfare law, religious liberty, custody determinations, and the limits of state intervention in private family decisions.
At its core, S. 540 clarifies that raising a child consistent with the child's biological sex does not constitute neglect, abuse, or harm under South Carolina law. The bill also addresses foster care and adoption placements and custody determinations.
The vote was 3-2. It moves forward.
S. 741 and S. 897 -- Vaccine Bills
The Senate Medical Affairs Subcommittee met Wednesday, March 4, on two vaccine bills that ended up in very different places.
S. 741 -- Vaccine Prohibition for Infants Under 24 Months received a favorable report. Sponsored by Sen. Kennedy, the bill prohibits any vaccine mandate for children under 24 months while preserving parental choice to vaccinate voluntarily. Sen. Kennedy explained the bill by reference to his own child, born without functioning kidneys, who could not safely receive vaccines on the standard schedule. Sen. Tedder asked the pointed question: South Carolina does not currently mandate any vaccines at all, so what exactly is being prohibited? Sen. Matthews answered plainly: it is political. The bill passed out of subcommittee.
S. 897 -- Measles Vaccine Required to Attend Public School was the more contested bill, and the testimony from Dr. Linda Bell, DPH's Director of Health Programs and Incident Commander for the measles response was difficult to ignore.
Sen. Matthews, the bill's sponsor, was direct: S. 897 does not mandate vaccinations. It sets a condition for attending public school. Medical exemptions are preserved throughout. South Carolina already requires other vaccinations for school attendance. This bill closes a loophole in an existing framework rather than establishing a new principle. She also clarified that the grant provision applies only to non-religious private schools, which were never eligible for it to begin with.
The opposition framed the bill as a freedom issue. Sen. Corbin, chairing the subcommittee, acknowledged the reality: a continuance at this stage in the session is a practical kill. He said his intent is to work on the issue for the next session.
The Closed Primary Push
Three separate House members filed three separate closed primary bills. Rep. Harris filed H. 5327. Rep. Pace filed H. 5330. Rep. Beach filed H. 5317. All three were referred to House Judiciary. All three do essentially the same thing: require party registration to vote in a South Carolina partisan primary.
It is the latest chapter of a push running since the first year of the two-year session of the 126th Session.
• S. 109 (Sen. Rice) -- introduced January 14, 2025. Senate Judiciary.
• S. 113 (Sens. Cash, Grooms, Rice) -- introduced January 14, 2025. Senate Judiciary.
• H. 3310 (Reps. Burns, Magnuson, Chapman, Harris, Huff, Cromer, Gilreath, Kilmartin, Frank, Edgerton, Pace, Terribile, Rankin, Duncan) -- introduced January 14, 2025. House Judiciary.
• H. 3396 (Reps. Long, Magnuson, Rankin, McCravy, Chumley, White) -- introduced January 14, 2025. House Judiciary.
• H. 4520 (Rep. White) -- introduced May 6, 2025. House Judiciary.
• H. 5183 (Reps. Burns, Chumley, Pace, and others) -- introduced February 12, 2026. House Judiciary.
• H. 5317 (Rep. Beach) -- introduced March 5, 2026. House Judiciary.
• H. 5327 (Rep. Harris) -- introduced March 5, 2026. House Judiciary.
• H. 5330 (Rep. Pace) -- introduced March 5, 2026. House Judiciary.
Two in the Senate. Seven in the House. Nine bills filed, none moved through committee yet.
The Budget Is Now on the Clock
H. 5126 -- FY 2026-27 State General Appropriations Act formally hit the House calendar without reference this week, with a special order set for Monday, March 9, immediately after roll call.
The Senate Finance Committee will not take up the budget until April, with a full Senate budget week expected around April 20. There is a window. It is measured in weeks, not months.
Other Committee Action Worth Knowing
The Full Senate Judiciary Committee meets March 10 on a ten-bill docket that covers a wide range of ground:
• S. 175 -- HALO Act, Senate Companion (Interference with First Responders)
• H. 4763 -- HALO Act (House-Passed Version)
• S. 504 -- Controlled Substances Distribution Near Schools and Child Care Facilities
• S. 808 -- Interference with Workers Providing Critical Services
• S. 823 -- Child Welfare (Family Court Contact Orders in Parental Rights Terminations and Adoptions)
• S. 829 -- Joint System Governance (Local Government Joint System Commissioner Appointments)
• S. 922 -- Appointments (Governor Appointment Powers, State Election Commission, Coterminous Cabinet)
• H. 3020 -- Status Offenses (Removes Pinball Machine Play from Children's Code)
• H. 3285 -- Continuing Law Enforcement Education Credits and EMS Training
• H. 4720 -- Pretrial Intervention Program Eligibility
Other Introductions Worth Flagging
H. 5325 -- State Recognition of the God of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob as Creator filed by Reps. Lastinger, D. Mitchell, and others, referred to House Education and Public Works.
S. 983 -- Eviction Record Auto-Removal After Five Years filed by Sens. Elliott, Ott, Devine, Zell, and Sutton, referred to Judiciary. Bipartisan sponsorship. Would automatically remove eviction records from public court indexes after five years, including cases where tenants prevailed. Its companion bill, H. 4270, sets a six-year window and covers all disposition types including settlements; S. 983 sets a five-year window.
A filing that gets resolved by payment before a hearing may not qualify for removal under S. 983 depending on how disposition is defined, but it explicitly qualifies under H. 4270
S. 981 -- Sales Tax Exemption for Unprepared Foods and SNAP filed by Sen. Verdin, referred to Finance. Expands food sales tax relief beyond the federal SNAP definition.
Bills Moving Through the Senate Pipeline
The Senate Education Full Committee meets March 11 on several items, including H. 4756, the Student Physical Privacy Act, which passed the House 96-19 and requires students to use bathrooms and locker rooms consistent with their biological sex as verified at birth.
What Is Coming in Week 9 and Beyond
In the House: Budget floor debate begins Monday, March 9, immediately after roll call.
In the Senate: The Full Judiciary Committee meets March 10 on the ten bills detailed above, including both the Senate and House versions of the HALO Act.
The Finance Constitutional Subcommittee meets March 11 on S.686. The full Family and Veterans' Services Committee also meets that day. S. 540 is headed there after its 3-2 subcommittee vote. The Senate Education Full Committee meets March 11 on H. 4756.
Sine Die is May 14. Nine weeks. The window to influence what is in the budget, what clears committee, and what gets floor time is measured in weeks now, not months.
If you are not sure where your issues stand or what is coming next, let's talk. The clock is real.
Alpha Strategies tracks South Carolina’s legislative process week by week to help organizations understand not just what happened, but what it means and what is coming next.
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